Subsidy for local grants to arts

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32959, 4 July 1972, Page 10

Subsidy for local grants to arts

Hard on the heels of the capital grants scheme announced last month, the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council has just announced yet another form of support for the arts at provincial level—a new subsidy on contributions made to regional arts bodies by local government.

The subsidy, which will apparently be available only to regional bodies and not to individual organisations, is $1 for $2 on funds provided by local bodies. It is seen as part of the arts council’s campaign to get the arts into the provinces, and as a concrete step towards the establishment of a National Arts Service — first talked about at Arts Conference 70, and much talked about since.

The aim, says Mr W. N. Sheat, chairman of the arts council, who announced the subsidy in Nelson last week, is to assist in provision of an administrative service and to co-ordinate activities at a regional level. Subsidies are also available on the same basis from the arts council to assist local groups to tour within their regions. Some centres had strong choirs, or active theatre groups, which, with a little help, both financially and administratively, could visit smaller centres around their home base from time to time, Mr Sheat said to the Nelson Regional Arts Council.

“At the same time, I must make it clear that the arts council has no intention of handing over funds to regional organisations for distribution to local art bodies.

"Applications by arts organisations for financial assistance from the council will be handled as before in

accordance with the policies laid down by the council.” Mr Sheat emphasised that in planned National Arts Service local community involvement was essential. Organisations such as the Nelson Provincial Arts Council must persuade the local bodies to provide facilities and some finance for artistic projects. “I know the arts are too often a low priority on a council’s estimate, but attitudes are changing throughout the country, as witnessed by the Government’s decision to increase quite substantially its grant to the arts council this year.

"Lobbying and fundraising are two areas in which the arts have generally been pretty inactive. But it is a hard, cold fact that both are necessary, and you are going to have to engage in both if you are going to get anywhere.” Mr Sheat said that delays in obtaining proper staffing levels—a matter beyond the direct control of the council

—had so far meant that little would be done to implement any proper N.A.S. programme. “Despite the fact that funds have been earmarked for regional development in this year’s Budget, it is unlikely the service will be fully operational until sometime next year.” It was recognised that regional arts activities could not be run, or even planned, from a Wellington office, Mr Sheat added. “Communications are a key factor in the success of the operation- of the National Arts Service, and at all points it is essential to have a continuing flow of reliable information from small, often outlying, centres to the national centre and back,” he said. One of the first tasks of the N.A.S. was to build up a sound communications network, Mr Sheat said. A number of regional groups had emerged in recent years. “It is our hope that such organisation will provide a vital link in co-ordinating the artistic needs, aspirations, and activities of the regions.