THE PRESS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1981. Festival disappointment

Press, 2 September 1981, Page 20

THE PRESS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1981. Festival disappointment

Disappointment among the organisers of the 1982 Arts Festival in Christchurch at the refusal of the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council to grant money towards the holding of the festival is understandably acute. Instead of concentrating on mounting the best possible festival within the budget drawn up some time ago, the organisers must devote time and effort to adjusting their plans to the loss of money confidently expected and, if they can, to making up for the shortfall of funds by turning to other sources.

Perhaps the organisers of the festival were unwise to assume that the Arts Council would come up with the money they sought. The council has limited funds and must ensure that its funds are spent to the best advantage of all the arts throughout New Zealand. This year it has been understandably reluctant to see its precious funds swallowed up in local administration. The first call on the Arts Council’s funds should be from organisations on whose well-being depends the full-time employment of artists.

The Arts Council might be willing to entertain requests from the festival’s organisers to support specific events or exhibitions. A request which can be shown to be in line with the council’s own sense of priority would have to be entertained seriously by the council. At the same time, this might provide a way by which the

council can cushion the blow to the Christchurch festival.

So long as it has only limited funds — and this is likely to be forever — the Arts Council is bound to disappoint some and make decisions with which many disagree. That said, it is fair to observe that, even if the Arts Council’s public relations have not always been as good as they might have been, applicants for funds can hardly be unaware of the restricted resources of the council. Perhaps the council hopes that local and particular disappointments, loudly complained of, will persuade the Government that it should cut expenditure elsewhere and increase the council’s funds.

The organisers of the Christchurch festival do not have time to enter a political argument; they are pushing forward with their plans as best they can. Christchurch will not be denied a festival because of the Arts Council’s decision. Such festivals have an important role to play as a focus for endeavour over a wide range of the arts and as a stimulus to public interest in the arts generally. The right of the Arts Council to decide that its funds would be better spent on other ways of stimulating the arts and interest in them cannot really be challenged. A national supplement to a local effort to promote the arts and public satisfaction from the arts is very desirable; Christchurch now has the task of showing that such a supplement is not essential.