The ArtKlick Blog

I think the YouTube Debate is a great idea - The Government is getting really Web 2.0 on us! (When will we be able to vote online?)

My question is: “What have both parties done and plan to do to promote and encourage the arts in New Zealand and internationally and is funding going to be adjusted for inflation?” (If not it is an effective 4% cut each year).

I can’t seem to get the video working so check it out here and when it gets accepted on the YouTube Debate channel I will post a link to it there too.

Nationals Arts Culture and Heritage policy appears to be a copy of Labour’s - Committing to maintain funding at current arts levels. The question is: A) Will the current funding be adjusted for inflation? and B) Where are the forward thinking initiatives/policies to support creative entrepreneurs?

This is 2008 - We have the internet at our disposal. As Elisabeth Vaneveld the Executive Director of The Big Idea Trust says “The policy is not forward thinking, just maintaining the status quo. There needs to be policies designed to encourage resource generation (govt or philanthropic) and investment funding to support creative entrepreneurs.” You can listen to a good podcast from Radio New Zealand on the subject here.

Kris Herbert’s article in Idealog “The Joke’s on us” illustrates the importance of the New Zealand Creative sector, summarising it well in this paragraph:

“New Zealand Trade and Enterprise has identified the creative industries as a crucial key to economic transformation because the creative sector has great potential to influence global perception and brand New Zealand as a nation of innovation and talent. The sector, NZTE describes as ten industries ranging from advertising to fashion to performing arts, currently contributes about $2.86 billion to the New Zealand economy. While that’s just over three percent of our GDP, NZTE publications show the creative industry is growing at an annual rate of nine percent—twice the rate of the economy as a whole”

Considering the creative sector is the sector that defines our culture as a country and it is growing at twice the rate of the economy as a whole, you would think National would have put a bit more effort into thinking of original ideas to take our creative industry to the next level over the next term. Instead they have basically said “Labour has done a good job - we will do what they have been doing but won’t make any effort to better it”.

Chris Finlayson was recently interviewed by John Daly-Peoples for the NBR and although he has been traveling the country meeting key people it is still pretty clear that he doesn’t know how to take the arts to the next level or stimulate demand for the arts, talking more about

My thoughts on how to do this include:
1. A website designed to help New Zealand creatives profile and sell their work and services both nationally and internationally (Cough Cough Art Klick!! The new design will allow this a lot easier than how it is currently)

2. Development of fun and free/cheap events for the general public to participate in and contribute to eg The Free Art Project, National Snow Art Day.

3. Internationally toured exhibitions, performing arts events and film - most of which could be funded by sponsorship (More next post).

4. Streamlining Creative New Zealand funding (which they have apparently just done).

5. If it was viable - reinstate regional arts councils with a set amount of funding to develop the arts in their region.

If I worked for Creative New Zealand I could come up with 5 ideas for national events right now that would cost hardly anything to organise yet involve 10’s of thousands of New Zealanders. The idea (and one of Creative New Zealand’s key aims) is to involve the public in the arts.

How do you do that? Make something fun that they can be a part of and reward them for participating - weather it be a competition like International Snow Art Day where they get their creations voted for by the public (exposure/publicity) or something like the Free Art Project where they are contributing to a history making event, getting a picture of it, a piece of the canvas posted to them and publicity on the internet and TV.

When it comes to international exports and marketing - there are plenty of media hungry for good arts stories (just look at what happened from the press release for The Million Dollar Leg Project). As we build a reputation as a country doing fun and iconic events, then exports and tourism will increase.

It all seems so easy to me and I don’t know why good events like this haven’t been done - but if the government isn’t going to do it then as Kris Herbert says:

“NZTE insists there is no shortage of export opportunities, only a shortage of companies capable of taking up these opportunities. Though there is some support through NZTE and Creative New Zealand, which has listed international success as one of four strategic priorities in its 2007–2010 strategic plan, it will largely be up to individuals to make it happen.”

PS Creative New Zealand I’m looking for a part time job - if you want an aspiring arts guerrilla marketing expert get in touch and I’ll help you market New Zealand creativity to the world (affordably).

Please note: The government has done a reasonably good job of developing the arts but I think some fresh ideas and taking hold of the technology we have available to us could easily market our creative industry on a new level which would result in increased jobs, exports and tourisim.

Day 12

Leaving from New Plymouth after meeting with Robin from WITT I was on just over a 1/4 tank of gas, fiured I would make it to a petrol station in time, after 2.5 hours driving the level was getting pretty low…. Economy driving time, nothing over 80km and don’t put your foot down when your going up the hill. Things were starting to look grim when I rounded a corner into a small town called Poipoi… and it has a Caltex - Phew! So i drove up the hill and camped out for the night, the next morning the $50 Dave deposited had cleared and I had enough gas to get to Hamilton. (Man I’m skint - I need to sell some robot art!)

1.5 hours later I was there, only 20 minutes late for my meeting with Tim the arts director for Wintec. Showed him round the site and he was pretty impressed, giving me an idea on how to create a community for the art buyers which was great.

Then Malcom gave me a call and he was keen as to drive down to Whakapapa to go boarding, so I chilled out in the WinTec library for 2 hours and did some work. Then I chilled down by a lake for a few hours while I waited for Malc.

10pm Malc and John rock up and we are off on a 3 hour drive back south. The coolest thing on the trip was seeing two wild pigs on the side of the road - we turned round and looked at them - they sat there for a couple of seconds then freaked out - kicking a discarded Primo Milk bottle onto the road - its was funny (guess you had to be there).

We got to the Whakapapa camping ground at 1.30am - up at 9am - and when we got to the ski field the car park was full!! So we caught a bus up, and being as skint as I am I can’t afford a pass so I went to talk to the marketers to see if they would give me a pass in exchange for a some snow art but they were all up the hill doing a ski race or something so now I’m in the cafe doing work and thought I should write a post.

Apparently today is a record number of people for Whakapapa - 7,000 x $80 = $560,000 !!! In one day - mental.

Ohakune is supposed to be good tonight - party on - maybe Turoa will be down for a giant robot tomorrow ….

Cancelled due to lack of replies from ski fields and I am going on my North Island Roadie next week. Might still hit Mt Ruapehu up and see if they are keen for an exclusive art day.

Hi (NZ ski field),

Would you like:

1.       More people to visit your mountain, buy lift tickets and eat your food?

2.       To increase your national and international media coverage and awareness?

3.       To get traffic to your website?

4.       To have fun and get people talking about you?

5.       Be part of making international snow and art history?

If you answered yes to these 5 questions I have an idea you might be interested in being part of.

The idea is called: “New Zealand Snow Art Project” and is pencilled in for Saturday September 13^th 2008.

The New Zealand Snow Art Project is a new idea to promote New Zealand art and ski fields to the world by starting a whole new art form/genre. We aim to encourage the public to get up to their local ski field for a day of fun and art in the snow.

Snow Art can be created by painting/dyeing snow with food colouring in spray bottles and spray packs.

What do you need to do?

1. Designate an area for snow art to be made (ie a slope near the cafeteria)
2. Push a pile of snow up to be used for snow sculptures.
3. Freeze some water blocks for carvers to do ice sculptures -great decorations!.
4. Give away some day passes and/or food etc as prizes for most creative etc
5. Promote it on your website.
6. Provide a sound system / music (optional).
7. Confirm your interest by Friday 1^st August

This is a great way to get people up to your mountain to have fun in the snow, get international coverage for being part of a whole new art genre and bring traffic to your website.

The NZ Snow Art Project is an initiative of www.ArtKlick.co.nz and will be promoted on www.ArtKlick.com, the Art Klick Facebook Group and www.MillionDollarLeg.co.nz (plus expected extensive media coverage).

Please  email James Stewart on james@artklick.com by 5^th August to confirm your interest in this project.

Click here to watch the video of the first tattoo for The Million Dollar Leg

Yesterday afternoon I got the outline for the first tattoo at Inkgrave in Edgeware, Christchurch.

Got some great media coverage with CTV filming my first TV interview and Blair from The Cut Lunch show on local student radio station RDU recording the action for a podcast doco.

The first tattoo (below) is “The Orange Bangle” by loyal and talented Art Klick artist Kim Loasby. The tattoo is 40 square cm which would be $20,000 NZD. I don’t expect anyone to pay that much so have decided to sell half of it on Zillion and the other half on international auction site eBay.

Each auction is for half of the 20cm (half of the tattoo) and have $500 reserves.

I have also got a small instalation planned for Christchurch CBD this morning to draw attention to this blog and advertise the two listings.

AND I got my first official paying sponsor last night! Brendan Smith the founder of Apage.co.nz a new social networking website for New Zealand. Apage is still in the development phase and I am advising him with a redesign for the whole site into a whole new (secret) niche that I think has huge potential both in New Zealand and internationally.

So keep an eye on the auctions and this blog as I try to post news every day due to the constantly developing nature of this idea and what is involved.

If you miss out on this auction or are interested in becoming a sponsor/advertiser please check out the new packages I have made up to suit everyone.

Also - are there any flash animation designers out there who would be interested in building the MillionDollarLeg.co.nz website - should be a fun project (as this one is just temporary).

Below are some pretty pics for y’all.

Greetings my name is James Stewart I will be your blogger for ArtKlick this evening.

May I interest you in any of our specials today?

For starters we have a great new free website for buying and selling New Zealand art, with a complementary side dish of membership and listings. This has been simmering for 20 months to reach a clean and easy to use interface and has now reached maturity. Although this is a very filling service we also offer a free prints service as a side which allows you to list High Resolution photos to be sold as prints on canvas.

We pay YOU to use this service.

Every time your print is brought you will receive 10% commission of the sale price.

Our cook has decided to make it complimentary to any New Zealand member as he believes it is such a great service that it should be enjoyed by all with no risk.

He has also been working on cooking up a blog to create a community and needs your help and input to make sure he gets it right. So far he has been  coining ideas such as the Free Art Project and Art on Snow Day.

These ingredients would be far more effective if the cook had the help of some Guerrillas and Sponsors. If you or anyone you know could help out with making these ingredients more effective please don’t hesitate to contact james@artklick.com or comment on this post.

For desert (if you still have room) you can finish off with some nice Social Media and Press designed to compliment the delicious servings of website and blog on today’s menu.

I will leave you for a few minutes to have a think about what you would like to get started on.

Enjoy.