something forgotten but sadly found still to be true today

Dear SASS affiliates,

Why does the past still accurately describe today?

Take for instance this document I have discovered amongst those compiled by Dr Helen Grace in 'Before Utopia: a non-official pre-history history of the present' and see how completely it fits our present situation. Please take heed of the last paragraph that reads: 'As individual artworkers and artists, silence and apathy make you an accomplice to your own continued disadvantage and discrimination in funding, it is your responsibility to urge the union to effectively pursue these concerns.' This was written twenty year ago by Rod McDonald and Juillee Pryor (Art Unit).

Regrettably, we haven't a union to do this anymore for us, only ourselves. So please 'urge' yourself to send those letters to federal candidates and state arts ministers today, and let NAVA know as immediately as possible before Tamara Winikoff starts speaking with reporters that when we artists say no less than $2,000, we mean it.

Here are some excerpts from the document: On Tuesday night the 19th of June 84 Art Unit requested from the Artworkers Union General Meeting attention to some very serious concerns that we felt should be raised. The questions were given over to funding priorities, particularly to the increasing funding of administrations and organisations with the resultant decline in funding to individual artists and non-institutional groups of artists. [ie. in today's terms, Myer's 'recommendation one' concerning programmes of direct funding to artists (eg. a mandatory artists' fee) has been ignored. It shouldn't be a case of funding either administrations or artists with artists always losing as we did, again, this time - but both (ie. implementation of the remaining $3 million to include an artists' fee of no less than $2,000). Rupert Myer didn't make recommendation number one - number one - for nothing.] These concerns were published by Art Unit in our June 84 newsletter 'COMMUNIQUE 20'. The core issue that we have raised represents the biggest threat to the individual artist and artworker. The overwhelming domination of funding by institutions/ organisations (now estimated at 90% of Visual Arts Board funding) has led to a scenario of discrimination against individual artists. . . . As individual artworkers and artists, silence and apathy make you an accomplice to your own continued disadvantage and discrimination in funding, it is your responsibility to urge the union to effectively pursue these concerns.

Rob McDonald/Juillee Pryor ART UNIT

Let's be sure to change tomorrow, this time, today. Please send those letters.

Gail Hastings for SASS

posted Tuesday, 28 September 2004