The Australian summer has begun with two disastrous developments: out-of-control bushfires, and out-of-control governments waging war on the arts, sciences and civil liberties. The Morrison Government in Canberra and the Berejiklian Government in Sydney both seem hell-being on reversing key cultural gains of the past [...]
Arm’s length funding of the arts is the hallmark of a government attempting to work in the interests of the people. It prevents the arts being used as a political football, and together with peer assessment fosters the development of creativity. It was the founding [...]
Minister Harwin dismisses key report Buoyed by the re-election of the NSW Berejiklian Government in March, Minister for the Arts Don Harwin is ploughing ahead with the controversial move of the Powerhouse Museum (above) from Ultimo to Parramatta. He has at last responded to the [...]
The Federal election on Saturday 18 May has profound implications for culture, heritage and the arts – and voters would be well advised to take heed of what is happening in NSW. By JUDITH WHITE NSW – a case study in cultural vandalism Since its [...]
Edmund Capon 1940-2019 Edmund Capon, who has died in London at the age of 78, made an outstanding contribution to the cultural life of Australia. In his 33 years as director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, he never wavered in his commitment [...]
NSW Government ignores Sydney Modern concerns By JUDITH WHITE Five years after the Art Gallery of NSW first proposed construction of the grandiose $344 million extension known as Sydney Modern, the NSW Government has approved the Development Application (DA) for the project. It has done [...]
By JUDITH WHITE updated 8 October NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian faces a groundswell of protest against her unprecedented decision to turn the Sydney Opera House into a billboard for the gambling and racing industry. A demonstration against the decision has been called, to take place [...]
By JUDITH WHITE When Brazil’s Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro burned down on 2 September, staff described it as “a tragedy foretold”. For years, successive governments had cut recurrent funding for the museum, whose collection of 20 million priceless and irreplaceable objects was the [...]
By JUDITH WHITE Truth telling and cultural amnesia Truth telling was the theme of this year’s Garma festival, held in northeast Arnhemland on the first weekend of August. It’s also a crucial element in the Statement from the Heart made by the indigenous National Constitutional [...]
An act of governmental vandalism By JUDITH WHITE 28 April 2018 - updated 29 April NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Arts Minister Don Harwin in Saturday finally announced their plans to demolish the Powerhouse Museum, relocate it to Parramatta and turn its historic Ultimo site [...]
