THE ART OF BRINGING THE ARTS TO CANBERRA EDUCATION RESOURCE Cover Image: courtesy of Ben Wrigley CONTENTS SECTION 1 Introduction: the purpose of this resource 2 The Educational Landscape 3 The Centenary of Canberra 3 Acquiring public works of art 4 SECTION 2 Early Canberra 1913, A E MacDonald, at the Canberra Museum and Gallery 6 Great Hall Tapestry, Arthur Boyd and the Victorian Tapestry Workshop Parliament House, Canberra 8 Icarus, Jan Brown, Petrie Plaza, Civic, Canberra 10 SECTION 3 StellrScope, Eleanor Gates-Stuart, A major visual arts production, Questacon 2013 12 Prime Time, John Shortis and Moya Simpson, to be performed in 2013 14 Hipbone Sticking Out (the Yijala Yala project) Big hART - Canberra Theatre, 2013 16 SECTION 4 The Australian Curriculum 18 * Copies of additional sheets can be downloaded from canberra100.com.au CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION The following pages will present material Welcome to this resource for Arts teachers. Your role in the for Arts teachers to use concentrating on education of children and young people is extraordinarily three existing public art works, and three works that have been commissioned as important as you enable them to find their creative talents and to part of the celebrations of the Centenary participate in the wide world of artistic expression and innovation. of Canberra. You teach and enable students to ‘see’ into this world. THE THREE EXISTING WORKS ARE: “One only admires what one has first learnt to see” • A E MacDonald’s oil painting Early - Ernst H Gombrich Canberra, at the Canberra Museum Canberra abounds in art works, not just in well-known cultural institutions and Gallery, Civic such as the National Gallery of Australia, National Portrait Gallery, • Arthur Boyd’s Great Hall Tapestry in National Museum of Australia and Australian War Memorial, Parliament House but also in smaller galleries and museums, offices, banks and restaurants, • Jan Brown’s Icarus, a bronze sculpture and, of course, in outdoor public spaces. The bronze kangaroos poised in Petrie Plaza, Civic to drink at Nerang Pool in Commonwealth Park, the woolly knitted steel sheep at the Kambah Shops, the statue of a swimmer at the entrance to THE THREE COMMISSIONED the National Sports Swimming Centre and Ethos standing outside the ACT WORKS ARE: Legislative Assembly are just four examples of art works that people in Canberra walk past every day. • Eleanor Stuart-Gates’ StellrScope, an What is public art? The ACT Government’s paper Action Statement for Public installation based on scientific images Art (2006) says: ‘The term “public art” is used here to refer to artworks that and data enrich our experience of public places.’ • Shortis and Simpson’s Prime Time, How does public art get to be where it is? Who makes it? Who pays for it? a satirical musical production about Who is responsible for it? These are good questions for students of the Arts Australia’s prime ministers to pursue. Some art works are produced for competitions—for example, the • Big hART’s Hipbone Sticking Out a famous Archibald portrait competition. Others are commissioned—but by multi-media performance through whom and for whom? What does the term ‘patronage’ mean? How do artists music, dance and theatre, about get government grants or residencies? What is the range of processes for connections between the past and acquiring public art? the present in the Pilbara region of This resource, The art of bringing the Arts to Canberra, is very timely. Western Australia. It brings together a significant aspect of the Arts, specifically public art, with When students have the opportunity the development of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts and the Centenary to view, explore, research and reflect of Canberra in 2013. For teachers of high school students, particularly years on these six works of art, they will be 9 – 12, there is a rich opportunity to immerse their students in the world, enriched in their understanding of not just of the production and appreciation of art works, but also how they the contribution public art makes to are acquired by a government, by galleries or by an individual, and made the cultural life of Canberra, and the accessible to the community. There is most definitely an art to bringing importance of having processes for the Arts to Canberra. This is a very specific aspect of the Arts’ world, and acquiring public art. while it is one that is not often explored, it contributes to a fundamental understanding about what it means to be a citizen and how citizenship and government connect. Author: Chris Melican Workspace4 by Eleanor Gates-Stuart 2 THE ART OF BRINGING THE ARTS TO CANBERRA THE THE EDUCATIONAL CENTENARY LANDSCAPE OF CANBERRA The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Canberra, as the capital of Australia, took Australians (December 2008) is a pivotal document that some years to come into being. During has led to the development of the Australian Curriculum. the 1850s, discussion had occurred about a federation of the Australian colonies. The Declaration states that there are two educational goals: This was achieved in 1901. Almost a decade later, 900 square miles of land of the • Goal 1: Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence Molonglo Valley were declared, by the • Goal 2: All young Australians become successful learners; Labor Government of the day, to be the confident and creative individuals; active and informed Federal Capital Territory. Then began citizens. possibly one of the most important competitions in Australia’s history, one that included great emphasis on art, The second goal is more relevant to Some students will become artists; design, creativity and innovation: the the work presented in this resource. a larger number will participate Federal Government, on 30 April 1911, Active and informed citizenship in amateur artistic activities, but advertised an international competition involves understanding the what about the others? As students for a design for the capital. On 23 May 1912 responsibilities of government and emerge from their secondary the announcement was made that Walter the expenditure of public money, education it is important that they Burley Griffin, from Chicago, USA, had raised through taxes, for the good be consumers of, and appreciators won the competition. of its citizens. A state and territory of, the remarkable area of human On 12 March 1913, Lady Denman, wife government budget will include endeavour called the Arts. of the Governor-General, stood in a expenditure on works and projects Appreciating artistic works involves dry paddock in the Molonglo Valley to do with the physical well being of engaging with and responding and declared, ‘I name the Capital of citizens as well as their intellectual to traditional and contemporary Australia … Canberra’. The same year, and cultural needs. The Arts as works of visual and performing Walter Burley Griffin was appointed a whole has an important part to artists. Through these experiences, Federal Capital Director of Design and play in the achievement of Goal 2, students develop aesthetic values Construction. and this resource assists teachers and appreciate ways of making of the Arts in developing in their meaning through art. They explore The Arts were there right from the students an inclusive understanding and appreciate the values, beliefs, start. The capital was designed with of citizenship. traditions and identities of diverse public spaces, which the architect of cultures. They investigate how the National Portrait Gallery calls ‘the artistic works contribute to society living rooms of the city’—and most living by building cultural identity and rooms display objects d’art that are social commentary. important and significant for those who live there. The teacher of the arts, while teaching and sharing knowledge This celebration of Canberra’s 100 years and skills within art forms and as the national capital offers a rich encouraging all students to be opportunity for students to explore and creative, needs to develop in understand several issues about the arts: students a lifelong appreciation • how works of art are commissioned and enjoyment of the arts and an and acquired understanding of their place in • the importance of the arts in revealing their own and other cultures. the city’s history and culture • public views about the arts. SECTION 1 3 ACQUIRING PUBLIC WORKS OF ART Both federal and state/territory governments play a significant role in the provision of public art and support for the Arts. There are many generous benefactors of the arts, from both the private and the community sectors (whose names are often written in the foyers of cultural institutions), who commission new artistic works and thereby support artists. However, governments are pivotal in providing, from their annual budgets, funding to support artistic endeavour and the acquisition of art works. This aspect of fiscal responsibility is to do with promoting and enhancing cultural development for the city’s citizens. Because the history of the ACT and the Commonwealth has been intertwined in much of the development of cultural institutions in the nation’s capital and the acquiring of art works, the ACT is home to a diverse collection of public art work that has been commissioned by the ACT and Australian Governments. In 1995, the ACT Government’s Public Last year I established an ACT Public At the beginning of the new policy Art Program was established with the Art Panel to advise the Government framework, the ACT Minister for the aim of commissioning art works to on new commissions and the existing Arts, Joy Burch, writes: complement Canberra’s urban design collection. The Panel is already playing All great cities around the world are and provide new experiences of the a crucial role in bringing a greater proud of, and distinguished by, their everyday environment.