The important role of leadership in boosting the arts was strongly voiced at the boardroom forum, with some participants calling for the premier to take on the portfolio.
The important role of leadership in boosting the arts was strongly voiced at the boardroom forum, with some participants calling for the premier to take on the portfolio.
"By my estimation, there hasn't been any significant investment in the arts in any state without a premier principally leading it, and this one seems to be showing an interest," The Marketing Centre managing director and Perth International Arts Festival chairman, Mike Smith, said.
Premier Alan Carpenter has been active on the arts front in the past six months, showcasing the importance of leadership in Western Australia's arts landscape.
He has announced a series of financial commitments and programs, starting with the launch of the Ignite package last December.
Ignite is a $73 million package of initiatives designed to transform dance, theatre, music and visual arts, as well as the shape of the state's cultural landscape.
It includes initiatives such as the premier's indigenous art award and the premier's literary award.
Two months later, along with launching the $1.1 billion Subiaco stadium, Mr Carpenter unveiled a $500 million plan for a new museum to be built on the site of the former East Perth power station.
Although arts specialists at the boardroom forum praised the recent leadership efforts made by Mr Carpenter to boosts the arts, they regret that too much is spent on building edifices rather than talent.
"Government loves building, there's building to a point that those edifices compromise on some of what could be spent on soft infrastructure, such as the artists," PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Frank Cooper said.
The Ignite package included two funding programs that offer an incentive to the business sector to support the arts.
The arts partnership fund involves the government and property company Mirvac each providing up to $150,000 to match cash partnerships between small-to-medium businesses and arts organisations.
The acquisition fund could be worth up to $25 million for the purchase of new works by the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Woodside chairman Michael Chaney said last month that BHP Billiton, National Australia Bank, Wesfarmers and Woodside had each pledged $1 million on top of the initial $10 million committed by the state government.
If the business sector's financial commitment reaches $10 million, Mr Carpenter will commit a further $5 million to the fund.
These initiatives showed how important leadership in the arts sector is, according to Form executive director Lynda Dorrington.
"Take the premier's challenge to the businesses. It is not that the business sector is not willing to do that, but having leadership by government actually makes it more attractive to do so and hence the absolute importance of the premier or somebody like the premier taking on the portfolio," she told the forum.
The acquisition fund aims to build a contemporary collection of indigenous, WA, Australian and international art.
