Meeting to set up local arts council

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33693, 16 November 1974, Page 18

Meeting to set up local arts council

A special meeting called by the Christchurch City Council and the Waimairi County Council may form a Canterbury Arts Council.

Such a council could improve arts administration and avoid the sort of situation the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra is in.

A meeting on May 13 this year discussed a community arts centre on the old university site and the setting up of a working group to investigate forming a community! arts council for greater Christchurch. Proposals for an arts council have been drawn up by the group, convened by Mr Reeves Harris. The Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council Bill makes substantial changes in the structure of the Queen Elizabeth JI Arts Council with emphasis on regionalisation. It establishes three regional arts councils, each under the chairmanship of the respective regional member, and each with six local regional members. It also provides for community arts councils, comprising not less than six nor more than 15 persons. Among the functions of !

these councils will be to keep regional arts councils fully informed. They will also make recommendations to the regional councils as to priorities for the distribution of funds by the Minister of Internal Affairs to any local arts group in the area.

The community arts counI cil will co-operate with educational bodies and broadcasting organisations in promoting the arts, and will arrange some exhibitions and performances. The working group recomi mends that the Canterbury Arts Council’s area be the Canterbury province north of the Rangitata River. It proposes that its structure should be based on a system of affiliations, with representatives appointed by each affiliated organisation. This means that all organisations participating in the arts would have representatives on the council. There would also be representatives of organisations interested in promoting the arts, as well as the chairman and members of the Southern Regional Arts council, local authority representatives and Education Department and

Broadcasting Council nominees.

The working group also envisages the Canterbury Arts Council having various committees, such as literary, music, performing arts, festival and competitions, and visual arts and crafts committees. A general secretariat is also proposed. The working group says: “Each should have a true feeling of full participation with confidence that it voice will be heard and its interests given every consideration by the council, without fear of domination by another discipline or group.”