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Newsbriefs
King of the West returns home
The 25kg gold nugget, King of the West has been returned to Australia and gifted back to the prospector who originally struck it in the gold fields of Western Australia.
Unintentionally, the prospector exported it for overseas sale without obtaining the appropriate permit under the terms of the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act (1986). Without this permit, the nugget was forfeited to the Commonwealth and the Government arranged to take possession of it in New York where it was being held by Sotheby's, and bring it back to Australia.
Under the Act, gold nuggets worth over $250 000 fall within a wide range of significant cultural heritage material from medals to oil paintings, from fossils to scientific instruments and even things like cricket memorabilia. These are known as Australian protected objects, and require an export permit if they are to leave the country for sale, exhibition or any other purpose. There are penalties under the Act for knowingly exporting an Australian protected object without an export permit.
Contact: Lois Wishart Lindsay, Cultural Property 02 6271 1632 or email lois.wishart-lindsay@dcita.gov.au
Federation grants
A total of $30 million has been awarded to more than 1000 local projects across Australia to help celebrate Australia's 100th birthday in 2001.
The projects will be funded under the Commonwealth Government's Federation Community Projects program, which provided $200,000 to every federal electorate in the lead-up to the Centenary of Federation.
The enormous range of projects reflects the significance of Federation and how local communities want to celebrate the centenary year-including a cultural heritage artworks project in Ulladulla, NSW, a local history project in Malvern, Vic, and outdoor exhibition space for historical machinery in Manjimup, WA.
Contact: Federation Community Projects 02 6271 1955
Final designs on Acton Peninsula unveiled
As construction of the new cultural precinct continues on Acton Peninsula, the final designs for the new facilities for the National Museum of Australia and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies have been unveiled.
The design will ensure that, rather than dominating the landscape, the new facilities will reflect and be integrated with the natural environment of the peninsula.
Mr Stephen Ashton, one of the architects for the project, said 'the design team wanted to capture a dynamic and arresting visual experience which integrates the spectacular lakeside setting of Acton, while also exploiting the impressive views to the Brindabellas, Black Mountain, the city and Parliament House'.
National Museum of Australia staff are currently working with the exhibition designers, Anway and Associates, to put in place exhibitions that will tell a multitude of compelling stories, drawn from the diverse variety of artefacts in the Museum's collection. These exhibitions will cover the three major themes of 'our land, our nation and our people'. The themes will be explored using stories to cover all aspects of Australia's cultural heritage-from Indigenous cultures to European settlement, our relationship to the land, and Australian life in the present day and beyond.
The final designs for the Acton facilities were well received and it is anticipated that the public will be able to inspect site works during open days next year. A scale model of the new cultural precinct is also expected to be presented later this year.
Contact: Paul Salmond, Construction Coordination Task Force on 02 6245 4050 or email paul.salmond@dcita.gov.au
Russell Drysdale online
Russell Drysdale Online is a project of Australia's Cultural Network, produced by the National Gallery of Victoria and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The development of the site followed a major retrospective of Russell Drysdale's works, curated by Geoffrey Smith, curator of 20th century Australian art at the National Gallery of Victoria.
The website provides more than simply a 'virtual' record of Drysdale's paintings and photographs-it explores Drysdale's interpretations of national identity and culture during a time of tremendous social change in Australian history.
'We didn't want the site to just replicate the catalogue and display a series of paintings or photographs in succession. Instead, we wanted to explore how to layer the information about the artist's life, techniques and themes and weave them into the curatorial information,' said Clare Byrnes, Producer, ABC Arts and Cultural Online.
The website is aimed at a general audience, and particularly at regional audiences who may not have easy access to galleries in metropolitan centres.
Russell Drysdale Online can be found at http://arts.abc.net.au/drysdale/
Contact: John Cook, New Media 02 6271 1044 or email john.cook@dcita.gov.au
The Performing Arts Multimedia Library (PAML)
This joint project between the Commonwealth Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, and Cinemedia Victoria, has two major aims - to record and preserve excellent Australian performances, and to resolve some of the complex intellectual property rights issues raised by the digital recording and electronic distribution of performing arts material.
The four participating companies - Arena Theatre, Chunky Move, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and NYID (Not Yet It's Difficult)- are creating electronic works drawing from their 1998 performing arts seasons. Using new technologies, the companies will be able to develop new audiences and extend the life of works, which would otherwise be limited to a specific performance season.
PAML is based in Victoria, and is a research project of national significance that will have a long term benefit to all performing arts companies and individuals working in the area of new media technology. On completion of the project, guidelines and findings will be made available to the Australian performing arts industry in 1999.
PAML will be officially launched by the Minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation on 19 August.
Contact: John Cook, New Media on 02 6271 1044 or email john.cook@dcita.gov.au or visit
www.acmi.net.au/PAML/
The Nugent inquiry into performing arts
In December 1998 Senator Richard Alston announced a wide-ranging inquiry into the major performing arts sector. The inquiry, chaired by Dr Helen Nugent, will investigate Australia's major performing arts sector, which includes opera, ballet, symphony orchestras and other major music, dance and theatre groups.
The inquiry will make recommendations on actions that can be taken - by the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments and by the companies - to ensure that Australia continues to enjoy a financially healthy, artistically vibrant and broadly accessible major performing arts sector.
The inquiry will release a discussion paper for comment.
Contact: Major Performing Arts Review on 02 6270 8255 or email peter.young@dcita.gov.au
$270 000 for NAISDA's improvements
The Government has announced $270 000 for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Development Association (NAISDA), to complete vital refurbishment work.
The Government provided $500 000 for the new dance studios in Vault 3, The Rocks, Sydney. This additional funding will be provided to finish the studios. The unique design symbolically expresses the notion that the Indigenous culture is grounded in dance and music.
This is in addition to the $745 000 NAISDA will receive this financial year in operational funding.
NAISDA provides intensive training to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to prepare them for a number of career options, particularly in the Indigenous professional performing arena.
Contact: Robert Jackson at NAISDA on 02 92520199
Contemporary Music Package
As part of the Government's $10 million Contemporary Music Package, a total of $1.05 million will be provided over three years for the new Contemporary Music Touring Program.
The program will provide opportunities for a wide range of contemporary music to tour the country-from rock, pop and jazz to folk, new classical and Indigenous music.
The Contemporary Music Touring Program is committed to developing touring opportunities for Australian contemporary musicians, and increasing audience access to live Australian contemporary music, particularly in rural and regional Australia.
It will be administered as a complementary program to Playing Australia, the Commonwealth's Performing Arts Touring Program.
All professional members of the Australian music industry including presenters, agents, music networks, bands, venues, and music organisations, representing all music genres are eligible to apply for assistance through the program.
Contact: Andrew Smith, Arts Support 02 6271 1715 or email andrew.smith@dcita.gov.au
Increased overseas interest in Australian art
More overseas visitors to Australia are taking home samples of our unique visual art and craft, with international tourists spending close to $300 million a year on these items.
There's been a 44 per cent increase in the amount of money spent by overseas tourists on our art and craft since 1995 according to Cultural Tourism in Australia, Visual Art and Craft Shopping by International Visitors, 1997.
The information in this report will assist the visual art and craft sectors to make the most of opportunities associated with inbound tourism and ensure international visitors continue to take home Australian cultural products.
Contact: to leave your name and address for a copy of the report, call 02 6271 1945