Govt asking artists to reveal their problems

Press, 18 April 1979, Page 16

Govt asking artists to reveal their problems

PA Wellington Artists are being asked for details of their livelihood so that the Arts Council can help them. An Internal Affairs Department researcher, Mr D. Carr, last month sent questionnaires to 300 professional painters, potters, and writers, seeking information about their earnings and problems. The results, expected by the end of the year, will help the council to decide fund allocations, according to its acting director (Mr J. Booth).

“The object is to find out areas of need and whether our money is achieving the impact we hope it is,” he said.

A similar survey had been tried in 1970, but had failed because of a lack of response. Craftsmen tended to le tight-lipped or at least late replying to questions about their earnings.

More than a third have replied this time and Mr Carr is prompting the rest with reminders, emphasising that the questionnaire is confidential. So far artists have revealed problems such as local-body zonings prohibiting them from selling their work from their premises and disincentives such as tax and sales tax. Importing materials unavailable in New Zealand is a big stumbling block and expensive, unmanageable kilns are proving the bane of some potters’ lives. The questionnaire asks whether the artist depends solely on his craft’s income, whether he has dependants, and whether he needs another job to supplement his income.

The questionnaire stems from recommendations made by Mr D. P. Schafer of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation, who surveyed the

New Zealand arts in 1975.

He suggested a survey to find out how much artists spent on studios, materials, performances, and exhibitions and how much they needed in grants, royalties, awards, and commissions. He emphasised concentration on the arts as a full-time professional activity. Mr Carr said that later surveys of actors, musicians, dancers, and other artists and performers were possible. The council had decided to start on a smaller scale. Many of the larger groups had the benefit of unions meanwhile. The Council of Dealer Galleries, the Potters’ Association and the Arts Council gave Mr Carr the names of all the professional artists they thought the survey would apply to. But Mr Carr said he would like anyone else who made a living from one of the crafts to complete a questionnaire.