Making Visual Arts Visible

GEORGINA COBURN has been out and about the meeting visual artists and organisations throughout the Highlands and Islands to prepare a report for HI~Arts. Georgina airs some of the issues raised during interviews, and invites feedback from Northings readers ahead of the final report and associated conference later this year

THE STORY SO FAR …. It began in late June with initial interviews conducted locally around Inverness-shire and then regionally in Caithness, Sutherland, Argyll & Bute, Easter Ross, Wester Ross and Orkney.

In the final week of July research extended to Badenoch & Strathspey and Skye & Lochalsh, and in August through to the first week in September will include Moray, Lochaber, the Western Isles and Shetland.

To date I have conducted interviews with 132 artists, arts development officers, visual arts education workers and gallery owners. They have revealed a wealth of diversity, expertise and talent. Of those interviews, 126 have been face-to-face meetings, which have enabled direct contact with practitioners and their work in context.

A further six interviews (so far) have been conducted by telephone. Discussions usually ranged from one to three hours in length, allowing a thorough exploration of perceptions about the current state of play from individuals and groups.

Without public art, the creation of public gallery spaces and long term commitment to the value of visual arts education, we potentially face the same future as our past

Artists and arts workers at varying stages of their profession, from those developing their skills to well established practitioners, have taken part. They represent a wide range of disciplines, including painting, sculpture, digital art and photography, printmaking, ceramics, textiles, fibre art and environmental art, with a notable and fluid exchange between art and craft practice at a professional level.

The final report on “The Current State of the Visual Arts in the Highlands and Islands”, due in the first week of October, will inform a region wide Visual Arts conference scheduled by HI~ARTS in November. Active strategy will then be formed by the agency in response to the issues raised by the interviews and the regional conference.

The aim is to recognise the strength and range of activity that is already taking place, and facilitate future development of Visual Art in the Highlands and Islands in an unprecedented way.

Throughout this process I have been overwhelmingly inspired by the integrity of art practice and the expansive nature of creative thinking in generating new possibilities. The artists I have interviewed have profoundly influenced how I view our cultural landscape. Artists are constantly challenging, reinterpreting and adding layers to that experience. They inform my questions and shape the course of interviews in direct response to their work.

The method of research is both direct and personal, relating to each artist’s experience and the depth of their practice. Seeing work in context highlights the distance that artists must travel for materials, to have contact with exhibitions and galleries, or to have critical contact with their peers, essential factors for professional development for isolated practice in geographical isolation.

In a way, everyone I’ve spoken to travels with me. Drive time between regions is time spent listening to recordings, standing back from the dialogue and beginning to digest the content. The need for advocacy, promotion of professional practice and the value of art underpin all the issues to emerge thus far. The implications are far ranging, but potential solutions are uniquely and creatively local.

While there is great inspiration and innovation in the work currently being done by individuals, artist groups, private galleries and predominantly island based Arts Centres, there is still a distinct lack of value attached to Visual Arts practice other than a market value.

Even then, that value would seem to attach to a certain type of product, but one that does not reflect the full range of practice in the region. If the practice of Visual Art is nurtured, then product takes care of itself, and standards of quality and excellence are encouraged. Where professional codes of practice exist, the bar is raised to the benefit of everyone.

Art is often seen as a hobby, not as a profession. The lines between recreational practice and professional practice are particularly blurred in parts of the Highlands and Islands, as are the functions of private and public gallery spaces.

In a social climate and within local authority structures which do little to encourage breadth of creative thinking, extraordinary work is being created in spite of the state of play, not because of it. As a result there is a significant amount of battle fatigue amongst artists and arts workers, and a cynicism about the organisations that should be providing professional support and advocacy for Visual Art practice.

That cynicism has also been expressed in relation to the idea of this research project. Ultimately, the key to its value lies with the testimony of practitioners and their approach to creative problem solving, which is what artists do best. Artists, too, must value their own practice and make their voices heard.

Lack of public exhibition and affordable workshop space, limited arts coverage and commentary, the difficulty of communication in a large geographic area, and access to visual arts education opportunities are several of the issues raised so far. These are current obstacles to creating expectation and support for visual arts activity necessary to weather the storms of changing local government policy.

There is a danger in the current political climate that the true value of cultural entitlement will be served only by short term measures. Part-time underpaid cultural coordinator posts, arts development positions with no budgets and question marks hanging over their term, or isolated visual arts programming in schools do not leave any legacy to build upon when the political climate changes. This does not ultimately strengthen the value of art, its economic viability or its social impact in the long term.

Without public art, the creation of public gallery spaces and long term commitment to the value of visual arts education, we potentially face the same future as our past. We begin work all over again to stage the same events which, however worthwhile, have no follow-through or continuity, draining valuable skills and talent away from the area.

Overall, what is emerging is a profound need for a redefinition of arts funding to encourage professional and independent practice and long term sustainability, a redefinition of “cultural strategy” based on visual arts practice not product, and a redefinition of what it means to be a Visual Artist in the Highlands and Islands.

The strongest foundation we have at present is the commitment of professional artists and arts workers, most of whom are grossly underpaid, working several jobs or part-time posts, and contributing to the growth of visual arts through significant voluntary hours.

Their passion, enthusiasm and energy for the practice of visual art in all its forms is the single most positive force to emerge within the study so far. The perception is that their commitment and enthusiasm has yet to be equalled by arts organisations or local authorities.

What is clear from the research dialogue thus far is that aspiring artists, arts organisations, executive and local government authorities all need to have the same approach to development as a professional artist. For the individual it is a life-long commitment. A professional artist cannot stage one exhibition, consider their work done, and call themselves a success. Visual Arts practice has always been evolutionary, reactionary (as in reacting to) and revolutionary. Art has the power to lead, but it must be seen.

When cities vie to host events such as the Olympic Games, the economic benefit is understood, and there is enormous pride promoting the bid. Venues, transport links and other facilities designed initially to bring the world to that location also benefit residents. Employment and training opportunities, improved facilities and new venues potentially contribute to the quality of life in the long term.

Why is an “infrastructure first” approach not more prevalent in Visual Arts development?

Capital project costs would no doubt be one answer. However, is it not more cost effective in the long term to create exhibition spaces, art centres and the associated employment and education programmes that accompany them, rather than fund isolated events to infinity?

Infrastructure has many faces. It can mean bricks and mortar, equipment that has a life beyond one project, long term programming of visual arts education in schools or permanent job creation within the sector.

I think everyone would agree that the institution of the Kelvingrove is part of many people’s memories of growing up in Glasgow, regardless of their background. The collection is part of a collective memory. With the building reopened, there is a great sense of expectation. Where is our own expectation about art as a central part of our culture?

I think many practitioners would argue that visual art practice is already central to Highlands and Islands culture; it simply has yet to be recognised or promoted as such. The dots have yet to be joined, and that is the challenge which lies ahead.

(Georgina Coburn can be contacted at georginacoburn@tiscali.co.uk)

© Georgina Coburn, 2006