State patronage to promote indigenous art

Saturday, 17 January 2015 04:30 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Art receives active encouragement from the state in Australia. A good example is the Western Australian (WA) State Government Percent Art Scheme. It has been in existence for 25 years. A key objective of the scheme is “to improve the quality of the built environment and value of public facilities.” Another is to create new economic opportunities for Western Australian artists. The scheme operates on the basis that up to one percent of the total cost of the State’s capital works and major infrastructure projects are allocated for public art. It is thus a huge boost for the local artists.

Since commencing the Scheme, 538 separate projects at a cost of A$ 48 million, have been commissioned. These include wall paintings, murals and sculptures. These adorn public buildings like schools, hospitals, courthouses, police stations and other government offices. They are a refreshing sight for travellers driving long distances through the not-so-populated areas and are tempted to stop and enjoy the creative talent of artists even in remote areas. Hailing it as the longest running scheme of its kind in Australia, the Director-General of WA’s Department of Culture and the Arts states that the Scheme has created a community gallery that stretches across WA that brings art into everyone’s everyday experience and has established itself as a major employer of artists. “The Scheme represents much more than financial support for the artists. It offers a variety of artistic opportunities that may otherwise be limited, such as the ability to create work at large scale or to collaborate with a broad range of people including local communities, fellow artists and architects,” he says The Scheme also gives an opportunity to engage with an audience far wider than those who frequent art galleries. Over the years these

opportunities have inspired artists to extend their art practices to create some of the really remarkable art. The Scheme’s annual report showcases some of the projects which have earned a reputation for high quality artwork. One of them is the Kalgoorlie Courthouse where paintings and designs by Aboriginal artists have made a significant contribution to the public areas of the complex. Fourteen artists have worked on artworks the stories of which relate to the region and the diversity of language groups that live in the area. “The artworks give a sense of travelling across the region serviced by the courts. They depict waterholes, tracks, meeting places, ceremonies, animals, hunting and food gathering. Collectively they act as narratives that provide insights into the rhythm of traditional Aboriginal life, the annual report states. Referring to primary schools, the report says that artists and architects work with school communities to leave a lasting legacy of inspiration, identity and quality of learning environments. Artworks in hospitals have inspiring child-friendly sculptures, sophisticated large scale interior works and way-finding landmarks that help humanise and energise health care facilities in ways that benefit patients, visitors and workers, it explains. Artwork in secondary schools and specialised training facilities are meant to reflect ambition and motivation, and to raise awareness and motivation, and to raise awareness of identity through specialised skills development and pride in learning. The Department of Culture and the Arts, (DCA) and Building Management and Works (BMW) have dedicated resources to manage, promote and advocate for the inclusion of public art on capital buildings. Inspired by the success of the Scheme, more and more government agencies have started adopting similar public art initiatives.