by Ellie Wilmore*
What is culture, and why is it an integral part of who we are as people? Culture surrounds our daily lives, especially as Australians. We are one of the most multicultural countries on the planet and more than one in three Australians connect with, and share, their cultural background through arts and creativity.
If culture is such a big aspect of people’s lives, then why isn’t the role of culture as important as it used to be? ABS data shows that adult attendance rates at cultural venues and events fell from 82% to 64% between 2017-18 and 2021-22. Those rates have fallen across all genres: cinemas (67% to 44%); live music concerts or performances (38% to 18%); other performing arts (20% to 9%); libraries or archives (31% to 20%); museums (28% to 17%); and art galleries (28% to 18%).
In 2021-22, just one third (32%) of adults participated in at least one cultural activity, while 15-24-year-olds were the most likely to participate than other age group, at 41%.
As we get older, both our attendance and participation in arts and cultural activities decline. How do we keep people more engaged with culture, and why is it so important that we do?
We are seeing a similar cultural decline in business as well. Earlier this year research firm Gartner found that employee perceptions of their organisation’s cultural awareness and behaviour had reached a low of 27% in Australia, a decrease from 34% the previous year.
“Being treated like a person, rather than a number, remains a crucial priority for Australian employees,” said Aaron McEwan, Vice President in the Gartner HR practice.
Culture doesn’t treat people as numbers; culture allows us to express ourselves and celebrate our individuality. Culture allows us to be recognised as individuals – interest in the arts and music gives us creativity, and expression of who we are.
Paula Celestino argues that investing in arts and culture programs is important for organisations. For Australian business, it’s not just the altruistic perspective of supporting the arts that’s important; participation in culture and the arts can have a positive effect on staff retention. As an example, “regular visits to museums and art gallery visits or participating in performances can offer employees a break from their daily work routine and provide a source of inspiration and rejuvenation.”
In fact, Celestino believes participation in art and culture goes much deeper, helping to reduce stress in the workplace and allowing individuals to be more creative and express themselves.
With almost half of employees actively seeking new opportunities or considering leaving their current employers, any programs that actively improve staff retention are critical.
This is where Giving Culture comes in. Giving Culture provides organisations with programs and opportunities to spread and support culture around Australia through its corporate gift voucher program. One of the organisations that Giving Culture has partnered with is the Australian Chamber Orchestra, providing incredible performances displaying the wondrous musical talents people have to offer. Another is the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), offering support and a platform for aspiring youth looking for a way to develop their talents and express themselves through the performing arts.
Culture is music, performance, expression. What would we be without it? Why is it then that culture and cultural institutions, even though they are such an integral part of who we are as human beings, still struggle to be viable?
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was the perfect example of the fragility of the cultural sector.
In the Australian music industry, APRA AMCOS reported that more than 1300 live music venues and stages have been lost permanently since COVID restrictions began, shrinking the live music scene for small to medium gigs by one third over the past three years.
Across all fields, cultural organisations suffered through cancelled events and low attendances, and the people who comprise the creative communities of Australia didn’t have a place where they could earn money and keep their businesses alive.
An international research project on COVID-19’s impact concluded that “employment in the creative sector collapsed due to venue closures and social distancing rules. The current crisis has revealed a serious lack of response capacity across the creative industries in both developing and developed countries.”
“The cancellation of concerts, festivals, tours, and solo performances due to COVID-19 has had a profound negative effect on the music industry. In addition, musical events have been at risk of suffering from low attendance because of the increasing costs and restrictions on travelling, accommodation and social distancing.”
The report concluded that, while the sector was supported in many cases by government measures, “in the longer run, if the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic persist, it is plausible that only the most resilient creative subsectors will survive. In order to prosper and grow, the creative industries would require an increase in their financial and human capital capacity.”
While the report focused on the pandemic, there are any number of potential events that could have an impact on the viability of the sector in the future.
The impact was not just felt by the cultural sector itself. An Australian Parliamentary committee inquiry concluded that “the complete shutdown of arts events exacerbated the experience of chronic vulnerability and uncertainty across interdependent industries, such as tourism and hospitality which rely on cultural events for their success.”
Encouraging greater participation in the arts, providing a creative outlet for people to express their culture and their individuality, and supporting the industry through higher attendance levels are all crucial.
This is one of the goals of Giving Culture; to support cultural organisations in increasing their financial capacity through its gift voucher program. These gift vouchers both allow employees to enjoy the cultural events that Australia has to offer, while also enabling organisations and the artists themselves to spread their incredible culture throughout Australia and even internationally.
* Ellie Wilmore has completed her first year studying a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing at Australian Catholic University and is on a work experience placement at Giving Culture.