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Good morning and welcome to the second day of Celebrating Arts and Partnership. Gobeithio i bawb oedd yma gyda ni neithiwr gael amser da – ond nid amser rhy dda, wrth gwrs, gan mai yma i weithio rydyn ni. Croeso cynnes i'r rhai sy'n ymuno gyda ni heddiw am y tro cyntaf. Roedd ddoe yn ddiwrnod llawn iawn a rwy'n siwr bydd heddiw yr un mor ddiddorol a defnyddiol. I hope that those of you who were with us last night had an enjoyable time. Not too enjoyable of course - we are here to work and that if you are joining with us for the first time to day that you will not feel too left out. Yesterday was a full day and today will I am sure prove to be as equally fulfilling. It is somewhat disorientating to be at the Royal International Pavilion and not be surrounded by choirs from Slovenia or Cossack dancers! But I am sure that Gwyn L will welcome us all back in July. As I’ve outlined on your update to the programme the focus of the conference today, shifts from the purely artistic to questions of policy and the development of partnerships with local government in particular. We were greatly encourage when we were approached by Denbighshire County Council back in July of last year and as a result of their kind offer this event has been organised in partnership with the local authority. I would like to thank the officers and members of the authority for their support and assistance in facilitating this conference, in particular Ann Gosse who has been such a stalwart supporter of the arts in Denbighshire. It is also my great pleasure to welcome to the platform Alun Pugh AM Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport, and I, like you, look forward to hearing his thoughts on the arts in Wales, and in particular, the contribution we can all make to the Welsh Assembly Government’s ambitious agenda set out in Wales; A Better Country. (Achievements of 2003/04 A Vision becoming Reality) A few weeks ago the staff of ACW came together at our Training Day in Cardiff’s Thistle Hotel. It was one of those days where as colleagues and co-workers we get a chance to reflect on our progress and to recognise our achievements during the last year. I have to confess that I am not by nature a person prone to nostalgia or looking back – today has plenty enough challenges without dwelling on the past – but when I reflected on what had been achieved in just 12 months I was reminded that in our day to day busy-ness taking stock is essential if we are to plan effectively for future developments. And much had been achieved, and has been covered by Geraint in his opening address, and will no doubt feature in the Minister’s contribution. For instance through the National Lottery funded Capital Programme, in the last 12 months we have seen further significant progress in the development of the network of arts venues across Wales. These developments are themselves the result of partnership - between arts organisations, local authorities, and other lottery distributors and of course the Welsh Assembly Government. Importantly are also working to promote long term sustainable futures for arts organisations. Our aim is to support the arts by addressing the tangible as well as the intangible - bricks and mortar, people and programmes, helping to develop skills and promoting best practice. Such a vision is needed for a viable arts sector and an effective arts council. ACW’s vision goes beyond issuing grant cheques or counting attendances. It is the vision of an arts council that saw the potential of the Artes Mundi Prize and will continue to provide a Welsh presence at the Venice Biennale. It is the vision that through Wales Arts International supported a strong Welsh presence at SOFA 2003 in Chicago. That through partnership with its national companies took opera, theatre, dance and music to new communities not just in theatres and concert halls but also in schools and in community centres. That through eight vibrant Theatre in Education companies provides a live theatre experience for school children and young people. It is the vision that led to my attendance earlier just a few weeks ago at the conference organised by the TIE companies, a conference concerned with sharing artistic aspirations and best practice and not confined to mere survival. (ACW and Partnership) These achievements are the fruit of effective partnership. An arts council in isolation is an anathema, a violation of common sense. It is a barren wasteland of policy devoid of creative endeavour. It is a sure-fire way to irrelevance. We will continue to play our part in developing strategic partnerships. We will continue to listen to your needs and where we can we will respond positively. We recognise that artists and arts workers themselves know the needs of artists and arts organisations best. But there is a challenge in building better and more effective partnerships. It is to find new ways of working, to find ways of avoiding duplication and to combat incipient tribalism by thinking beyond geographical and institutional boundaries. Importantly it is about developing institutional trust and creating a balanced and sustainable arts ecology. Wales may never be a utopian arts paradise but it must be an arts landscape recognisable for cooperation as much as for healthy competition. We will not borrow from Peter to pay Paul to avoid difficult decisions. But we can ensure that when the time comes to make tough calls that decisions are made in an open and accountable manner. That they and are not based on whim or on flights of fancy but that they clearly correspond to the strategic aims of the Council, its funders and the arts sector as a whole. Partnership is about consensus, trust and above all honesty and openness. (ACW and Strategic Priorities) I mentioned a little earlier the progress made to date in strengthening the community arts network across Wales. ACW is committed to the twin principles of access for all and participation. Our work in support of these principles includes support for community arts, ensuring that national organisations reach out to all, the Night Out scheme bringing micro-performance to non-traditional venues, and specific programmes aimed at facilitating compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act. In the coming months we will look again at the specific provision and needs of the black and minority ethnic communities in Wales. At the same time we will continue to develop our plans for best use of ACW funding alongside European Structural Funds in combating social exclusion and increasing employability. Focusing on the mechanics of funding and clearly stated aims, objectives and strategic priorities cannot and indeed should not hide this one key fact. The business of an arts council is the arts, and the creativity of indivividual artists is fundamental to our purpose. We will continue to showcase the very best of up and coming talent and those artists who’s work is already contributing to redefining the life of Wales through our Creative Wales Awards Programme. (ACW Accountability Recognition of Council Members) This year’s Creative Wales Awards Evening will also be a ten-year celebration of the granting of ACW’s Royal Charter. Over ten years many people have given of their time and energies freely to the Council and it is appropriate that I particularly place on record my thanks to those members of the Council who have recently stood down and to welcome our nine new members. In addition, I would like to thank our national advisors, and our regional committee members for ensuring that our work is firmly rooted and grounded in the reality of arts activity. (Future of National Lottery) Before introducing the Minister, I would like to pay tribute to the Welsh Assembly Government for the huge increases in financial support to the arts since 2001. Assembly grant has risen from £16.5 million in 2001/2 to more than £23 million in the current financial year, an increase of more than 45%. This has enabled us to arrest a long term decline, and has seen major increases in attendance, participation and improved access. It has allowed the sector to produce work of real quality and to make a major contribution to the delivery of the Government’s aspirations for a strong, confident prosperous Wales. The hugely increased contribution from the Welsh Assembly Government has been in addition to the vital contribution made by the Lottery to the arts, a contribution that totals more than £120 million in Wales alone and has transformed the arts landscape. Sadly, in recent years the decline in income from the Lottery has had an impact on arts expenditure, and even the current good news from Camelot regarding the apparent bottoming-out of sales will leave us with substantially less funding from this source than was the case in the past, and this has impacted on the many organisations who look to funding from the Lottery for their projects, whether this is community festivals, the activities of community arts programmes or theatre productions and exhibitions in our galleries. In response to the recent lottery review, ACW has taken a lead in developing a Welsh Lottery Forum which brings together all of the distributors to share best practice and advocate for the particular needs of Wales. Amongst the considerations are the need to ensure that Lottery programs properly reflect the strategic priorities of Welsh Assembly Government funding, such as the Communities First Programme. ACW and the Sports Council, with support from the other distributors and the Welsh Assembly Government continue to advocate the need for a greater share of Lottery Funding to come to the arts and sport in Wales to mirror the higher levels already enjoyed by the Community Fund and New Opportunities Fund to properly reflect the levels of deprivation in Wales, and the commitment to a bilingual future. The arts are fundamental to the identity, the prosperity, the success and the aspiration of Wales. The arts allow countries to speak to and about themselves. They enrich our lives, enhance our education, create prosperity and celebrate our history, our people and our diversity. The Welsh Assembly Government has recognised the central place of the arts both in its major increases in funding, and in the creation of a ministerial post for culture, sport and the Welsh language, and I am delighted now to invite Alyn to speak to us now. |
| Arts Council omf Wales web site: www.artswales.org.uk |
| Peter Tyndall e-mail: |
Tuesday, May 25, 2004 |
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