Plans for a new artist-focused festival to replace the retired Big West Festival are in the pipeline but artists say the idea could be undermined if Maribyrnong Council proceeds with plans to carve up the funding that had been earmarked for the festival.
The Council will consider a motion at its Tuesday night meeting to redistribute $40,000 of the $85,000 that was going to be awarded to Big West for 2016/17 before its board suddenly announced it would be winding up the organisation.
Save Big West spokesman Hoang Nguyen said it would be very difficult for a new festival to arise if Maribyrnong Council carves up the funding.
Jade Lillie, Footscray Community Arts Centre chief executive and a member of the executive of the Arts West alliance of inner-west arts organisations, said discussions have been underway as to whether a new arts-based festival in the inner-west is viable.
“Arts West has been working closely with stakeholders to consider how we might provide an alternative model for Big West Festival,” she said.
“It’s unclear as to whether we will be able to realise this possibility, however we are certainly interested in ensuring that resources are available for artists and communities in and across Melbourne’s west.”
A report to council on the ‘2016/17 Festival City Grants Program Funding’ suggests divvying up the total festival allocation of $312,900 across 19 festivals.
The council’s Festival Advisory Panel proposed that Council retain $45,000 of the $85,000 that was due to go to Big West “to address the artist based festival gap with input from the Maribyrnong arts community and Festival Advisory Panel”.
The report notes The Big West Festival “has been a valuable feature on the Festival City calendar since 1997” and was a Signature Festival.
“The withdrawal of Big West leaves a gap in the festival calendar and in particular leaves the festival city program without a dedicated arts produced festival,” it states.
“It is recommended that $45,000 be retained to address the ‘gap’ left by the withdrawal of the Big West festival and that $40,000 be allocated to existing festivals to support local artist programming.”
Mr Nguyen said it would be very difficult for a new festival to arise if Maribyrnong Council carves up the funding.
“We were working on the assumption that the Council was trying to keep the $85,000 available for anything to have a chance of getting up,” he said.
“It would mean there was a better chance of speaking to other funders like Creative Victoria.
“Council has known about our efforts to do something to fill the Big West vacuum and we were working under the assumption that that funding may be available.”
Last month Maribyrnong councillor Grant Miles said the end of the Big West Festival was as much a shock to the council as to the public and artists.
“I think these people are custodians of the festival, they’re not the owners and I wonder whether they really do have the right to just close the festival without consultation.”
Festival funding recommendations in the report include $45,000 for the East Meets West Lunar New Year Festival, $27,000 for the Yarraville Festival, $25,000 for Wominjeka, $19,000 for the Seddon Festival and $17,000 for Carols in the Gardens.
