Festival’s funds folly
"In my view, the losers here will be the arts-loving public of Australia."
ISRAELI ambassador Amir Maimon has called Sydney Festival’s decision to suspend foreign government funding “absurd”.
This year’s festival accepted a $20,000 sponsorship from the Israeli embassy to fund a production by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin. The decision led to a mass boycott of the festival by artists and audiences.
Following an independent review into the role of international government investment, the festival’s chair David Kirk apologised “to all those affected”.
“Sydney festival acknowledges that events leading up to and during the 2022 festival could have been better managed to minimise the impact on artists, employees, partners, supporters and the wider community,” Kirk said.
“We would like to thank everyone who shared their experiences as part of the review process. We have listened to what was said, and we are acting on key findings.”
Calling the festival’s move “a sad decision”, Maimon told The AJN, “For me, in my eyes, it’s absurd, because all festivals, as far as I know, all around the world, take money from any number of governments to help support and promote the arts.
“In my view, the losers here will be the arts-loving public of Australia.”
Maimon also said he hopes the board would not decide to stop inviting artists “because of protests”. He said the board had “surrendered to pressure from marginal groups and this says a lot about the board, and not about the funds”.
Kirk said the decision would not impact the festival’s ability to attract world-class local and international artists.
The review team canvassed opinions from a wide range of almost 50 stakeholders including artists, partners, employees, Sydney Festival’s leadership team and the board, as well as other festivals and arts bodies.
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