They held a revolution, and you weren't invited

Wanganui has a new Cultural Commissar - none other than Sally Patrick, district library manager. Council CEO David Warburton announced the appointment today, saying the role, to be called "Cultural Manager", would "oversee all of Wanganui's cultural facilities".

The announcement follows a meeting last night, "hosted" by Dr Warburton, which discussed the organisation of Queens Park facilities and the Heart of Wanganui project. A Council statement says attendees included "councillors in their various representative roles, senior council managers, staff from the library, art gallery and museum, and representatives from the local arts community".

So rather than holding formal, publicly announced meetings to decide policy Council is now having informal chats with invited guests. No chairperson to be held responsible, just a "host" - a role far less well defined. Making sure everyone had enough to drink and the seating cards were in place, perhaps?

Appointing an overall manager to the library, art gallery, museum and archives is driven by "a need to break down the current fragmented approach and provide synergy between these facilities", Warburton says. "With the Heart of Wanganui project about to commence, it is the right time to appoint a cultural manager who will work with the existing governance structures to develop an agreed model that, with the support of council, will be implemented over the next few months."

Whether a librarian knows enough about curating museum pieces or art works to manage such a large scale project only time will tell. And we mean no disrespect to Ms Patrick here - we imagine, for instance, Bill Milbank might be a bit out of his depth with the Dewey decimal system.

So where does all this leave the much-vaunted Friends of the Sarjeant? Still getting organised, according to the latest update, which says the group is "likely to firm up early next year". Leaving aside the Benny Hill double entendres that turn of phrase brings to mind, just how long does it take to get a group together and do something as relatively simple as support an art gallery?

In another wonderful turn of phrase, the Spin Fairy reminds us that "with the Sarjeant Gallery Trust Board inoperative at present, there is no formal organisation to support the current membership". From Benny Hill she segues neatly into Monty Python - "This parrot is inoperative!"

There's apparently a working party chaired by Cr Nicky Higgie and comprising Dot McKinnon, Jodie Dalgleish, Deborah Frederikse, Manu Bennett, Garfield Toro, Richard Moore, Ian McGowan and Bill Milbank. They'll call a meeting sometime in the new year of people who may be interested.

The working party is looking at setting up a Funding Foundation which would establish a fund which "the Sarjeant can use to support its programmes and it would be responsible for raising funds for major projects".

They've also recommended to Council that an Expert Advisory Panel be established "to provide advice to the Sarjeant management and Council on matters such as exhibitions, acquisitions and collection development policies".

Meanwhile, Nickie Higgie bursts into print, spruiking on behalf of Jimmy Barnes:

And so, I urge you to buy tickets to the Jimmy Barnes Boxing Day concert, if at all possible! Great Christmas presents! Wanganui is again on the map, thanks to staging this world-class act. With lots of out-of-towners having already booked tickets, it's up to us locals to be in as well and so to ensure another crowd-pulling concert next year.

But of course there won't be a bailout, no siree. Nary a mention in her column of the future of the Sarjeant, the Cultural Revolution that's just been announced or, indeed, any indication at all that she's at the centre of things. Or even the far periphery, for that matter.

Comments on this post are now closed.