Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 7 : Debate on New Art Gallery and Cultural Centre, 1970-1976

from "COURIER MAIL" 5 FEB 1974 Brisbane, Qld. Steadjr growth cultural· THE steadiest development In Queensland's cultural affairs in tbe next five years will \ be in the planning and building of modest cultural centres all over Queensland, and ·1 the co-ordination of activities in them, as stimulated·by the rapidly-extending Queens– Festiyal of the Art5. MetropoUtan actlvltle1 will expose to Australian glare the desperate need for the Queensland CUi– tural Centre 1n Briabant, equivalent to those now provided 1n all other Australian capltall. City and State author– ities will co-operate more closely In planntnr cul– tural amenities 1n Brll– bane. These plans will be a~ p r e c I a b I y accelerated with the expected Federal capital subsidies. The network of Queensland cultural centres will be e x t e n d e d by Federal State,, and loca1 commu– nity arts programmes. The Julia Creek opera house wlll find counter– parts In at least 20 other disadvantaged centres. The Queensland Fes– tival of the Arts, with the help of Federal agencies, <Australian Council for ~bfte&"ts, Australian Ell– zanan Theatre Trust) and the States' own Art.• Councils will co-ordinate Its activities with the Adelaide, Perth, and Ho– Bitn-Festlvals. Thus encouraged, the r e m a I n I n g States will Join the Australian festi– vals club, which, by 1978, 1 should operate on a regu– lJar Pacific circuit, analo- l igous to the European Festivals Association. Art gallery is coming The Queensland Cul– ,tural Centre on the aouth side of the river, of which complex the new ~lltler ~e the renovated c1'l; Hall, Is but the first and static phase, wlll house the more dynamic and creative e,nd performing art.5. The Queensland Opera Company, Queensland Ballet Company, Queens– land TI1eatre Company and Queensland Sym– phony Orchestra all have an Intense Interest In achieving this centre. The climate of both democratic opinion and sociological theory re– quire that the communal, civic, voluntary! welfare and t herapeut c func– tions of the arts and craft.• be also respected. Photography, film and tcle ,1s1on facilities for n O n-professlonal and non-commercial purposes 8 11ould be therein pro– vided. Gallery and mu– seum activities, especially educational, wlll be co– ordinated. Qucen11Jand will h1we public gallerle s- t,o ap- tlon at evel'J' level of the ~- - ifled stalf. 'l'he provincial achleved full Nlpl'tllenta- Cultural B11m~r., i point approprlately-qual- Australian Council for secitonl centres, prlined by local the Arts: the CommUD1t1, exchanges tertiary lnatltutlOIJ!IJ will Arts and Development _________ --------- promote local gauerles, Commltt.ee and the (at Literary activities, 1n public and private. The present) aeven boardl Ind l v 1 du a 1 Inter•, the little magazines, 1n crafts, stimulated by the and their varloua con- n a t I o n a l cultural ex- pla:Y15 radio IJld tele• findings ot the Craft In- 1tlltanta panela. changes, expeclally orl• vision scripts and libretti, ' qulr.v of the Australlan By 111'18, the prtnclple ental, · will develop not encouraged by the Liter- Council for the Atta, of the boarda' 11Utonom:, only at tertiary level. ary Board's pollcles, will will con~lnue to blossom w 1 I I h a T e b e en Arts criticism will Im- h a v e bumper ·seasons. acrO&S the State. • . abund1J1-t1y vindicated; prove through better cut- · Drama especially with Place11 of worship will and hence, Queensland'a turally-qualffled Journal- · the advent of cotor tele- lntt.. nalfy their cultural needs more accurately lsts, teachers, and achol- vision, will become more act Iv 1 t 1 e s, especially and justly use86ed, Fed- ars. · of a focal point for among the youth. Th~ era! J)l'omlses made 1n The cultural centres muJ.t\ • me d 1 a ex• policies will extend tlie 1968, of ,:i to ,1 assls- will play a leading role In perlmentatlon Young •acre d repertory and tance to Queensland'• solving ,the urgent social p e O p le• s theatre wm utilise Its lnexhauatlble professional companles_1 problem of leisure, as In- t thrive from the new Aus• resources, and thua re- should at last be tulfllleci tenslfled by early retire- t r all an Elizabethan J fleet trends In secular • by_ 1978. t 1 n er vacations Theatre Trust's new tv1J- theatre and concert hall. The A1.111trallan Ell- r:: pre~sclf:oot weekena icles. The schoo13 ,--of Inspired by the creation 1abethan Theatre Trust need 8 • Correspondingly Queensland ahould attain of the Howard Sleath and the Arts Councll of t e r t I a r y , secondaryi their supervisor of Dra• Quartet of strln~ 'In- 1 Australia <~eenaland primary and pre-schoo ma as of Music and Art. ' struments, medieval · and I I ) d Jointly ' renaissance wind and Dlv son oou ltl weekend needs. Corre- The Queensland Theatre· string consorts wm be perform a more cu tural- sPQhdlngly tertiary, sec• CotrroanN-tralninL-1>~ founded to" explore the ly - active role. Their 'ondary ptlmary and pre- grammes a.ruC.Actori-:ll'ir- repertoires now avallal>llll members should be seen school '1>u1ldlngs will In- rum wlll promote profes1 - 1. 1n modem edition& 'I" to be at the head of In- creaslngly offer commu- 1 1 0 n 1, 1 t r al n 1n g n 1 1·t 1a t I n g pallcles and n1~ arts facilities. The Queensland. Prov1ncla 1 - P r o J e c ta affect 1n r var ous functions of cul- theatl'es generally e.re Queensland and oper- l tu 1 aotlvltles· must be becomhl occasional cul• atlnr sometimes to 1ta clearly analysed 11nd Im- I tural centres for all the 1 detriment. pleinente(\. For welfare arts and crafts. In all the above refer- I and therapy are not .P.,t:!.:: ence11 to Federal and marlly concerned w,w, Opera w111 be Included State b,:dles, it 111 easy to aesthetic standards. In the currlcullum of the lose sight of the oriiifua-, Children's and youth new Queensland Con• · / ting, Individual creative theatre In Queensland aewh"t'chatolinkuemthe 0 bni::~1{y' artist, on whom, even- will be rationalised and tually, the entire admln- follow the development oesftaQubllseehn!~apr1n..::.ql,~=r~ lstratlve and financial of the youth orchestra O O ., 1 structure of cultural aer- 1 movement In Queens- with teaching duties n vices depends. 1 Iand. .These orchestras Queensland. Provincial The State wlll 11881st will total more than 40 light opera groups should the Commonwealth In I by 1978, and will be rein- extend the network of subsidising Individual forced by thi, nowh•sttart- mlnl-Oylndebournes up artists In various ways: Ing school ore es ras. country from Ormiston. travel study, speclal-proJ- 1 c u 1tu r a I Integration The Queensland Opera ects help towards publl- c nu Id de v e Io P more C O m P1a. n Y s:ii~td co~~ cation performance, ex- quickly In schools th8 n Queens ftrddevelolp their hlbltlon, acquisition, edu- ltn any o~hfde~refh~{ 0 f~; I ~~ft wand high school cation, worKShopsl active ure, pr v · th f th programmes with the lntegratlon, mult -media nRatdufra\ ~wpo· rt ~ 11 not • help of new policies of experimentation and 11 or t d d. the music and theatre even competition (a con- deliberately re a.r e boards of the Australlan ,troverslal area). With the help of th1 council for the Arts, In- Current world trend$ Aborlgln~l Arts Boal'd O , eluding the dance panel, towards an orthodoxy ot the Australian Council who are promoting bdoth unorthodoxy In the arts for the Arts, a transfer- c 1ass I c al and mo em will be offset by a re- matlon of our Aboriginal Australian ballet. Tighter sponslble concern for the culture could be effected and fairer planning ,m history and tradition of by 1978. Queensland pos- encourage more extens ve culture, especially In cul- sesses 50 p.c. of ,the touring as well as more tural and educational In- Aborlglnal to.lent In Aus- ambitious projects. stltutlons. The unlver- tralla. Dick Roughsey, The University of sltles, Colleges of Ad.- pa.Inter, dancer, singer, Queensland Music De- vanced EduCBtto~ poet, author ls chairman p a rt m e n t R n d the College-ol- Art-;-"lffia the of the board. Integration Q II e en s I an d Oon- Conservatotlu.m ot !Music, of the ethnic kind ls a servatorlum of Music will wlll promote new W!?rks totally different problem develop the composition of art by providing. resl- from artistic lntegratJon of contemporal'y music. de n t fellowships and - a traditional feature The compo.c;ers and vis- campus facilities. Arts of Aboriginal culture. Via ual and' plastic artist., and Humanities faculties certain operations of the wlll co-operRte In re– require ma1111lve trans- community arts pro.tects search and point out the latlon 11ervlcet1 In their In Queen.,land, Aborlgln- desperate need for ap– communlty po11C1es. al culture can, In the p r O p r Iate gRllerles to most practical way, ef- , house multi-media works fortlessly . demonstrate for fu ture centuries. artistic Integration to Private galleries and non-aborlglnals. collections will.encourage \ 18