The council annually invites responses to a rather generic survey about Gold Coast Arts & Culture. I diligently respond each time because I believe that no city can invest too much in the arts and cultural infrastructure. This year, having regard to the council’s recent decision to roll HOTA in with operational entities for tourism, major events and Study GC, I felt the need to wave the flag again for the importance of “art for (the) arts’ sake”.
Amongst these changes I hope a distinction remains clear that while the arts are great for entertainment and tourism, their most beneficial dividend is 'community cultural development'. When it comes to public expenditure, the arts and cultural infrastructure should be expected to operate efficiently, but since the greatest value they create is a richer cultural life, pressures to turn a financial profit should not be the main driver. Exceptions to this may include some performing arts, major events, festivals, movie production and cinemas, but many artforms and creative practices that enhance our lives do not fit within commercial business operating models.
I also submitted a statement about the need for a city museum, plus a cultural heritage tourism enterprise and a Gold Coast History program - as outlined in my earlier post THE LAST RESORT.