Art vs Concrete in New Zealand – the REAL culture war
Nothing manages to capture this Government’s economic vandalism AND cultural vandalism quite like news that Creative NZ is cutting a third of its staff alongside a decrease of $27million in funding over four years…
Creative New Zealand confirms it will cut a third of its staff as arts funding shifts to the regions
…vs Paying Fletcher Building $60m for a concrete plant in Whangārei…
Government moves to keep cement production in NZ with up to $60m in financial support
…We don’t have money for culture or the arts, but we’ve got shit loads of cash for concrete as corporate welfare for one of New Zealand’s major listed companies?
Mungo no understand.
Don’t get me wrong. Fletcher Buildings Golden Bay Cement is New Zealand’s only cement manufacturing facility, supplying alost 60 percent of the cement used here.
I’m happy for the State to step in and nationalise critical infrastructure, but if we’ve got $60million to bail out Fletchers, then we money to pay for our arts.
Art isn’t a nice to have, it is an essential quality of life.
Human Beings able to show the world their unique vision enriches and builds us all just as much as that concrete does.
Art is beauty, sadness, joy and truth. It gives meaning to the cold grey porridge of cement, that we have $60million for corporate welfare and only cuts to the Arts tells us this Government knows the cost of things and the value of nothing.
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Unless we want everyone with a severe mental illness, we need to have art.
Art may be a representation of truth but is often an ‘unmasked perspective’ which we need to see. Beauty comes from knowing the truth and recognizing it’s significance. Beauty also comes from seeing beauty, soothing and perfect or interestingly imperfect.
Speaking of which, there have been some really good cartoons lately. Rod Emerson and Chris Slane are having a good run at the moment.
Much appreciated in this dark hour.
There is Art, and then there are state-funded activities that are badged as art, done by approved people telling approved stories and history, after the appropriately educated and salaried public servants have approved the funding.
They are not the same thing.