Dear Guyan & Gerry (and Sue)
Thank you for circulating the SAU information in response to our NAN
mail.
I suggest it would be of great use to post SAU bulletins (on a number
of lists) as and when issues arise and the SAU addresses them.
As expressed in our previous mail, we have grave concerns about the
levels of 'consultations' & 'research' being a drain on
resources, and a sop to actual action to progress positive change.
It should be a wake-up call that the SAU's repeating of the NAA/SAC
research eight
years on has shown that little has changed -- especially so given the
initial low levels of income. However, such research doesn't express
how to effect change to the benefit of artists -- what it does show is
that the overall strategy for the last eight years has been ineffective:
* 82% of Scotland's artists earn � 5000 or less per annum from their
arts practice -- the same as 1995
* total funding for this sector via SAC is still only �3.2 million per
annum for the whole of Scotland, showing a lack of parity across the
arts
* Glasgow City Council's precedent that artists must provide their own
cover of �2 million...
I also believe it would be useful if you would regularly post details of
who you have lobbied, when and on what issues, and how to contact them
-- rather than a
generalisation ("mission statement") that you lobby on behalf of
members, which is not
informative and can be too easily dismissed.
Could you also circulate transcripts from the SAU meetings so as we are
all informed as to each others' concerns. Circulating this information
outside of the SAU members group would, I believe, help to increase
membership and certainly raise the SAU's profile.
Finally, could you please circulate the SAU's "first ever comprehensive
Rates of Pay document for the visual arts" you mention, post it in PDF
format or
make it accessible on someone's web site and let everyone know --
Variant would be happy to host it.
All the above, I would argue, is actually networking artists' networks
in practice.
All the best,
Leigh French
PS
If anyone on WorkingLinks is interested in a job share, The Cultural
Enterprise Office, Glasgow, is advertising a Project Manager post at
�22,000-�28,000. Applications to be in by 26th Sept. Nine of us could
job-share (roughly one day a fortnight) at �60 a week and still claim
housing -- just a thought...
PPS
DOCUMENT1
International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival
UGC, 7 Renfrew Street, Glasgow
19th - 22nd September
LAUNCH 7pm Friday 19th
For full information see:
Variant issue 18, now available
or
http://www.variant.org.uk/Doc1/Doc1.html
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