AN OPEN LETTER FROM RUPERT MYER
In late July, the Federal Minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation, Peter McGauran, announced the establishment of an Inquiry into Australia's contemporary visual arts and craft sector.
I was appointed Chair of the Inquiry, which I see as a great privilege and a wonderful opportunity. Together with the visual arts and craft communities, the Inquiry will be able to make a real contribution to ensuring a sustainable future for this valuable sector.
I am proposing that the Inquiry will consult as widely as practicable with the visual arts and craft communities - including individual artists as well as arts organisations and government funding bodies.
The Inquiry will formally call for submissions through national press advertisements in September, with submissions closing in late October. The Inquiry will also be holding discussions with interested groups and individuals about the issues raised by the terms of reference.
To stimulate debate and focus for its investigations and submissions from the public, the Inquiry will release an issues paper and make this paper widely available.
The enclosed information sheet about the Inquiry outlines the anticipated timing for the issues paper and submissions process, and provides contact details for the Inquiry.
I am looking forward very much to working with the contemporary visual arts and craft communities in the coming months on this important and challenging undertaking, and I encourage you to participate in the Inquiry.
Rupert Myer
Chairman
CONTEMPORARY VISUAL ARTS AND CRAFT INQUIRY
The Federal Minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation, Peter McGauran, announced a landmark public Inquiry into the contemporary visual arts and craft in Australia on 23 July 2001. The Inquiry, chaired by Rupert Myer, will draw heavily on consultation with, and written submissions from, artists, organisations and other persons with an interest in this area, as well as other research and sources. An issues paper will be released, setting out some issues on which the Inquiry is seeking views. Following consultations and receipt of submissions, a final report will be presented to the Commonwealth Government.
Key dates
Release of Issues Paper
and call for submissions September 2001
Due date for public submissions Late October 2001*
Final report March 2002
- The final closing date will be specified in press advertisements inviting submissions.
Contacts
Inquiry Secretariat: (02) 6271 1832
Fax: (02) 6271 1696
Email: [email protected] (available shortly)
Website: www.cvacinquiry.dcita.gov.au (available shortly)
Postal address: Contemporary Visual Arts and Craft Inquiry
GPO Box 2154
Canberra ACT 2601
Regular updates on the Inquiry will be posted on the website.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
The Inquiry will, in the context of the creative and economic contributions
made by the Australian visual arts and craft sector, identify key issues
impacting on the future sustainability, development and promotion of the
sector.
The Inquiry will also assess possible options and make recommendations on actions that might be taken by governments and the sector to enhance its future.
Specifically, the Inquiry will:
- articulate the creative contribution of the sector;
- ope the sector, identifying economic value chains and relationships, including those between arts practitioners, contemporary visual arts and craft organisations, commercial entities, public collecting institutions, collectors, benefactors, sponsors and audiences;
- assess the economic contribution of the sector, including its flow on effects onto other sectors of the economy;
- identify, across the three tiers of government, and assess the effectiveness of support for the sector, and report on opportunities for
(a) better targeting of these expenditures at both organisational and individual artist level and
(b) the scope for improved synergies between the funding agencies to enhance the sustainability of the sector;
- identify and assess drivers for further change in the sector, including increased competition, new technologies, legislative issues and consumer demand; and
- report on the current trends in the training of arts practitioners at tertiary level for the sector, including graduate numbers, and assess the impact of these trends on the sustainability of the sector.
- In completing its task the Inquiry will ensure that it is informed by relevant research, including:
- search undertaken by contemporary visual arts and craft organisations;
- Australia Council research and publications, including Planning for the Future and Promoting the Value of the Arts; and
- research undertaken by state and local governments.
The Inquiry will consult funding agencies at Federal, state and territory levels, and key organisations within the visual arts and craft sector; seek public submissions (particularly from the visual arts and crafts communities); and take account of the full range of Commonwealth and State/Territory Government objectives for cultural development.
The Inquiry should produce a discussion paper and prepare a final report for the Commonwealth Government by the end of March 2002.
Copies of the terms of reference can be downloaded from the Inquiry website.
The Australian Contemporary Arts Mailing List < aHREF="www.arts.monash.edu.au/visarts/globe/ghome.html""> www.arts.monash.edu.au/visarts/globe/ghome.html"
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