Sometimes it seems the task of convincing policy makers of the value of the arts is like proving the existence of Atlantis or capturing Bigfoot but as we in the arts sector attempt to prosecute our case for more funding – whether it be from government or the private sector – proof of the multiple and far reaching benefits is required.
Firstly, when it comes to government funding, both State and Federal, ours is a competing voice in a cacophony of cries from a variety of sectors and we cannot ignore the reality that spending on health, education and law and order is seen as providing a greater return at the ballot box. The task, however, is for organisations such as the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA, performing companies, arts practitioners and supporters to demonstrate the value proposition which reaffirms that the arts is essential to creating and maintaining liveable, dynamic communities. Companies are also increasingly assessing and comparing the attractiveness of cities rather than countries as places to live, set up headquarters, retain workers and do business before making decisions about where to locate their offices. Well articulated data on the benefits of the arts could help stimulate and support further private sector investment in the sector.
We have long known artistic endeavours bring enjoyment and intellectual stimulation to people but to convince the number crunchers it is clear that we need to mount a persuasive argument backed by compelling facts and figures….and there’s the rub.
A key role of our Chamber of Arts and Culture has been to encourage and advocate greater investment in the arts and cultural sectors in WA. As part of that advocacy we have developed the Get Your Arts Into Gear discussion paper which looks at the funding challenges encountered in our State, the dangers from declining or static investment and what is needed to crystallise in people’s minds recognition of the indispensable value of the arts. As the Chamber worked through the document it was clear there is no readily available data that gives an accurate picture of the Western Australian arts and culture space – a situation likely reflected in other Australian states. What’s more, the data that is currently available can be confusing, out of date, may not stand up to scrutiny and quite literally all over the place.
Currently, there is no single source publication that captures data on participation, consumption, employment, public expenditure levels, and direct and contributed income figures within the arts sector. For that reason, benchmarking and then regularly conducting benchmark surveys that capture both the quantitative and qualitative value of the arts are a vital tool to underpin discussion and debate amongst stakeholders. We need a standard measure of the health of the arts, presented in a way that is reliable, digestible and compelling. We need it to play a part in informed and mature debate and in turn, the development of intelligent policy. We need artists to use it to support their lobbying and to amplify their voices in these difficult times.
As we researched the material for Get Your Arts Into Gear it became apparent to the Chamber that the best practice model for demonstrating how the arts, culture, arts education and creative industries contribute to the state and its economy is Creative State Michigan. The framework was developed as a mechanism to ensure the often overlooked creative industries and non-profit arts and culture organisations would be included in the strategies to build a strong future for Michigan through using standardised, verifiable data to demonstrate the sector’s value. Creative State Michigan has two distinct streams -Impact which contains the Economic, Education and Community contributions of the non-profit arts and culture sector and Health which measures the financial status of arts and culture non-profit organisations.
What’s more it uses a standardised online tool to collate basic organisational information, revenue, expense, marketing activity, balance sheet items, investments, loans and a wide range of non-financial information (including contributor and attendance numbers, facilities, pricing, capital and endowment campaigns, program activity and staffing. Crucially, the report is presented in a highly accessible, easily comprehensible, single page pdf that is capable of being used by the arts and cultural sector as a lobbying tool, while the data allows individual organisations to produce a series of reports from the standardised data they enter, which assists them with individual grant and funding applications.
So what next? We at the Chamber have at least identified the data deficiency, now through our advocacy we have to develop and progress the conversation within our own sector and among policy and decision makers.
In the meantime there is no doubting WA needs its own data capture model – Creative State Western Australia has a nice ring to it.
