This profile of a philanthropist examines why private giving in the Arts is growing.
This "profile of a philanthropist" had its beginnings three or four years ago, when I first met Gail Hirst. She was an enthusiastic member of a “Creative Development” class that I was running in Port Douglas.
From that first, rather uninhibited experience, Gail joined in classes whenever she could, improving her art-related skills and appearing to thoroughly enjoy the process. Widely travelled, Gail has studied art history and particularly enjoys the work of artists such as Goya and Picasso.
Gail, with her husband, Tony, has two homes – one in Port Douglas and one in Sydney. Given the flexibility of work commitments and the ease of communications, this is a fairly common situation for many residents of the tropical north. Feeling very much a part of the local community, Gail decided to give a much-needed boost to the inaugural Go Troppo Arts Festival by donating a substantial amount of cash to help to get the festival “up and running”.
Psychologically, her gift of $5,000 couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. The festival’s organisers had just received the news that the last of their government grant applications had been unsuccessful and were feeling quite anxious about how they could finance this rather ambitious community project. Needless to say, the announcement of her generous assistance was greeted with much joy and relief - and marketing planning began in earnest.
Chatting to Gail the other day, I was interested to know why she would give such fantastic assistance to the arts festival.Insisting that she was “just a normal, ordinary” person, who wanted to help the Arts and her community, Gail explained that she thought that the Go Troppo Arts Festival was a brilliant and worthwhile opportunity to do both. She agreed that I could write this "profile of a philanthropist" in the hope that it might encourage others to also help. The first year of a festival is always a lean time, partly because grant bodies have no “track record” by which to judge applicants. So any help given now increases the chance that the festival will grow stronger each year…who knows, grant bodies may then be clamouring for our attention!
Artsupport Australia is a national program, established in 2003 by the Australia Council to grow cultural philanthropy. Its Queensland Manager, Kathy Davis, understands Gail’s motivation and commitment to community and the arts.Kathy works with small, medium and large arts organisations through ongoing one-on-one mentoring, assisting them with both strategic advice and practical tips on how to grow philanthropic funding sources.
She has been to Port Douglas recently and, fortunately for us, earlier in the year agreed to mentor the Go Troppo Arts Festival. Many are her encouraging emails that flit through my inbox, offering practical advice and wisdom.
“By philanthropy or giving, we mean individual gifts or donations, philanthropic grants by private and corporate foundations, including prescribed private funds, and corporate philanthropy- as distinct from corporate partnerships or sponsorships,” Kathy says.
Increasing numbers of private donors now assist the Arts in Australia. “If you’re sensitive to the arts, you’re also alive to the promise of the future….to the excitement of innovation,” she enthuses and goes on to remind me of a John F. Kennedy quote - “The life of the Arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction in the life of the nation, is very close to the centre of the nation’s purpose and is a test of a nation’s civilisation.”
If you also feel able to donate to the Go Troppo Arts Festival, please fill in the form below and one of our committee will be delighted to contact you. Even a small amount would be very welcome in our goal to make this an event which promotes our community and helps to retain our sense of identity and pride in this special place.
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