Jacinda Ardern On Universally Accessible Arts
New Zealand’s Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern says art should be for the many, not the few. The opinion piece features in Australia’s ArtsHub, and was originally published at The Big Idea.
“Cultural engagement has multiple benefits. As Minister my priority is to make sure the three words in that title – Arts, Culture, Heritage become ingrained in people’s brains and experiences and that their value to New Zealand society is far more widely recognised,” Ardern says.
“The challenge, of course, is that the benefits of art, and of culture, are not always readily available to every New Zealander.
“They should be. Every one of us – be it an opera-loving elder in provincial Southland or a budding filmmaker in Mangere – deserves access to the diverse and varied talent that makes up our creative sector.
“I believe the arts and creativity are integral and inseparable parts of what it is to be human.”
Original article by Jacinda Ardern, The Big Idea, ArtsHub, September 4, 2018.
I totally agree with Jacinda Ardern - everyone should be exposed to the arts. Coming from a very lower/middle class family in Wellington, we were fortunate that due to my mothers love of music and the arts and her service to the arts community (the New Zealand Ballet Company, the New Zealand Opera Company, the Alex Lindsay String Orchestra) that we as children were exposed to music and art that our family could have never afforded to. The arts and culture should be available to everyone. I do have to lift up New Zealand for the amazing concerts in the park that gives all the opportunity to hear symphony, opera and other genres for free. We have nothing like that in Canada....