BY TIM HANNAH
Like many artists and arts workers in Australia, I’ve been following recent developments regarding the review into the Major Performing Arts Framework closely. I have read the articles, attended consultation sessions and provided my feedback in surveys and submissions.
The MPA Framework was established following the 1999 Major Performing Arts Inquiry as a way of providing funding certainty to major national and state performing arts companies.
Ten criteria pertaining to artistic quality, sector leadership, level and nature of activity, and annual turnover were created to define the membership of this group. Embedded in the framework was the agreement that MPA companies would not be “subject to a competitive process through peer review for their base funding”. Twenty years on, all of this is now under review.
One thing I have learnt from this process is that a review into the MPA Framework is long overdue, and is essential to the ongoing health of all levels of our artistic ecosystem. However, the rhetoric of the discussions around this process has begun to concern and dismay me.
To first declare my biases, I should explain that I’m an independent, freelance musician and artist running a small business partnership with an annual turnover of less than $10,000. In this capacity, I regularly work with small-medium arts companies, local councils, and other independent artists, relying on the fluctuations in grant funding, philanthropic support, and limited ticketing revenue.
I am also a salaried staff member for Musica Viva, an MPA organisation.
I sit about as close to the fence as an individual can be in this debate.
On the one hand, I understand the genuine frustration of being an independent artist spending time I don’t have writing grants, marketing projects, and seeking private supporters in an already crowded market. On the other, I see the benefit that MPA organisations bring – in terms of employment (for salaried staff and independent artist contractors), artist development, education, and stability – to a wounded arts sector.
After research and participation in consultation forums that have led me to reassess my own standing, I am now becoming increasingly concerned that the discussion around the MPA Framework is descending into an internally focused fight between ‘us and them’.
Critics of the MPA Framework have voiced some genuine and crucial concerns about its current definitions of ‘artistic excellence’ and the percentile amount of funding (62 per cent) quarantined for this purpose. What does it say about our cultural priorities that in a multicultural, immigrant nation like ours, Western art is so heavily over-represented in this framework? With the exception of Bangarra Dance Theatre, where are the Indigenous Australian voices? Where is the diversity of race, tradition, language, gender, experience, and artistic practice? What of literary, visual, and contemporary arts practice?
The MPA organisations themselves have also rightly explained the crucial role they play in developing sustainable careers for practising artists, supporting touring and education programs, and providing bases of stability and advocacy for the arts in Australia. MPA organisations provide essential career and employment opportunities to artists, managers, producers, and technical staff, and – when they are at their best – a safe environment for risky ideas and excellent art practice to develop and flourish.
The problem, then, is that the current terms of the MPA Framework are not pushing MPA organisations to be their best. Australia is missing out on truly representative art, not because we have an MPA Framework, but because that framework was developed within the neoliberal assumption that market forces will push major companies to produce the ‘best’ art. This ideology takes away the very force that makes the creative arts great: human agency.
In the face of continued cuts to arts funding, repurposing of funds (New South Wales), restructuring of arts ministries and art policy priorities (South Australia), and an increasing emphasis on productivity and efficiency across the board, as an arts community we should not be squabbling amongst ourselves. Yes, we need to redefine the terms of the MPA Framework to ensure it is more representative of our diverse cultural landscape. But we also need to be pressuring our elected representatives to prioritise the creative industries, and bring government funding in line with the needs of every level of the sector.
Not because it will benefit the economy.
Not because it will increase the tourism dollar.
Not because it is safe.
Because we need to respect the dignity of our artists’ lives, and ensure we are providing the opportunities and financial support for them to be able tell the stories that need to be seen, heard, or witnessed by the Australian public.
Artists collaborate with members from almost every facet of Australian society, from sporting personalities and environmental scientists, to community workers and school teachers. We are uniquely placed to strengthen the social fabric of our nation in these volatile times.
But first, we need to learn to get along amongst ourselves.
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About the writer
Tim is a New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based musician, teacher, and arts administrator. Through his work, Tim aims to encourage the enjoyment of music and broaden people’s appreciation for the diverse artistic experiences available to 21st Century audiences.
Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, Tim was one of the founding members and co-artistic directors of Ensemble Goldentree in 2015. As a member of the ensemble, Tim performed in a number of concerts throughout its first two seasons and participated in the Australian Festival of Chamber Music Advanced Winterschool in 2015 and 2016, working with leading professional chamber musicians.
Tim has performed with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra, Melbourne Opera, Citi Opera, the Air Force Band, the Melbourne Metropolitan Sinfonia, the Melbourne Bach Choir Orchestra, the Heidelberg Choral Society, the Camberwell Chorale, Melbourne Youth Orchestra, the Monash Academy Orchestra and the University of Melbourne Orchestra. These engagements have included tours to China (with RMPO and Melbourne Opera) and New Zealand (with MYO).
Tim completed his Bachelor of Music (Honours) at the University of Melbourne in 2015, following undergraduate study at Monash University (BA/BMus).
Tim works for Musica Viva as the VIC Administration Coordinator and volunteers as the producer and presenter of Music in Melbourne and Recent Release on 3MBS Fine Music Melbourne (103.5FM). In his free time, he enjoys cooking, visiting Melbourne’s zoos with his partner Alison, and spending time with his parents, three younger brothers, and cat Opal. Despite living in Australia most of his life, Tim still barracks for the All Blacks and Black Caps.
Disclaimer: This story represents the views of Tim Hannah as an independent artist and not those of Musica Viva Australia.
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