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4 urgent issues on the minds of arts educators this year

Problems of equity and access continue to weigh on the minds of art teachers at the start of this new school year.

30 Jan 2024 17:03

Jo Pickup

arts education: A woman writing on a whiteboard filled with brainstormed ideas on art composition techniques.

Visual Arts

Arts educators’ burning issues have been brewing for some time, but when will they get the focus they deserve? Photo: Roxanne Minnish, Pexels.

When Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke announced that $3.42 million in arts education funding had been allocated to four arts companies as part of the Labor Government’s Revive National Cultural Policy, he emphasised that ‘arts and culture belong[s] to everyone – no matter where you live, where you go to school, or your background’.

Unfortunately, the on-the-ground reality in arts education right now reveals this statement to be off the mark.

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Jo Pickup

ArtsHub's Arts Feature Writer Jo Pickup is based in Perth. An arts writer and manager, she has worked as a journalist and broadcaster for media such as the ABC, RTRFM and The West Australian newspaper, contributing media content and commentary on art, culture and design. She has also worked for arts organisations such as Fremantle Arts Centre, STRUT dance, and the Aboriginal Arts Centre Hub of WA, as well as being a sessional arts lecturer at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).