THE GROWTH of the cultural arts in Barbados over the past 40 years has been phenomenal. From Crop Over Festival to the staging of fashion events to NIFCA – they all tell a story of acceptance and the realisation that the arts must be seen as growth opportunities in so many ways.
Despite the explosion of talent, one of the challenges has been the funding of the arts. Some people still do not see the arts as an economic engine as they can only understand traditional areas of employment as worthy of financial support.
Funding of this area of activity is therefore viewed as a waste of taxpayers’ money. Yet the arts generate millions of dollars in economic activity and provide many full-time jobs. This deserves not only talk and lip service but true credit. People within our cultural industries should not have to operate in a state of anxiety.
Unfortunately, we do not see benefactors consistently funding the arts as happens in developed countries. Yes, some businesses do support specific events but often tied to promotion of their products.
This general lack of funding has been stifling and is clearly highlighted in the country’s inability to have a national art gallery despite promises of one for so many years. Given the monetary demands on a financially strained Government, it is not likely that the proposed national art gallery will be realised anytime soon.
At the same time, we remain without modern indoor facilities to stage theatrical productions or host major concerts. Yet, dance, theatre, literature, the visual arts and music must become more available across this nation, not less.
This is why Massy Stores must be lauded for its efforts to showcase the mixed works of local visual arts on display at its Warrens location. This provides social benefits that may not be easy to measure, and it certainly goes beyond simply offering the artists to generate some sales. Hopefully, Barbadians flocking to the location on other business will use the opportunity to view and patronise the display.
This opportunity provided by Massy Stores and that recently by the Elcock Group bring art to the people and at the same time shift the contemporary view, which held that placement of displays was only important if in established galleries, museums and prominent private collections. The reality is that most Barbadians do not visit such collections.
This is why corporate Barbados has a role to play in the support and development of the arts and should reach out to help by making allocations in their annual budgeting exercise in much the same way we should look at contributing to research and development. The arts, after all, tell us where we have come from; where we are going and most importantly, who we are as a people.
The transformational capability of the arts needs no explanation. What is needed is a more significant national investment beyond reliance on the state.
