Funding of the Arts continues to be an acrimonious topic of conversation even without the intervention of an all-pervasive pandemic. State governments congratulating themselves on providing state-sponsored Arts entertainment free of cost and chipping into major events is one side of the coin while philanthropic businesses flush with extra cash and looking for altruistic sympathy is another, but just how much does any of this help visual artists to make a living?

In the last week I’ve read about the proposed building of a museum of Aboriginal art in Adelaide to occupy the old hospital site on North Terrace coupled with the imminent closure of the APY gallery and workshops adjacent to Light Square. APY has provided a place in the heart of the city where indigenous artists can work and sell their paintings, but once again political expediency has taken precedence and it is to close only two years into its five year agreement with the University of SA leaving the artists, through no fault of their own, to find an alternative they can afford as property prices go through the roof. The 20% upturn in house and property auction prices across parts of South Australia certainly don’t benefit artists at all. Swings and roundabouts. Of course, it’s not the only example. The extension to the North/South road corridor [an admirable and visionary concept to bypass 21 traffic lights and take 18 minutes off the journey at a cost of several billion] will see the demolition of innumerable businesses and houses along South Road including the BMG Gallery which may not survive the experience in having to find alternative premises and like so many other business, give up the ghost. Like I said, swings and roundabouts.

On the other side of the country, the Sydney Biennale will be funded though a partnership with property giant Mirvac over a five year period. There is nothing new about well-heeled companies tying themselves to major arts events with either a profit or philanthropic mindset driving their corporate conscience. Perhaps this particular venture will add to the landscape in that it promises to take art to the people in the streets in much the same way that the recent Illuminate light show lit up Adelaide – albeit during some of the worst weather seen in some time and a week-long lockdown. As a showcase of talent, the Biennale is invaluable but as with Illuminate Adelaide, the direct link to making a living out of art is dubious.

The Premier of South Australia Steven Marshall said: “We boast being the third most liveable city in the world so let’s celebrate and reinvigorate Adelaide over winter and embrace all that Illuminate Adelaide has to offer. South Australia’s future technology and creative industries are making sure Adelaide remains one of the world’s greatest creative cities. This event has not only generated hundreds of jobs in South Australia but has given many of our young people in the technology and production fields the opportunity to upskill, working with leading international companies in this field.”

And yet, there is still this swirling dissatisfaction in the arts community. An independent report presented this week suggested that the $2.2 million provided by the State Government towards the Adelaide Fringe should be doubled. Over a period of six years the SA government has provided some $15.5 million in core sponsorship along with other agencies such as Tourism SA, amounting to a $3 subsidy on each ticket sold. Director Heather Croll said “We can turn an additional $2 million of annual funding into an event that will generate a staggering $160 million per year in gross economic impact”.

Bloom, the Cabaret Festival and a return of Illuminate in 2022 are all worthy of comment as state subsidised events but that is only one side of the story. True, artists of all ilks are getting opportunities to work but how many have sustainable careers? Jumping from one subsidised event to another, one grant to another, is all well and good but making an actual living beyond just covering expenses is something else.

The advent of the Main Gallery in Adelaide in late 2020, now the only commercial gallery in the CBD, shows what ambition and vision can achieve in terms of giving artists opportunities to show their work, not only from South Australia but internationally, but making a profit from such a business requires something else entirely. The business model of rotating exhibitions every two weeks or so just to be able to pay the rent, has had to change. A model of lengthier exhibitions in 2022 to save the sanity of the owners will inevitably mean greater hire fees. Even so, to make a profit means selling art and therein lies the rub. All of the government-sponsored events are free and while providing fuel for considerations of Adelaide as the much-vaunted Athens of the South and the third most liveable city on the planet, people interact as spectators and consumers but asking them to put their hands in their pockets and buy art, that is a very different matter. Passive sensory acceptance does not amount to a viable Arts Industry. The success of the Adelaide Fringe comes in terms of participation and the feel-good vibe of being part of a surging crowd through the Garden of Unearthly Delights or Gluttony but so many acts simply can’t persuade people to buy enough tickets to be said to be making a living. Traders in and around city reap whatever profits are to be had but visual artists in particular make little and employment in other areas continues to provide the funding and incentive to continue.

Just how do you create a culture of more than just free entertainment from feel-good events? Essentially this requires a cultural shift of major proportions, something achieved only rarely in history. I’ve heard all of the excuses from money needed to feed the necessities of alcohol consumption, to sport being tne universal panacea, to a lack of wall space to hang paintings but even those who profess to hate sport, don’t drink and who like many of my neighbours have built mansions with enormous walls would still rather hang a print from a furniture store than invest in the livelihoods of artists. I often get the feeling that those who say that you can’t put a price on creativity, mean it literally.