VISUAL ARTS/NORTH

"Bricks, Mortar, Art"

Succeeding Better, the review of the Arts Council of Ireland's Arts Plan 1995-98, was published recently.  It was commissioned by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms Sile de Valera and carried out by Indecon/Pricewaterhouse Cooper.  The report highlights the importance of enabling artists and art organisations to realise their full potential.  It also commented on the need to evaluate in terms of artistic objectives rather than the economic factor.

It is ironic that it has taken a report by economists to elevate the creative process above financial concerns.  Funding has often been available for buildings, but little or no money to enable artists to reach their full potential or for galleries/arts centres to develop fully a programme tailored to the specific needs of that venue.

Norah Norton, director of Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, writes in their newsletter that when she was asked for a submission for the new Arts Plan she resurrected a submission made to the first plan in 1994 (the one reviewed by Succeeding Better).  "The whole cultural structure must be based on support for the creative process·this commitment is the strong foundation that supports the development of excellent arts practice, around which it is worth building a cultural industry."  A simple point but one that has been missed by many funding bodies.  In fact, funding has taken the opposite route and funded structures and buildings.  Certainly this seemed to be the case with lottery funding in the North.  At present, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland is currently conducting sector and public consultations on how best to use funds from its National Lottery Fund (there seems to be a good living to be made from reviewing the arts rather than reviewing art).  Lottery funding is not as focused on capital expenditure as it once was but for many it still concentrates too much on buildings and equipment.  Hopefully the new review will take into consideration the needs of the creative process when it makes its recommendations.

Buildings and access to them has been a priority for funding bodies.  Lifts, atriums and mezzanines have been installed.  Cafés and restaurants have been opened to encourage audiences into buildings, in the hope that they might even walk past some art on their way to the chef's signature dish.  What has been missed is that the best and simplest way to encourage audiences is to have good quality work on exhibition.  Why did so many trek to the Newtownards Road to see Bill Viola's work last November, why are so many people going out on cold February nights to see Dorothy Cross' Lightship?  They go because of the art.  Certainly buildings should be accessible but of more fundamental importance is the quality of the work on view.

Hopefully with these various reviews there will be a shift in emphasis on funding.  It is not just the practice of individual artists that would benefit.  With a wide variety of good work to choose from, people working in galleries and arts centres could learn to curate rather than just play pass the parcel.

Skills in writing catalogue introductions could be practised.  Catalogues that actually document new work could be produced rather than publications that do little more than massage artists' egos.  If funding bodies have confidence in artists and curators then the whole art world will be enriched.

Brian Kennedy