What Keeps Me Up at Night
Further reflections on creative arts funding.
Note: This article was first published 29 October 2023 on hamishannan.com
I attended the Australian Performing Arts Exchange (APAX) arts market and conference in Cairns this past August.
The Performing Arts Network of New Zealand (PANNZ), which was administering funds on behalf of Creative New Zealand, funded me to be there.
Given this, the irony of what I’m about to talk about is not lost on me. But stick with me.
I went to an open discussion called Things Keeping Me Up at Night, expertly curated by Penny Miles (yes, that Night Mayor of Melbourne, Penny Miles).
Penny was our ‘thinker in residence’ for the week. Not only was she a devastatingly intelligent and funny provocateur, reflecting on the state of performing arts, but she also hosted excellent conversations.
In this session, she facilitated our sharing of the things keeping us awake at night.
These weren’t small worries either. I sat amongst some of the most influential and innovative arts practitioners, presenters, and producers in Australia.
It was grim.
But there was comfort sitting in the weeds together. It was like the responses to my last article. Together we practised “not-aloneness”.
I was nervous, but I decided to share something.
Here are my comments, as I best recall them:
“I’m an independent artist from Aotearoa, New Zealand. What I wanted to share about what keeps me up at night relates to funding.
“We’ve had three things going on at the same time this year.
“One. Until recently, our national arts funding body, Creative New Zealand, ran capped funding rounds. When a certain number of submissions were hit, the Arts Grants closed. Most were closing within 24 hours of opening. If you were late or your computer stuffed up, you were fucked."
“Two. Auckland’s new mayor wants to cut the regional Council’s local board funding, which funds a significant number of arts and culture events, including independent performing arts.
“Three. Name suppression recently lifted on a prominent arts philanthropist who was convicted of assaulting young men. I won’t bother saying his name. Not only was he influential in starting the Auckland Theatre Company, NZ Opera, and NZ Ballet, but he also financially supported young, often gay, artists. The same artists he took advantage of. I dodged that bullet, but even I received a cash prize from him at a performance festival.”
“All of this happened this year.”
There was a beat.
Penny took back the microphone, “That’s not what keeps you up at night. That’s a nightmare.”
And she would know.
Night Mayor and all.
“We’re thinking of our friends in New Zealand” was heard several times during the week.
Chaotic funding models are probably not quite the international reputation we hoped for.
But if the recent announcements about year-on-year funding reductions at Creative New Zealand are accurate, there are reasons to be concerned.
I’d doubt my ongoing attendance at international performing arts markets, for one.
But, more importantly than the loss of international engagement, the loss of creatives from the industry is likely.
Let’s be honest; it’s almost certainly going to happen.
If these were your prospects, I think you’d have trouble sleeping, too.
Sweet dreams.
Hamish here,
I’m sleeping better these days - thankfully!
I attended several arts markets in 2023/24: APAM in Melbourne, APAX in Cairns, and PANNZ in New Zealand.
APAX was my favourite by far. Maybe because we was in the high 20s every day, and when everyone is sweating through their clothes, it makes talking to festival directors and influential people much less intimidating. Just a hunch.
I must acknowledge the work Katherine Connor and her team put into the event. The thought and care of their hosting was exceptional. A very special event.
Hamish