Never a week goes by without some new funding crisis in the arts, or some new piece of government-initiated vandalism. This week we had both: a $200,000 shortfall that puts Sydney’s annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition at risk, and the Northern Territory government doubling down on their efforts to sell off the new Art Gallery of the NT building as it nears completion.
Since its inception in 1997, when I was one of the inaugural judges, Sculpture by the Sea (SXS) has become a Sydney institution. It hardly needs saying that the show has come a long way since that hastily organised event of less-than-24 hours, when sculptures were barely erected on the coastal walk between Bondi and Tamarama, before they had to be taken down again.
Sydney people love an excuse to get out and about, and the Waverley Council soon came to realise that in SXS it had a tourist attraction of blockbuster proportions. Nowadays, the show runs for 18 days and routinely attracts between 400,000 – 500,000 visitors - rain, hail or shine. To say it is “eagerly anticipated” is no mere cliché, as people genuinely look forward to their yearly trek along the foreshores.
The most recent statistics claim that last year the show injected $56 million into the local economy. It’s not impossible, because an economic study of 2019 found that SXS added $11 million to the Bondi food & beverage businesses, and $39.8 million to the NSW economy.
I’m not about to make a big deal about such figures, which are always a little rubbery, but the point is clear: SXS provides an economic windfall for state and community. Nevertheless, it has constantly struggled to attract support from federal or state governments. The reasons are many and varied. Even though SXS is a registered charity, some are fixated on the idea that it is a privately run, commercial event that makes a profit for founding director, David Handley.
Although it pays Handley what is believed to be a handsome salary, in recent years the show has struggled to break even, with rising costs not being offset by sales of sculpture and merchandise. The Perth exhibition was cancelled, and staff have been laid off. The sculptors themselves are divided between those who line up for SXS every year, seeing it as valuable exposure, and those who believe it has sacrificed credibility with its growing penchant for crowd-pleasing gimmicks and novelty sculptures. There are also perennial disputes between SXS, artists and art dealers, over percentages of revenue from sales.
In brief, Handley has his fans and his detractors, but this does not diminish the popularity of the show, nor the benefits it confers on the broader economy. Handley argues that SXS is a major tourist asset for the city, the state and the country, and it would be hard to refute this claim. Regardless of whether Dave’s laments are exaggerated, it’s difficult to see how state or federal bodies could decline to assist an event that provides a proven economic benefit, while they pour money into fanciful, speculative arts projects kept secret from the taxpayer or guaranteed black holes like the Powerhouse.
If SXS did not apply to Creative Australia through the proper channels that’s because they have grown tired of being knocked back time and again. Given the debacle of Khaled Sabsabi’s on/off/on again selection for the Venice Biennale, it’s understandable that anyone might lack confidence in this organisation.
Instead, Handley says he “did not expect that the people we were speaking with in the government for the last six months or more would not be able to secure the funds required.” These nameless “people” seemed to have promised much and delivered little, which is the danger of trying to get your funding through the back door.
When that arts amazon, Linda Morris asked Creative Australia for a comment, the response was straight out of the bureaucrat’s handbook: “Creative Australia’s investment is delivered through open and competitive programs. Applications are assessed based on independent expert advice and according to published criteria.”
Yes, we all know about those independent experts and their excellent advice. The bulk of grant money seems to be allocated as a cultural welfare payment, with anything that smacks of popular success being righteously shunned. Handley told the ABC that the last time SXS applied for Creative Australia funding it was rated in the bottom third of applicants
I’d be very surprised if Handley doesn’t get the $200,000 he needs from private and corporate donations, ensuring that the show will go on. [Stop press: he’s already secured the money]. The shortfall is real, but his threat to pull the plug smacks of media theatre, intended to put pressure on government sources who show no appreciation of his efforts. While I’m not sure I can entirely endorse these tactics, I understand his frustration. Like everyone else in this country, Handley has found that cultural progress is not a smooth road into the future, but a zig-zagging dirt track that keeps doubling back on itself, as each new crop of politicians has to be convinced the arts are not simply a waste of good money that could be spent on sports grounds or motor racing. Having secured a million dollars of government largesse in 2023, Handley probably thought he had turned a corner, but when he got around the other side, he found himself in limbo.
What I can’t understand is why NSW Arts Minister, John Graham, hasn’t leapt into the breach and handed over the required $200,000. Given Mr. Graham’s demonstrated antipathy for fusty old museums and galleries, and his passion for parties and festivals, the ephemeral nature of SXS should surely appeal. Why, the smiling culture assassin has just forked out $200,000 for a special entertainment precinct in Kiama – well known as the Monte Carlo of the south coast. Then there’s the $5 million earmarked for a new arts festival in the western suburbs, and of course, the $16 million sagely invested in three American cage fights. For Premier Minns it was an “election commitment” delivered! Pity they decided to completely betray their election commitment to preserve the Powerhouse.
The first of these UFC contests was estimated to have generated $15.3 million for the local economy, which is less than one third of the return on SXS – at only 76.5 times the cost.
Given David Handley’s penchant for drama, and the NSW government’s love of events and contests, it’s clear what needs to happen. Handley needs to challenge Minister John Graham, or perhaps Premier Chris Minns, to a cage fight. If Dave wins, he gets funding in perpetuity for SXS and goes on to challenge Federal Arts Minister, Tony “the Crusher” Burke. If he loses, he never asks for another cent of government moolah. As we seem to be returning to the Dark Ages, this kind of joust is a far more appropriate way of deciding how arts money is allocated. It sure beats filling out forms for a Creative Australia grant. One might also make a tidy profit from admission charges.
Leaving southern climes and venturing to the barbarian lands of the North, we find the Country Liberal Party government of Lia Finocchiaro still trying to flog off the all-but-completed new Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
You may recall that earlier this year the government erupted in horror that the new museum was running $100 million over budget, with no provision for ongoing funding. Their solution: put the building out to tender, allowing the invisible hand of the markets to sooth the financial headache the project was causing.
Ms. Finocchiaro has referred to the previous government’s plans as “a shemozzle”. It’s an unusual term, but her subsequent actions have shown us she’s quite the expert when it comes to shemozzles.
The building, designed by Ashford Lamaya Architects, in association with Clare Design – responsible for Brisbane’s successful and eminently practical Gallery of Modern Art – has everything a contemporary art gallery requires. It is being built and fitted out for that purpose, not with the intention it might be converted into a shopping centre. The government has tried to deal with that inconvenient identity issue by renaming the gallery, “the State Square Building”. How fiendishly clever!
These masterminds have convinced themselves they will save a bundle by sabotaging an important tourist intitiative and abandoning any thought of Darwin as a city that might take pride in its own cultural heritage. They obviously don’t accept that an art gallery is a badge of civic maturity – something badly needed when most people think of the Northern Territory in terms of beer and crocodiles.
Having apparently failed to lure big developers and shopping centre magnates with its first call for Expressions of Interest, the government has compounded its folly by adding an addendum to their original document. Now we learn that interested parties can submit proposals for “a single floor or a single gallery”. They go on to warn would-be clients that the NT government will not assist with operational costs or even provide estimates of these costs. In fact, they stress that any tenant must “be financially sustainable with minimal or no dependence on Northern Territory Government support.”
Sounds like a great deal. Add to this, Arts Minister, Jinson Charl’s suggestion that any prospective tenant should rejoice in the warm inner glow that comes from “providing a model of operation that best contributes to rebuilding the economy and restoring the Territory’s lifestyle,” and you can see what an attractive proposition they are putting before their commercial saviours.
If you’re confused as to why the NT’s lifestyle needs to be made great again, that’s because of the previous Labor administration, who commissioned the gallery… I mean the State Square Building, in the first place. It seems the CLP’s Number One policy idea is to systematically undo everything their predecessors did, regardless of whether it not it might serve a valuable purpose.
The purpose in this instance is to provide a much-needed showcase for the NT’s first-rate holdings of Aboriginal art, which is one of the finest collections in the country. It also has an excellent collection of non-Indigenous art that rarely finds space on the wall of the run-down building at Bullocky Point that it shares with the NT Museum. Since its inception in 1981, the Museum and Art Gallery of the NT has always represented an awkward union. It’s a marriage that needs to come to an amicable conclusion, to allow both partners to flourish.
It will mean Darwin has two dedicated tourist attractions, rather than one. As most overseas visitors are fascinated by Aboriginal art, it’s high time the city took advantage of one of its strengths and gave this work a proper showcase. It would also mean a great deal to the diverse communities of Indigenous people that call the NT home. This is what the NT government wants to abandon, in favour of an increasingly desperate plan to “commercialise” the site. But to turn a dedicated cultural site into a shopping bazaar is an act of gross insensitivity which shows no understanding that culture runs deep, while business is shallow. Or, in other words, art is long-term, while commerce comes and goes.
Try as I might, I can’t imagine what kind of entrepreneur would want to take a “gallery” in a building in which every aspect reminds you that it’s actually an art museum-in-waiting. Such shopkeepers would also incur the ill will of a large part of the population who bitterly resent this hijacking of a long-desired cultural facility. The NT government is trying to convince business to take up a lease that’s already cursed.
As for the $100 million overrun, it’s difficult to think of any major building project in Australia, post-pandemic, that hasn’t gone massively over budget. Sydney Modern stayed ‘on budget’ by cutting $100 million worth of features from the original plan. The Sydney Metro and the Victorian North East Link have gone billions over their respective budgets. Let’s not mention the Powerhouse.
Whatever it costs to build and maintain a new Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, it’s well worth it in the long run. The major obstacle is the stiff-necked arrogance of a government that thinks art is a joke, while business is a magical charm. But if they open the gallery as planned, naturally taking as much credit as possible, they will find it’s immensely popular, both with tourists and locals. The foolish attempt to turn the gallery into a shopping centre is only adding expense to the bottom line, as will any piecemeal alterations to the building. Ms. Finocchiaro needs to forget about losing face and heed the advice of the Ramones:
Oh, gonna have a real cool time
And everything’s gonna be real fine
Swallow my pride, oh yeah
Swallow my pride, oh yeah
I’m working on a film review, but this week I’m only adding an art column – on Janet Dawson’s survey at the Art Gallery of NSW, Far Away So Close. It’s a diverse but surprisingly consistent body of work from an artist whose career has been a conundrum of fame and obscurity. I went along with no fixed expectations and came away with the feeling it was one of those exhibitions you can’t help but like. I’m not sure one could have the same experience at a shopping centre.
Would really appreciate more reviews of shows in independent galleries in Sydney and other capital cities . While appreciating your sentiments on the lack of govt support for the arts, I am very familiar with this theme and really don’t need to hear it yet again. There are many artists doing interesting work who barely rate a mention anywhere..it would be great if you looked at these .