Agenda of Arts, Culture and Heritage Advisory Committee

Agenda – Arts, Culture and Heritage Advisory Committee Meeting 15 October 2015 Page 6 of 7

5. Report of Officers

5.1 PROVISION OF PUBLIC ART MASTERCLASS FOR LOCAL ARTISTS

LOCATION/ADDRESS: Nil

APPLICANT: Nil

FILE: RCS06

AUTHOR: Manager Community Development

CONTRIBUTOR/S: Youth and Community Development Officer

RESPONSIBLE OFFICER: Deputy Chief Executive Officer

DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST: Nil

DATE OF REPORT: 13 October 2015

SUMMARY: This report outlines a proposal to hold a two day public art workshop in Broome for local artists and seeks the Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee’s recommendation regarding the level of fee subsidy to be provided by the Shire of Broome for Council’s consideration.

BACKGROUND

Previous Considerations

OMC 6 September 2012 Item 9.1.2

OMC 1 November 2012 Item 9.1.2

OMC 21 March 2013 Item 10.3

OMC 16 May 2013 Item 9.2.4

OMC 19 September 2013 Item 9.2.4

OMC 28 August 2014 Item 10.4

OMC 26 February 2015 Item 9.1.5

The Draft Public Art Master Plan was endorsed for advertising by Council in August 2014. Following a period of consultation, Officers amended the Plan to reflect the feedback received with the amended plan presented to and endorsed by Council in February 2015. One of the key issues raised during the public consultation was the involvement of local artists in any public art projects.

The Plan stipulates that only professional artists will be eligible to carry out public art commissions. As the term ‘artist’ can be self-referencing, the Shire’s Public Art policy includes a definition of artist to ensure that artworks installed in the public realm are of artistic excellence and importantly, are undertaken by artists with the skills and experience to understand and mitigate any potential risks. The following definition has been included in the policy;

..a professional visual artist can be defined as a person who fits into at least two of the following categories:

· A person who has a university degree or minimum three year full time TAFE Diploma in visual arts, or when the brief calls for it, other art forms such as digital-media;

· A person who has a track record of exhibiting their artwork at reputable art galleries that sell the work of professional artists;

· A person who has had work purchased by major public and private collections, including (but not limited to) the Art Gallery of Western Australia, any of the university collections or Artbank;

· A person who earns more than 50% of their income from arts related activities, such as teaching art or design, selling artwork or undertaking public art commissions.

While Broome hosts a significant artistic community, this definition could limit the potential for local artists to be commissioned for public art works. Therefore, Officers submitted a project brief to the 2015/16 Budget process to deliver public art workshops in Broome as a first step towards increasing the capacity of local artists to contribute to and deliver public art projects. The objectives of the project are to;

1. Respond to community feedback regarding local artists being involved in public art projects for the Shire.

2. Increase the capacity of local artists to tender for public art projects for the Shire.

3. Build the capacity and professional skills of local artists which will result in increased likelihood of them being awarded public art projects for the Shire and/or undertaking other commissions.

4. Assist local artists in their competitive employability as artists and therefore contributing to the local economy.

This report seeks the Committee’s consideration of a proposal to deliver these workshops and a recommendation regarding the level of subsidy provided.

COMMENT

Officers have identified an existing Public Art Masterclass series that is currently being delivered in Perth by Artsource. Artsource is the peak membership body for visual artists in Western Australia, providing support, professional services, opportunities and representation for approximately 900 practising artists.

Artsource delivers a three part series aimed at assisting artists interested in participating, or already practicing, public art, with three core areas of completing a public art project. The content is outlined below.

Public Art Masterclass 1

Concept Presentation and Development

The purpose of the first masterclass is to assist participants in formulating a thorough response to an artist brief as well as preparing and delivering a professional concept.

Public Art Masterclass 2

Contracts and Design Documentation

Public Art Masterclass 2 assists participants in understanding and negotiating standard public art contracts as well as what goes into detailed design documentation.

Public Art Masterclass 3

Fabrication and Installation Risk Management

This Masterclass is the final in the three-part series and is aimed at providing artists with information regarding the fabrication and installation of artworks in the public realm and the risks to be considered during the process.

The entire series is held over a year long period and involves seven full days of workshops. The masterclasses are facilitated by the professional staff at Artsource along with specialists engaged to deliver components of each session (intellectual property, fabrication etc).

It is proposed that a two day workshop is held in Broome with Artsource delivering the Public Art Masterclass 1 to local Broome artists along with some content from module 2.

For the first module, the participants are asked to respond to a brief and prepare an EOI and concept. Normally, the brief is discussed on day 1 and then the participants have two weeks to prepare their concepts, which they then present to the group during day two. In order to make this work over two back-to-back days (to avoid two round trips to Broome) Artsource proposes to distribute the brief ahead of arrival and hold a Skype or Video Conference session to initiate the process. Participants will then have time for preparation in advance of the masterclass.

This proposed capacity building initiative is proposed by Officers as it:

1. Provides a opportunities for local artists to be involved in future Shire public art projects

2. Increases the ability of local artists to interpret Broome as a location adding value to the tourism appeal of Broome as a destination.

3. Contributes to a diversification of the economy in Broome through the development of creative industries.

It is further proposed that Artsource provides an information session on delivering public art projects for Shire officers and the Arts, Culture and Heritage Advisory Committee. This has been offered at no extra cost to the Shire.

Officers are seeking the ACHAC’s recommendation regarding the level of subsidy to be provided to local artists to participate in the master class. This is outlined in the Financial Implications section of this report.

CONSULTATION

Artsource

STATUTORY ENVIRONMENT

6.16. Imposition of fees and charges

(1) A local government may impose* and recover a fee or charge for any goods or service it provides or proposes to provide, other than a service for which a service charge is imposed.

* Absolute majority required.

(2) A fee or charge may be imposed for the following —

(a) providing the use of, or allowing admission to, any property or facility wholly or partly owned, controlled, managed or maintained by the local government;

(b) supplying a service or carrying out work at the request of a person;

(c) subject to section 5.94, providing information from local government records;

(d) receiving an application for approval, granting an approval, making an inspection and issuing a licence, permit, authorisation or certificate;

(e) supplying goods;

(f) such other service as may be prescribed.

(3) Fees and charges are to be imposed when adopting the annual budget but may be —

(a) imposed* during a financial year; and

(b) amended* from time to time during a financial year.

* Absolute majority required.

POLICY IMPLICATIONS

5.1.6 Public Art

2.1.3 Purchasing Policy

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Officers have sought a quotation from Artsource which is currently the only recognised supplier of this master class series. The cost breakdown of delivering the series is outlined in the table below.

Service:

Public Art Masterclass	Cost	Remarks
Artist/Consultant Fees	6,500	3 artists/consultants x 3 days plus travel
Flights	1,800	3 x $600 Perth – Broome return
Accommodation	960	3 x nights
Per Diems	720	$80/night x 3 nights x 3 people
Venue hire	780
Catering and materials	600
Promotion	400
TOTAL	$11,760
2015/16 Budget allocation	$11,850	GL account 116120

Artsource reports that it charges a fee of approximately $190 for a two day workshop for Perth based training. The ACHAC is requested to make a recommendation regarding the level of subsidy to be provided by the Shire for this masterclass to be delivered in Broome. Officers propose three options:

1. The Shire subsidises the full amount and delivers the two day workshop to local artists free of charge. This is not the preferred option as it is recommended that charging a fee will encourage local artists to commit to the two days, gaining the greatest benefit from the Shire’s investment.

2. The Shire provides a 50% subsidy to the recommended workshop fee resulting in each participant paying $95. It is envisaged that the workshops will attract approximately 10 participants. Based on a fee of $95 per participant, this would generate income of $950 which could be used to offset some of the Shire’s costs.

3. Charge the full recommended workshop fee of $190 for each participant. It is envisaged that the workshops will attract approximately 10 participants. Based on a fee of $190 per participant, this would generate income of $1,900, which would offset some of the Shire’s costs.

As part of the 2015/16 Budget adoption, Council has previously committed a budget allocation for this project in response to feedback received during consultation regarding the Public Art Master Plan. In light of this and Council’s commitment to Affordable services and initiatives to satisfy community need, officers propose the Committee recommends Option 2 for Council’s consideration.

RISK

Risk	Type	Rank	Mitigation
Feedback from artists is that this should be provided free of charge	Financial	Low	Providing fee subsidy value adds to the investment by both the Shire and the community.
Workshop content does not meet community expectations	Reputational	Medium	Officers have confirmed the relevance and content of the workshops and the reputation of Artsource.
Number of participants is less than expected	Financial	Medium	This project responds to feedback received and will be promoted via the Shire News, radio and social media outlets. Artists registered with the Shire’s Arts Register will also be targeted.

STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS

Our People Goal – Foster a community environment that is accessible, affordable, inclusive, healthy and safe:

Effective communication

Affordable services and initiatives to satisfy community need

High level social capital that increases community capacity

Our Place Goal – Help to protect the nature and built environment and cultural heritage of Broome whilst recognising the unique sense of the place:

A preserved, unique and significant historical and cultural heritage of Broome

Retention and expansion of Broome’s iconic tourism assets and reputation

Our Prosperity Goal – Create the means to enable local jobs creation and lifestyle affordability for the current and future population:

Affordable and equitable services and infrastructure

Our Organisation Goal – Continually enhance the Shire’s organisational capacity to service the needs of a growing community:

An organisational culture that strives for service excellence

Responsible resource allocation

Effective community engagement

VOTING REQUIREMENTS

Absolute Majority

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:

That Council:

1. In accordance with Section 6.16 of the Local Government Act 1995 imposes a fee of $95 per person (recognising a 50% subsidy) for a Public Art Workshop for Artists to be held in Broome.

2. Requests the Chief Executive Officer to provide local public notice of this fee and recommend any budget amendments to Council as part of the second quarter Financial and Costings Review.

(Absolute Majority Required)

Attachments

Nil