THE ART GRANT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11028, 17 March 1914, Page 1

THE ART GRANT.

COUNCILS ATTITUDE. J ARTISTS SAY TOO RESTRICTIVE. ; Last night the Ohristohurch.' City . Council, on the motion of Councillor > H. Hunter, . decided; that. the Canterbury Arts Society should .be granted £SO for the purchase of; a picture painted by an artist trained in the dominion. Several councillors stated that the objeot was to prevent the city's money being expended on the work of an English artist, but according to some local artists the municipality has, by its decision, shut out many people who could' properly bo 'considered New Zealand artists. .

11 1 think that the City • Council is quit© right," said one artist to a " Star 5 ' reporter ;fco-day, "in.-trying td assist the New' Zealand artist, but the difficulty that has arisen now is that New Zenlanders often take part of their training in; the ■ Old Country and these will bo shut out. Take my own case. lam a New Zc&lander by birth, and the initial part of my training was received in Christchurch, : but a few years ago I went to Britain and studied there. I cannot say. that my training was received in. the dominion, because part of it" took me away from this country, and under the Council's resolution my works will be debarred from consideration. In the same way there may be artists who ~ received early training in Britain or in Europe, but came to New Zealand many years ago and lfavc lived here since, making a livelihood in the dominion entirely. Surely, too, they should be considered. It would .seem that' the Council could better attain its end by defining a New Zealand artist as one who' had been born in the dominion and had received some training here, or one who had resided in the country for' a terra of years, making it as long as the Council liked. Every artist that its resident permanently in New Zealand is' trying to assist forward the art of the country, and I think that the world would look on thoiu as New Zealand-artists."

Another artist put forward similar arguments but suggested that !tho Council should limit the grant to artists uho had been born in the dominion. " Most of those relio wewv boni lie re/' ho said. ".received a part training .here, and it; really, does .not matter if the later stages of t-teir education took them out of the dominion or not. The Council, after all, is''looking for a good work, and every artist tv-Ho wants to improve must go to the Old Laud as a part of his training. The Council's resolution ig not qui to delinito as to vhotKer all or part pi; the training should havo been received in Now Zealand, but- if it is the former the decision is too restrictive to do real iood." ' '