The times they are a changing

Arts finally being recognised as being essential to our community

GOOD POINT: Local artist Kylie Stevens said she she would be devastated if the arts awards was to close. Picture: Rob Williams

TWO articles appeared in the Queensland Times in the same week about the future of the Arts in Ipswich. The first article (QT 15/01) headlined "Art awards risk closure”, outlined the need for sponsorship funding to ensure the awards went ahead this year.

The organisers were concerned that if sponsors were not found then the awards would not happen during this year's Ipswich Festival.

What really concerned the organisers was that should they flounder, the local artists would be the most affected.

Not only that, the awards has been directly responsible for a number of Ipswich's greatest talents, all of whom have won prizes.

They have gone on to establish very successful arts careers.

A few of them have had their work shown in galleries overseas and exhibited nationally.

This, according to the organisers, and at the very least, is the unseen success of the Ipswich Art Awards. According to Kate Roberts, a local artisan, the awards provides a platform for local artists to gain confidence which logistically is much more difficult to gain outside of the local region.

Another local artist, Kylie Stevens, commented that she would be devastated if the awards was to close.

Ms Stevens said "the Ipswich Art Awards is the 'big' event of the year.

It is the chance to put her best work forward to have it seen by her peers as well as the Ipswich community”.

Kylie has won an emerging artist award and had some of her work purchased by local businesses. "These have been milestones in her career”, she said.

The second article came (QT 18/01)with the headline "Paper launches arts future”.

It seems council has finally recognised that the arts bring a colossal amount of social, community and economic benefit to the city.

According to the article, the council has recognised that "with sufficient leverage from the council and with the right strategy, the arts and cultural opportunities in Ipswich could be enormous”.

The article went on to quote him, saying "From a council perspective we really haven't grasped or cultivated that”. How very true.

This discussion paper is a step in the right direction.

It is seeking public comment on the direction the arts and cultural environments within Ipswich must head.

In the past the answer to that question would have been a resounding 'No'. However, Bob Dylan's song The Times They are a Changingcould well be Ipswich Council's theme song for the arts and culture in this city.

With a new Mayor and Councillor Kylie Stoneman as the new Chair of the Arts and Community Development Committee and the Regional Arts Development Committee the arts community now feels that the arts will start to receive much more recognition.

The online entry form for the Ipswich Art Awards is at at artawards.ipswich festival.com.au