Arts Festival chairman resigns

Press, 26 November 1982, Page 7

Arts Festival chairman resigns

The Christchurch Arts Festival will soon have a new chairman and a new director.

Mr C. F. Whitty, chairman of the Arts Festival executive committee for the last four years, has decided to step down. His successor may be announced at the Arts Festival’s annual meeting this. week. In his chairman’s report, which will be presented at the meeting, Mr Whitty said that a chairman should serve for only two festivals because new ideas and new impetus were needed.

the executive had now agreed to a link between the Arts Centre and the Arts Festival, he said.

A proposal intended the Arts Centre as the administrative base for the Arts

Festival, with the centre’s director, Mr Ray Sleeman, to act as the Arts Festival director. That would allow the Arts Centre Trust Board to have representation on the Arts Festival executive, although the latter would be financially responsible for the promotion of the Arts Festival, said Mr Whitty.

The link between the two organisations would be reviewed after the 1984 Arts Festival. After the failure of an approach to the Town Hall Board of Management, the executive turned to the Arts Centre Trust, in an effort to reduce festival costs. The trust , board will meet this afternoon to discuss the proposal.