Future Melbourne

FUTURE MELBOURNE - CULTURE

What have we done so far?

• Cultural Blueprint - background document (Dec 2006)

•Art in the City Series (Melbourne Conversations series)• Housing the Arts: Appropriate and affordable places for artists

in the city – the way forward - 22 August 2007• Making & Talking about Art: Politics, Risk & Responsibility – 29

August 2007• Showing & Telling: The critical role of artists & Artist Run

Initiatives in the city – 5 September 2007• Imagining the 2020's - Art in the city: Scenarios for the future –

26 November 2007

•eVillage• Range of topics covered, both on ‘cultural talking point’ and other

talking points

FUTURE MELBOURNE - CULTURAL

What have people told us?

Housing the ArtsSimon Maidment – Director West Space – an inner city ARIHigh rents are sending inner city ARIs to the wall or the cheaper suburbs. Partial solution could be in:

philanthropic gestures by private landlords, particularly the gift of a building. better use of ‘non-spaces’: empty shops, empty floors in buildings, vacant land, even flat rooves

with shipping containers on top. Rate rebates Fast tracking of planning applications More flexible application of the Docklands 1% for art program – peppercorn rent.

Tai Snaith – Member of CoM Arts Advisory Board, artist and tenant in Nicholas BuidlingIncreased desire for use of transient & non-traditional public spaces for exhibitions

The desire to respond to a physical site and a specific context The desire to broaden the audience for the work The hype, excitement and interest generated by unique, one-off events Finding more legal non-traditional spaces for artists will bring cultural credit to the City. arts

organisation instead of a fixed piece of permanent public art.Rick Berry – Fitzroys Real EstateHigh property demand will make access for artists to city property increasingly difficult. Possible assistance to landlords through:

aero rating, rate rebates and holidays or land tax rebates.Rosalyn Piggott – former CBD based visual artist

Suggested that City work with developers/landlords to build or convert a property to house many artists studios along lines of Cite International de Paris.

Dr Kate Shaw - Architecture and Planning at Melbourne University Use temporary and interim spaces for the arts Adjust planning rules to better suit artists needs Affordable accommodation No culture without sub-culkture

David Napier ED Digital Harbour at Docklands 1% Docklands public arts levy could be directed to housing the arts

FUTURE MELBOURNE - CULTURAL

Making and talking about Art: Politics, Risk & Responsibility•Special case exists for greater legal freedom of expression for artists•Transgressive art is necessary for a healthy and critical society•Need for more arts projects that lead to greater social inclusion and skills development for the disadvantaged and poor•Necessity to fund arts research projects some of which might not progress or even fail•Risk in art making is necessary for community building and social integrity

Showing & Telling: The critical role of artists & Artist Run Initiatives in the city•Critical for artists to sustain creative thinking and not be driven by the arts market place demands •Important for local artists to mix with international based artists and vice versa for seeding, collaborative and research purposes•Art should be more accessible and available to encourage participation •Need for cross-cultural hybrid arts initiatives that could serve to link different artists and communities•Need for free legal advice for artists•CoM funding for arts would be better directed to less projects and more useful infrastructure to allow the arts to be housed and research and presentation to occur •A strong university and education base and a strong economy require a strong and robust cultural sector, accessible to many at an affordable cost

What’s next?

FUTURE MELBOURNE - CULTURAL

Imagining the 2020’s – Art in the City: Scenarios for the future•Artists necessary to provide a critique of the how the city works•Natural capital assets are equivalent to cultural capital assets in that both need to remain robust for a healthy economy and continued growth ie. Both must be sustainable into the future – environmental and socially sustainable •If cultural eco-system collapses then so will the economy •As natural eco systems must be protected for the economy to grow so must the cultural eco system be sustained and looked after – there exists a growing inextricable linkage world wide•City planning processes will have to look to maintenance of cultural growth for overall growth and quality of life for all•Critical to protect the existing institutions, ARIs and small spaces and laneways•Better journalism, arts writing and recognition of arts writing •Need to invest in artists into the future as well as maintaining infrastructure •All purpose sustainable arts “blank box” needs to be built that is subsidized and entirely flexible•Sustainable, low cost artists living spaces need to be built to encourage local and national & international artists to come and collaborate•Melbourne needs to be playful and engaged•Enabling of the arts to grow is the greatest challenge•How will digital arts practice shape what we understand as the arts up to and beyond 2020s•As people look to seek commercial gain from the web, grass roots activity is proving to be the dominant activity shaping and shifting the web’s form and function.•WEB 2.0 > Social Network Sites, Wikkis, Peer production – Prosumers, Open Source Movements – free soft ware for all, Networks are the future of digital connections and find ways; re-mix culture – allows and promotes derivative work; creative commons – diff levels of copyrights •In future more art will be exchanged than sold – ie. it will be remixed and mashed up rather than passively consumed•Open source culture will see more people accessing resources and ideas •Peer production models will influence artistic practice •Increased digital dissemination platforms for ideas will lead to much greater access to art •Important to maintain community access to dissemination networks

FUTURE MELBOURNE - CULTURAL

Imagining the 2020s (cont.)•Increased writing on the arts needs to be fostered and made accessible in mainstream media•Green Arts tram on Swanston St route•Craft all over the city•Small auctions houses throughout the city•Competitive philanthropy is the order of the day•Melbourne needs to develop as a potent boutique brand that is a significant city to visit•Important to host people really well and attract them from all over the world•R& D funding required for the arts 125% tax break?•Legal changes need to be made so that individual artists can be supported and the supporter can claim a tax benefit.

What’s Next?

How to get involved