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It strikes me that the critical issue for the
development of a new cultural strategy in Scotland is to articulate the two
forms of excellence that are on the table at the moment.
We recognise that the practice of many artists
working in a 'socially engaged' bottom-up way is excellent and can produce
remarkable outcomes - visit the Community Arts Network (http://www.communityarts.net/) and
review their case studies - Tom Finkelpearl interviews many of the key
visual artists in Dialogues on Public Art, obviously there are multiple threads
of practice running through new media practice.
The other model of excellence is represented by the
'Big companies' (fill in the names yourself) who produce excellence along
a conventional model and deliver it to audiences. The critical point to me
is that they trump the socially engaged model by describing it as 'access' as
opposed, or next to, their model of 'excellence'.
I believe that we are in fact dealing with two
competing models of excellence which need to be recognised as such.
We need to refocus the argument around these two
models of excellence rather than around excellence versus access or instrumental
versus intrinsic. The bottom up/socially engaged model is currently being
marginalised by the words 'access' and 'instrumental'.
Chris Fremantle
Cultural Historian, Curator and Project Manager 21 Woodfield Road Ayr KA8 8LZ tel. 01292 272978 mob. 07714 203016 www.chris.fremantle.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] and
Arts Links Officer
South Ayrshire Council Wellington Square Ayr KA7 1DR 07971 555427 |
