Creative Funding Backlog

By Rita Bratovich

Create NSW is the state government’s cultural and arts policy and funding body. It was formed in April 2017, amalgamating Arts NSW and Screen NSW, and it is the chief financial resource for a large number of independent artists as well as a majority of small to medium arts organisations. These creative practitioners formulate their programs, scheduling and budgets around the government’s own grant application timeline, so when there is a lengthy delay in decision making and payment without any explanation from the Liberal Minister for the Arts, Hon. Don Harwin, it causes palpable anxiety throughout the arts community.

“The fact that the Arts Minister has been silent as to why there has been such a delay is completely unacceptable and raises serious concerns about the commitment that the Arts Minister has to supporting arts and artists in NSW.” 

This is how Greens Member for Newtown and Arts Spokesperson Jenny Leong feels about the situation. Representing arguably one of the most densely artistic populated electorates in the state, Leong has significant empathy for creative practitioners.

“We know that what makes a vibrant, liveable, wonderful city is when we actually support the arts and creative industries to do what they do best,” says Leong. She believes the unexplained funding delay by the Liberal Government shows a lack of respect for artists, “We would not see this if it was happening to another industry.”

Applications for 2018 grants closed in December 2017 with the expectation that announcements and payments would be made by March/April 2018. At the beginning of June, there had still been no word from the Minister’s office. Many projects have passed their scheduled commencement date and have had to be postponed, forfeited or compromised. 

“Artists are incredibly resilient when it comes to working out ways to deal with the often limited amount of funds available,” says Leong. However, limited money also limits growth, innovation and true fulfilment of concepts. 

Because of their tenuous financial position, artists are afraid to make waves, so Leong has written a public letter to the minister on their behalf, demanding action. The letter has so far garnered over 100 supporting signatures

On June 5, City Hub received the following response from a spokesperson at the Arts Minister’s Office after requesting a comment: 

I’m pleased to say all successful and unsuccessful applicants for Arts and Cultural Development Projects Round 2 funding have been notified and guidelines for funding in the new financial year will be released shortly.

Throughout the application process Create NSW has responded to queries seeking updates on the status of funding decisions and the guidelines. As with any funding process it is important that proper consideration is given to all applications.

And on the question of whether artists can be assured of continued support:

Yes they can. The NSW Government is committed to an Arts and Cultural Development program, and guidelines will be available shortly for the new round of funding.

It should be an encouraging statement, however, P (he prefers to remain anonymous) who worked at Create NSW for six months, shares some insights that raise doubts. 

“It was nice not to be a decision maker because it was highly frustrating watching how it all worked… The main thing was, these briefs were going to the minister’s office for approval and [we were] not getting them back.”

P describes Create NSW as having a “lack of direction from above” and minimal organisational strategy. Key figures within the department appear to have little personal interest in the arts and there is a demonstrable bias towards certain programs such as CIPMO (Cultural Infrastructure Program Management Office), of which the minister once said directly to P: “We’ve got so much money there we don’t know what to do with it.” 

P cites Made In Australia as another example of misplaced focus. The two year, $20 million program is aimed at attracting film and television production to NSW; $13 million will go towards incentives while only $7 million has been allocated to actual project costs. 

As the Artistic Director of the largest arts and cultural festivals in NSW, Sydney Fringe, Kerri Glasscock understands all too well the plight of independent artists and small creative companies. 

Many of them rely on annual project funding for strategic planning and increased activity, as well as to supplement their living costs. The delay in funding and lack of communication from the government creates a major dilemma. It’s not always easy to postpone a project – logistics and venue bookings can’t always be changed. If there are other partners involved then a project may need to go ahead as scheduled with the part being funded by Create NSW having to be underwritten by the artist. Artists and organisations may expose themselves to financial risk by commencing a project on an assumption based on a history of receiving grants.

“When a government agency can’t even meet their own internal deadlines and give you the notification and the respect to inform you of what is going on, that just adds to the crushing weight of disappointment,” says Glasscock. “There are more ambitious and exciting projects that can’t happen, and that’s the problem. Often the small and medium companies will apply for funding when they’ve reached a certain level and they want to take their work to the next level.”

Katrina Douglas is the Artistic Director at PACT, a centre for experimental and emerging art. While their multi-year funding from Create NSW has been secured, she can understand the sombreness of uncertainty in the creative community as a result of the project funding delays. 

“I think it creates a lot of stress and anxiety, particularly independent artists and companies that have no other funding source. When they are held in a state of limbo for longer than they were expecting – they don’t know if they’re going to have an income, they don’t know if they can pay the rent, feed themselves,” says Douglas. 

There are alternative funding sources such as the Arts Council, City of Sydney and philanthropic bodies, but Create NSW is the largest and most accessible for most small arts entities. Without the resources and development managers of large arts organisations, independent artists can’t compete for philanthropic, private and corporate sponsorship.

www.create.nsw.gov.au

www.jennyleong.org

www.sydneyfringe.com

www.pact.net.au