Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 5 : Presscuttings, June 1972 - November 1976

Oo-t. ~ ,q 1,t, "COUIIEI MAIL" lrillNM AUSTRALIAN ART IS 'IGNORED AT HOME' AUSTRALIA waa proud to •ccl•l111 ltl orti1t1 seo1, Mr. Arthur Crffdy • oid ye1terdoy. no. a. must Jo111 the Eng– lish Speaking 111011. Mr. Creed)', Queens– land Cultural AcLIVIUes director, opened an art ~allery RL the English Speaking Union·• hearl– quarlers, Palma Rosa, aL Hammon. unTo 1 ~ ~,\~1~1~cr J~aJ~~~ Sheldon, or The Ga11 1 a b o v e I showed him "PorL Pauerns." a (llllnL– ln~ by Jerome Smith. ~fr. Creed)' said : "Gen– erally, Au•Lralla I• con– Lelll ell.her to Ignore an– lsls, ridicule or 11ersecute Lhem, or to ex1.radlte rhem, or pull the ladder from under their feet." Th~• e anU-human, ant I-cultural attitudes alOl\'IY \\'ere nrprovln~ but this Improvement "'"" not bteause or State or Federal Oo\·ernment subsidies. "The 1ustory or art. 1n– d IC 8 le S that whet her public or 11rirnte pstrun– n~e Is a\'ellable or not, not hi n g pre,·ents the genuine artist from pur– suing his 1·oca11011," he said. Go\ler11ment or prlrate support. could remo, 1 e onlr a few of the com– pletely external and mu– terlal !actors which 1111- ~eared to Inhibit artists, 1 t1.fr ~•cm~~1 81 ~00 1111inl– lngs are on dlspla)' aL the . gallerv, which is 01icn to lhe public till next Sun– day from II a.m. to 9 p.m. From next week. ,. ny artist who wishes to ex- . Is work a I ....._ Mr. Cre,•dy ,1tld he did not appro"e or thls rc– strlct1m1. "Persu11d111g the arusts to brcorne mrmbri'S of the 11111011 Inhibits the 1trtl~llc hupul.,;c, which :;houl<I remain r r c e nnd uncommitted to any (lollc)'," he suld. "The h tstnry or urt. l11- d1c111cs thnt the major ar1lsts or any perinct are loners. not joiner:,,.'' He thou~ilL the art gallery wns " "splendld ldcu." " lt ts An 11nportant as• ~f";c?{,.m~~•~tu~g :J~t/!;. 1c,·e1. not onl.1· ror n1·t ists but for adjudicators:· I , The Sunday Mall ,11I, ' I •I SUNDAY SUH, NOVEMBER 10, lt7,f Thousands for nil! A hopeful look Tilt: ~ople ol Quttn•land are Ja7ln1 nearly S60M a month for an an rolt~llon lhr1 can't - · AIN!ady theJ hav, 11ald $-1!.toe NOT to ~• the Slate art coll•c· lion. An• II'• au becau.e the ten1- ponr1 honte ol the Stale Art Galltry in the l\lounl Isa l\lln.., bnlldlnr In Ann Street won't 1"' o~n lo &ht public until nOll month al lht urll,sl. 117 lht lirnr lbe permanent aallery OP""" In June, 1978, rent paid will tolal 5-111,000, l\l,anwhlle, the Gn,-.,rnmtnl I• paylnr Sl'l'?,008 on r,novatlon• for Uae trn1pDr.&rJ prerni"""· The Stale Labor mtmber l<>r Brisban,, l\lr Brian Oa\'ls, lasl wrtk ailarktcl II•• Go1·ernme11l and Ch•lrn11&n of lht <i11e,n•l•nd Art Gallery tru•leos, Sir Leon Trout, over the huJ" rent and renowatlons pa-,ments. He s11ld a •l•rl •hnald huve bee • made year,, 1110 on bulldln11 a permanent home !or the 1allery, kit I• rldl,ulou• that the Sl11te haw a S.1-mllllon art collection tllal nobody bas seen slm" April," lllr Davi• said. 0 Slr Leon Trout rrrently waa critical ol the N• lhm•I G111lery'1 p11rcba11e of Woman \', "PerhallS be will 1•11 I be ad– ndnlolratoro ol the <lueenslancl Art Gallery trust thul they "·ould have br.en belier ,prndln,r S417 ,OM on the purr.ha !iic o[ some inler• national arl. "II " ·nuld Ila,·e hron r:1r b•tler In have hou,rht :1rl lnr pnstrrlty rather thnn Clllln,r lh• ,·nlfcrs uf Mount Isa l\llrit•." IT is unlikely that, apart from folk pressed by academle requirements, many people nowadays would spare even an 'hour of their increa><in~ ll•isure time tu read Thomas <.:ampbelrs lengthy poem "Plea><ure of Hope." Nor Is ll any IIIOl'C likely u,al Alex– ander Pope's "Es.-iRY on r-.·l a11" wuulct 11vw be considered widely acceptalJlc holi– dllY rcact111g:. Yet each or those 1)(1rms conw.dn ." a llne tlrnt. i-" so rrc<1ue11lly tiscrl In crery– dny con ver:mLion tlrnt 1t hu~ become a cllcllc - Cmnphcll's "0 \~tnrn.:r \encl~ cnclll\nLmen L t,o l.hC' view". unct Popr·., "l·IOllC springs ete rnal in the ln111rnn hfCl'\St.". So, a!i we close the eu•rcbe hook or l!J14, with U.s blot.-. and ,•rror-.. t1nd pre• f,~'~e r~ic~ct1.~ad1~; •~,:r:r.!~t1 0~ 11 ~n~{' 1 i make no apnloi::y for qu41tlng thrm, cllches or not. Because ai'tlrnu@h cHst1mcc mny lend onchnuLment. t.o t.hr view allcud, as Cn.mphell clnit111.•rl. il nl~u u•ncls to op• crate inreverse, .i=:o to sprAk nnrt lhlnas thnt h rw c irked or error:. 1hM hnvc Uccn made.- nr rtl ... nppointmf" nts ex • perlenced ::.er n In rrtro-.tlCL"t nrter 011J\· n. few m onths t\rC f\Pt In he VJL•We<l t.hrou~h n mntll f~'lrn! ro-.rr ha1e. So. lf Wf' ~, re lo gl\1c• P ,,,w·.1- ctcr nllv– r,prirntlll~ hope a rrn:--01rnhlP chnnce of being re1tltscrt. we ~hnt1lrl look tJn<:k· ward occ1u,1ona lly (l.11l1 t,r,v to p~nc•t.rntc the ro.sy hn.zr . • Is hop<" ~,111 c;p rl11f? nc.: r,,r the Pf"r• rorinin~ Art..~ C\•n1n.• 1111,t lnnmrd Into \'[cw twelve 111nnt1 1:-- n •n"' 1L . eem~ tn ht\VC IJecn hlnrtf'lrl out hv n 11nrt1culnrly dCll-"C hnzc. nnci nnnr 10-, roc.v n thnt. Arc we st ill hnp1•rt1I th.•L wr will \ire ~~fie~~~~t~~~~ 1 ~1; 1 :r,,~~~,"~, 1 ~-t~~\~1~f~~~/\;1 n modern sr 1rn1lrl,• 1\1~· -d.-..c;tnnccl n.lr· condlt.lone<I h l11lcl\11c'' Tltnt. vro. J1C,"("t ls r ln11rl rl lw 1 v~rl – lnhte smnit of hUrf"'rtnr rflrV, wlulr- th Q.A.G,'s r.ollC"r l inn i~ rrnnHn,.d tnto mnkesh ift prem l:-~s In n rnfl\11\(lrclo.l huilding nnrl. nr1.:-r . Pvf'rnl rnnnt.h~. f!; not even ycL nvni h11Jl ror puhl1r view• ln'f". · \Vhal prk~ the hopf' •.!,.,L :in hlrttl mthf'r hl,:hrr U1:1r not,•nllal rr-rnrct bo••nUlce ttlur1111o wlll 11rnntnl th~ makln~ or A1Ldrat1:,n fllnt'i In 1!171'? RetrospccLlvcly 1,hc view ror 1074. In Uia·t direction Is en tirely wllhouL e11- chnntmcnt, whatever. the disLance. Le\ w, huJ>e, then, tlrnL the Industry can und will rctnln the ser\tk es or some lmng1m\livc scrt:Jt writers anrt enga ge plnycr:; cnpnhlc of somcLhin't more than nude dlsplur l\nd \'Ulgar ln• nucndo. The snmc m:w h(" ~nld of tar t.oo grrnt II number Or impol'Lccl films. \Ve l'ould hope thnt producers would i:c', 1 { 1 1,~ 1 ;.'.lb~~c~!- 1 i;i1t~~~\~.7,r~~~!;1sf1 11 ~ 1 !1:t ~ uindc 011 the smell of t\n oth· rnit and there nre nuclic11cec,; n. klni nothing 1:norc t lrn11 All OJl))Ol'lllllfty to pll\Y l't"'cpmg Tom , that._ls merely wishful thmkm~ - not hop111g. And whnl nboul the ho11e lor ·t1, fully ~~Wsrt~~-t~i-~-rl~rc)~c,;\ 1 :-~Yd·co~~~~~~uy1~1 1 f? Thnt hns bcrn one or our hopes for mnny R lon~ rlny'' o,·cr thr rear.-. Lhcrr hn.ve heen mo– ,tncnts when tht• , lew 01 a cllst.nncc, hl\.'i llt lrA.c.;t proml-.cd cnchnn t.ment., but the,· 1rn.,·c pro,·cct 10 bC' mirages. Even Fcs\i\"!l.l H al l. some years ll(f(), wn.c; rnootl'ct with n flnurl h of Lrumr>ot..li R$ the nn.,wcr to nn orch estra l venue, Llwrc was nmplr room. Lhc acoustics wt•rc to be t\!, 11ear perfect n..-. po~sible. Plenty or room'! CerLulnl~•- Acm1,c;t.l– cnll)' Lhe money mlghl well have been s1n·rc1. Fcstll'nl Hall Is exactly what It wn.l;j \ntenclcd 10 be - t\ fight stadium llfi~t;;~.,fl)~s°n~· 0 ~~r•l~~lt!~lr\~~- talCU• ~i!~'i~i~raf:~~ ~· 1 ~~~rls, hlarln1t ampll• The Unl\-rr, lti··s Marne Hall orrered n~w hope that wns cnctrnnLing only at t\ dl!itance. Acou~tlt."r- tlrnt 0rc a~ ch angeahle thfl! C11,y Coun il"s Town Plan. uncomfor- 111hlc Lo sit In nml lar !rorn 11lcaslng Le 111 ;1;1~\ ; nol n Nru: Yenr's grouse. it. Is n ~tntcment of ccrt.nln [Li;;pecLs o( Drili• \Jane's nrt ~ccnc. Lel us ho1ic for IL.s hn11rove111cnt con– tinue lo sprin~ eternal In our brea., ts, lrnL lcl us no nll we can to bring those hopes l.o rcnllsatl~11 - an<1 may you all have a h:\IIPY an<1 nrtlstlcally, at lear.t, pros1icrous New Ycal'.