Richard speaks with Martin Foley, the Victorian Minister for Creative Industries, about the newly announced $16.8 million arts survival package from the Vic state Government. The package is about valuing the contribution of the arts and recognises that most artists are not well served by the current COVID-19 support packages because they work outside of traditional employment structures.
Artist Mark Schaller joins Richard to discuss his new exhibition Botanicus Fantasticus. The vibrant pieces were inspired by time spent in the Royal Botanic Gardens of Melbourne. Schaller isn't taking his work too seriously: "I started doing a lot of drawings in there and y'know one thing led to another and then it sort of became an exhibition."
and finally, Chris Howlett, who is a Co-Director of Melbourne Digital Concert Hall, calls up to chat about their new project Faces Of Our Orchestras. This series will take advantage of the medium of online performance to feature orchestral musicians as individual players or in small groupings
About this program
Visual art, theatre, film and literature. Segments include:
- 'Art Attack' - fortnightly visual arts reviews with Ace Wagstaff and Tai Snaith.
- 'Shoot the Messenger' - fortnightly theatre news & reviews with Fleur Kilpatrick.
- 'Drawn Out' - monthly chat about comic books and graphic novels with Bernard Caleo.
Please email talks@rrr.org.au for all interview requests.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Richard Watts has many years experience working in the arts industry, including five years as the Artistic Director of the youth arts organisation Express Media, seven years on the Board of Melbourne Fringe (including three years as Chair), and six years on the Committee of Management at La Mama Theatre, where he currently serves as Chair. Richard has helped program a range of festivals including Next Wave, the National Young Writers' Festival, the Melbourne Queer Film Festival and the Emerging Writers' Festival (which he founded) and he has written for various broadsheets, journals, zines and magazines. Currently he pays the rent by working as the Performing Arts Editor at www.artshub.com.au. In his spare time he watches old Doctor Who episodes.
The podcast intro and outro theme is Soft Illusion and was generously provided by Andras.
https://andras.bandcamp.com/track/soft-illusion
