Local artists 'to benefit' from Year of Art and Culture
Local artists 'to benefit' from Year of Art and Culture
JAKARTA (JP): Officials defended yesterday the government's
decision to declare 1998 the Year of Art and Culture, saying the
campaign was not merely a vehicle to attract tourists to the
country but also to provide new opportunities for Indonesian
artists.
Edi Sedyawati, director general of cultural affairs at the
Ministry of Education and Culture and Andi Mappisammeng, director
general for tourism at the Ministry of Tourism, Post and
Telecommunications maintained that the campaign would promote
artistic innovations.
Edi said she hoped that popular as well as avant-garde art
could work and exist together with tourism objectives. She said
tourism could help preserve art and cultural heritage.
She cited one local art form which was facing extinction until
it was revived and incorporated into a tourist package.
"Tourism provides the market, but it is the artist who should
profit from the market. The dichotomy (of tourism and art) and
fear that tourism could kill the arts and that artists become
neglected is simply not true," she said.
But she said it was unfortunate that in many areas artists are
treated merely as "tourist merchandise".
The government declared 1998 the Year of Art and Culture as
part of the Visit Indonesia Decade aimed at promoting tourism.
But many artists and cultural experts have greeted the
campaign with cynicism, saying that it lacks the true essence of
aestheticism and merely exploits art and culture as an object of
tourism.
Edi said Indonesia will host two international events this
year which will promote Indonesian art and culture worldwide.
They include the second Art Summit which will feature performing
arts and the 15th conference of the International Association of
Historians of Asia.
She said that various programs have been scheduled, including
archeological research and art festivals.
In yesterday's gathering, Andi said the government has shown a
strong commitment to improving tourist development while at the
same time preserving art and culture.
He urged people not to be hasty in judging art and culture as
an object of tourism.
"From a tourists' point of view, the artist's performance is
really special and unique. If the performer feels that they are
being watched, being exploited as tourist attractions, that's
really just another point of view," he said, adding that artists
can also benefit from the influx of tourists and increased
interest in local culture.
"We hope artists can raise their standard of living through
tourist events," he said. (09)