TALKING THROUGH YOUR ARTS – TIME FOR TAP

A big problem for culturists is that, right now, they have no one to represent them politically. In October, when the first buds of spring arrive two Sydney artists seed a new political party to focus attention and resources on the arts in Australia.

The Arts Party (TAP), believe the future of Australia depends on the quality of ideas. It is in the working world where the rubber really hits the road; journalism, PR, marketing, government, popular culture and sport are all busy producing discourses that influence many.  Can art compete?  Does it want to?

The announcement of who is on the committee gives the party an authority that they ‘can’ and have the ‘do’ to compete. Members include, Bernadette Mansfield, who successfully lobbied for the independence of the National Art School and is the president of Friends of NAS, respected journalist Kate Mills, director of the Australian Film Festival, Barry Watterson and award-winning playwright Alex Broun.

The co-founders, filmmaker PJ Collins and actor Nicholas Gledhill, aim to transform the political conversation within Australian state and federal parliaments by repositioning creativity, cultural appreciation and arts in all its forms. Collins feels the lack of recognition and respect by government in acknowledging the value of Australian creativity is what spurred the establishing of TAP.

While policies are being developed, the party manifests the potential to create economic wealth, cultural depth and jobs for artists, with further principles calling for the system of grants and allowances to be overhauled to make for a more equitable and accountable structuring. As cultural clashes of taste, consumption, occupation, ambition and values continue to adhere to political dictum the party’s evolution is a palatable option.

A fifty-day funding campaign has been initiated through crowd funding and has reached affirming results with over 120 new members pledging their support. This provides a strong indication that TAP will meet their first campaign target. However the real target requires them to enlist 500 supporters to enable them to register the party federally. A further 750 members are required for state and territory party registrations.

So do the arts have a further role, in re-imagining the lives, voices, histories, values, civic expectations and dreams of people living in a particular place, sharing geography, language/s, a particular form of government? To register support costs as little as $20, a small amount for culturally high dividends, don’t you think? (AS)

theartsparty.org/tap/

BY ANGELA STRETCH