Andrea Dawkins MP | Greens Arts spokesperson
The Liberal government needs to broaden awareness of artists who are leading the way by supporting innovative ideas and adopting successful models as templates for arts entrepreneurship.
Kingsway in Launceston is a wonderful example of artistic entrepreneurship enlivening an area. Locals and visitors can see artist, Angus Douglas, at work in the same room where he exhibits, mixed in with a barber shop, café and local health food shop. This is living proof of how we could utilise the many empty spaces in Launceston to draw people to areas to support a wide range of businesses.
Last night’s Launceston arts forum highlighted how vital state and local government investment in our arts organisations is.
Grassroots organisations which bring art to a broad range of people, including many in poorer areas, are often missing out.
If we want a vibrant arts scene in northern Tasmania, funding will need to include representatives of the broader art sector.
Many musicians have missed out in recent funding rounds - a tragedy considering each dollar spent in the music industry is returned in triple to the local economy. We are seeing a vital, viable industry overlooked.
The Launceston community and art scene have suffered a major blow with the cancellation of the 2016 Basin Concert.