The value of public funded art - Page 33

Neil · 02-11-2010, 22:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

I saw you were creating a post hours ago, in this thread.

I thought in your position on the committee of the Friends of Rhyddings Park, you might have commernted on the post that grass cutting, and maintaining childrens' play areas, were not a required area for a borough councils to fund, and might now be an area that receives less money, especially as they have to find an EXTRA £3 billon pounds in collective savings.

Though happily, our council did fund a quarter of the £2,500.00 costs (as reported in the press) of the wooly goings on in the Market Hall.

Some you gain, some you lose.

Disappointed your post was only about grumbling, perhaps. Though such a let down would never dampen my own, sunny disposition.

Is there a collective noun for pets of differing species?

As in the (blank) were sadly culled, after the terrible spending cuts?

I was editing bad quotes not commenting.
I was even bored with the thread doing that.

garinda · 02-11-2010, 23:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

I was editing bad quotes not commenting.
I was even bored with the thread doing that.

Deep breath.

Out with anger, in with love.

There's quiet an art to forming the world's longest misquotation chain.

But happily...very little costs are involved.

MargaretR · 02-11-2010, 23:14

These town centre 'artistic' escapades are so 'contrived' that they are an embarrassment to good taste. I would feel that way even if they were free. The cost just increases the embarrassment.

katex · 02-11-2010, 23:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by MargaretR

These town centre 'artistic' escapades are so 'contrived' that they are an embarrassment to good taste. I would feel that way even if they were free. The cost just increases the embarrassment.

Would be interesting to know what you define as good taste Margaret. Brass bands, Pavarotti type singers, Swan Lake chorus lines, Actors spouting Shakespeare ... what ?? Please let us know ... would be interesting to know what the public think up front (as mentioned earlier).

The events are all run by extremely skilled and talented people in their art .. not amateurs. Just a little further up the line in this decade.

For one, who spouts on about buying on line and not visiting our town to spend her money in the town centre .. find your remark a little hypocritical.

steeljack · 03-11-2010, 00:09

Doubt if I'm alone in wondering about this, but could someone in the know please explain exactly what a "Victorian Swim Gala" is . Only mental image I can conjure up is a bunch of 'owd' civic minded wrinklies in soggy ill fitting knitted/crotched Victorian bathing costumes , out in the rain catching their death in the winter weather , don't believe there is anywhere to swim in downtown Accy so what will they be actually doing ?

MargaretR · 03-11-2010, 00:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by katex

Would be interesting to know what you define as good taste Margaret. Brass bands, Pavarotti type singers, Swan Lake chorus lines, Actors spouting Shakespeare ... what ?? Please let us know ... would be interesting to know what the public think up front (as mentioned earlier).

The events are all run by extremely skilled and talented people in their art .. not amateurs. Just a little further up the line in this decade.

For one, who spouts on about buying on line and not visiting our town to spend her money in the town centre .. find your remark a little hypocritical.

I shop online due to my physical limitations.
I have visited the town centre occasionally lately in early evening, when I can park on Dutton St and have only a short walk to my favourite restaurant. I choose not to apply for a disabled parking badge because I am not capable of meandering from shop to shop to buy what I need.

That does not mean that I do not have civic pride in what goes on in the town centre.
We have a climate which limits what can be used to attract people into town.
I have seen the US airforce band playing a Glen Millar show in a small town square in Italy.
I have seen several bands playing a wide variety of music in St Marks Square Venice.
With our climate the best we can hope for are the Sally Army and some hardy buskers.(free)

Tourist type gimmicks aren't going to work in Accrington.
Reduction of rents and business rates for small traders will attract the small specialist traders that other towns don't have.(and Accrington used to have)

garinda · 03-11-2010, 00:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by katex

The events are all run by extremely skilled and talented people in their art .. not amateurs.

Very true.

These are professionals, who are being paid their fees from the taxes people pay.

garinda · 03-11-2010, 00:23

Apparently fishing's the most popular pastime in the country.

Perhaps we should bring a little 'colour' to their lives, by bunging them all a few grand from the public purse.

If art isn't paying comercially, with no one prepared to fund it, other than government, why should art as a hobby be any different from angling?

garinda · 03-11-2010, 00:31

I did suggest it, as it seems to have raised quite a bit of debate on the forum, but I think it would be of interest to know the answers to a simply worded question.

Do you, or do you not think, community art projects should receive funding from the state?

shillelagh · 03-11-2010, 00:39

you could have added .. dont know .. some things might be value for money and others might not ...

garinda · 03-11-2010, 00:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by shillelagh

you could have added .. dont know .. some things might be value for money and others might not ...

I wanted the poll to be aery straightforward question.

If people don't know, they have the option not to vote.

Moderators, if in the interest of tidiness, you want to add the poll to the other thread, please do.

shillelagh · 03-11-2010, 00:53

ah well then i cant vote .. some i like ... and a good idea .. others are rubbish and not worth it ...

garinda · 03-11-2010, 01:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by shillelagh

ah well then i cant vote .. some i like ... and a good idea .. others are rubbish and not worth it ...

As we don't have an option in the elections to vote for 'none of the above', we'll class your's as a spoiled paper.

I did suggest the other thread starter created a poll, to visibly gauge public reaction to this topic, but it wasn't taken up.

I tried in the wording to be both clear, and fair.

If people who wanted to vote 'I don't know', can't, I'm sorry.

steeljack · 03-11-2010, 01:40

Question ... What do you consider Public funded art ? Some would consider the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was publicly funded from the collection plate , think maybe a bit of co-ertion went on in those days (not much different from todays Govt taxation systems ) though the arguement could be made that the blokes in frocks (Popes and Cardinals) who commisioned it had better taste of what was considered good than todays educated "Art Kommisars".
I'm also thinking that the commitees, most probably made up of local 'Worthies/Notables' that approved the designs for many of the WW1 war memorials ,most paid for by pubic subscrition Publicly funded Art had more idea what was 'good value for money' and a and what was rubbish unlike todays troglodytes.

note to moderators ...not sure if the above should be in this thread or the other , feel free to move , thx

Ken Moss · 03-11-2010, 07:13

It isn't quite as black and white as the poll would suggest, although I'm swayed towards a 'no' vote at the moment because we simply don't have the resources to justify any extra money for anything which isn't absolutely essential to the borough.

If 'community arts' could be said to include preserving old film and audio recordings of times gone by as a historical record then I would definitely say yes but one man's meat...