One of the most respected, conscientious and credentialed leaders in Aotearoa's creative community is moving on from a role she's owned for almost two decades.

Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra is looking for a new CEO after Barbara Glaser confirmed to The Lowdown that she's stepping down in August.  

"Yes, it’s true….the time is right for me to move and for the APO to have the opportunity to take its next steps.

"I have absolutely loved and cherished my 17 years with the APO. I’m so proud of what the whole APO whānau - musicians, staff, board, funders, donors, corporate partners - has achieved and contributed to a vibrant cultural life for the city. The orchestra quality and reach -  and its place in that life of the city - is very different from what it was when I started and that is a total team effort."

Glaser's been a key part in that transformation from a regional community orchestra to being New Zealand’s full-time professional metropolitan orchestra with a strong reputation both locally and internationally, capable of attracting some of the world's top classical musicians and conductors to our shores to share the stage with New Zealand performers.

Under her leadership, APO has also cast off the shackles of being seen as niche, with a wide array of stars from every musical genre bringing their hit tunes fresh life with the backing of this leading orchestra.

That's not to mention making the APO more than just culturally relevant, but commercially viable too. 

Glaser's already impressive reputation among arts leadership took another step forward during the pandemic, where her considered and holistic opinion was highly valued by her peers and creative sector decision makers.

Glaser (above) told The Lowdown she's yet to plot her next move.

"My plans for post August - this might seem crazy for someone whose life has been organising things - but right now I am trying to keep it open and be OK with 'I don’t know.'

"I’m not using the R word (retirement), more just stepping away and taking some time for myself and my family and to discover what might be next. These jobs are all-consuming (in a good way, she points out) so I’m excited about what opportunities and interests might fill the void that I know stepping away from APO will leave."    

The hunt is on for Glaser's replacement - you can find the job listing here - and while Glaser stresses it will be up to the Board to make the judgement on who will step into her shoes, she is well placed to know the qualities they'll need to succeed.

"From my perspective, on top of all the usual CEO attributes such as vision, strategy, sustainability and growth - I would say love of high quality orchestral music and performance, understanding how and why it is important in Auckland and where APO’s future contributions and opportunities might lie, passionate advocate for the APO and the art form, great communicator and team player. That’s a start at least!"

Applications to be the new APO CEO close on 14 May, with the successor hoped in place before Glaser's departure.

 Campbell lands SCAPE gig

The winds of change are blowing too through Christchurch's beloved SCAPE Public Art.

With new Executive Director Richard Aindow just settling into the role after Deborah McCormick's impressive 25-year reign, they've also welcomed a new Managing Curator for 2023-2025.

Tyson Campbell (Te Rarawa/Ngāti Maniapoto) is a curator and artist, linking with SCAPE after a two-year tenure as assistant curator, engagement strategist and curator at Artspace Aotearoa. He's also garnered overseas experience at various contemporary art galleries and organisations in Melbourne, and is working towards his PhD in Fine Arts at Monash University.

Campbell states “as a young incoming curator, I see myself as being representative of a younger generation of artists. 

“I seek to create conditions for risk and ambition, to allow artists to push the limits of their imaginations and reduce - almost erase - the distinction between established and emerging artists.”

On his vision for the next three seasons of SCAPE Public Art, Campbell admits “I’m scheming,” adding “SCAPE’s connection to industry is a fantastic platform to provide opportunities for contemporary artists and I think there’s room for some really positive growth and change here too. I want people from outside Ōtautahi to be excited to attend this festival of public art every year.”

The benchmark is high when the 2023 season opens - dates are yet to be confirmed.

Funding and fees update

If there is anything that gets artists up in arms, it's the two 'F's.

Along with their $22 million top up, Creative New Zealand (CNZ) has given details on the news all who apply for funding want to hear - a return to more tradition application windows.

The wildly unpopular 250 application cap for the Arts Grants cycle is officially gone, replaced by a cap of 450 for the next round later this month, then removed all together - with a month for applicants to get their project details in.

All the new details are broken down here on The Big Idea.

And New Zealand has its first set of guidelines for Artist’s fees - courtesy of of Arts Makers Aotearoa (AMA).

The initiative was born from a need for more transparency, accessibility, and accountability throughout the arts sector. The guideline is designed to assist artists and galleries and ensures a minimum for fair and reasonable payment.

There's a range of options in there - from recommending $1000-$5000 for solo exhibitions to pricing for panel discussions and curatorial fees.

Founding AMA member and artist, Judy Darragh explains that “AMA has had a public consultation process with art galleries, organisations, and individuals across the arts sector. The resulting information is directly influenced by this consultation.” 

With the understanding that every exhibition, artist and context is different, the 2023 figures were created through feedback from the visual arts sector, including independent creative practitioners, AMA members and a whole host of acronyms; Dignity and Money Now (D.A.M.N), the Aotearoa Public Gallery Directors Network (APGDN) and in reference to international precedence set by Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E, United States) and the National Association for Visual Artists (NAVA, Australia). 

In a statement, AMA declares it's time for artists to be remunerated fairly, acknowledging the need for public support alongside legislative and industry reform that places artists at the centre of the sector they are responsible for creating.

Making sense of the Artist Resale Royalty feedback window

Knowing something is important - but getting your head around what you should do about - can be a tricky process.

Even more so when things get political.

The Artist Resale Royalty Scheme is a clear example. Creatives get why it's a big deal and have no shortage of opinions on the matter but let's face it, it's a little confusing on how to do so.

Especially when there's both feedback for the bill AND a consultation process for its regulations underway at the same time.

So how does someone unfamiliar with the terminology and machinations of government know what the difference is? 

The Lowdown asked MCH's Emily Fabling - Deputy Chief Executive for Policy and Sector Performance - to break it down for the creative community.

"The Artist Resale Royalty Scheme will be established through two types of legislation - primary legislation (the Resale Right for Visual Artists Bill) and secondary legislation (the Resale Right for Visual Artists Regulations).

"The Bill provides the framework for the scheme. It contains many of the key elements of the scheme including what artworks and which artists are eligible, the royalty amount and duration, and who has to pay the royalty.

"The Resale Right for Visual Artists Bill must pass through - and be agreed by - Parliament before becoming law. 

"The process includes going through the Select Committee where members of the public can provide feedback here to the Committee on the Bill. The deadline for feedback on the Bill is 27 April."

Moving on to the regulations, Fabling explains they "provide important supporting operational details - like the threshold above which the royalty applies, and how the agency collecting royalties on behalf of artists should operate.

"Regulations do not pass through Parliament, but are signed off by Cabinet. Manatū Taonga is undertaking a public consultation process on proposals for the Regulations, which runs until 25 May. Feedback can be made here.

"In terms of how the two types of legislation interact, there are a number of areas where the Bill describes the ‘what’ and the Regulations describe the ‘how’. For example, the Bill says that a threshold amount will be set, and any resales above this will receive a royalty. The proposed Regulations set $1,000 as the current threshold."

Worthwhile exercises, especially for those with skin in the game as visual artists. 

Up and Adam

The arts can have a reputation for taking itself too seriously - so it's always nice to see a sense of humour be rewarded as well.

Playwright Albert Belz is laughing all the way to the podium to collect another award in his already glittering CV of accolades, the big winner in this year's highly-regard Adam New Zealand Play Awards, that sees Playmarket celebrate the best in new unproduced writing for the theatre

He's won the supreme award and - for the second time - the award for Best Play by a Māori Writer for his comedy Supernova, set in the 90s and a homage to every dance movie ever made, as two unlikely partners bring Haka-fusion to the national Aerobics champs.

Belz (Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pokai) has racked up a host of successful shows and awards in his 22 years writing for TV, film and theatre and told The Lowdown about the many factors it took to earn this accolade.

"Firstly, I wrote Supernova last year while the Robert Burns Writer in Residence in Dunedin. Hence, I doff my cap to Otago Uni for not just giving me the time to write this, but also for covering office and extraordinary printing costs of a writer - all of which allowed me to sharpen and polish the script. Long live long term writer residencies!

"Secondly, I had the opportunity to stay at the Robert Lord Writer's Cottage. A comfortable, inspirational, creative space, that also allowed me to organise a dinner with some amazing local actors who read the first draft for me and allowed me to hear it for the first time. So, I doff my hat to the Robert Lord Trust. Long live creative spaces that are made available to artists!

"Thirdly I had access to Otago Uni's theatre department, hence, thanks to Hillary Halba and Marty Roberts, was able to do a presented workshop around the script with students from the theatre course. The script just kept getting sharper and shinier because of these people. Here's to uni-drama departments and healthy creative communities!

"And of course, the Adam itself, that comes with a financial benefit, which is lovely and appreciated; but also, winning the award places stories like Supernova (Astroman 2) into the minds, the offices and onto the lips of prospective producers. 

"The stats for produced plays that have won, been nominated or shortlisted for Adam Prizes going on to be produced is truly phenomenal. I can't remember the exact digits, but you'll just have to take my word for it. Shot Playmarket for such initiatives!"

Keagan Carr Fransch was named Runner-Up and claimed Best Play by a Woman Playwright for Mitochondrial Eve, Viki Moananu won Best Play by a Pasifika Playwright with Icky, Sam Brooks (The Spinoff's leading voice for arts and culture) saw his queer retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma set in Queenstown - titled Em - take out the Dean Parker Adaptation or Non-Fiction Award and Invercargill's Steven Page won the McNaughton South Island Play Award.

It was a strong field this year as well - with finalists of the standing and calibre of Kathryn Burnett, Anders Falstie-Jensen, Maraea Rakuraku, Cassandra Tse and Tainui Tukiwaho.

Humour played a leading role in almost all the winning plays - so look forward to plenty of giggles heading to theatres around the country in the near future.

Artists giving back

The talented Belz family aren't just winning awards - they're using their artistic skills to help raise funds.

Starting today, Toi Ngāpuhi are running a Tiaki Taiao online fundraising auction with 19 Māori artists with ancestral links throughout Te Taitokerau donating artworks.

One of them is Gabrielle Belz - auntie of the aforementioned Adam Prize winner Albert. Below is one of her works available for auction.

The connection between the land and toi Māori has compelled the organisers to pick up this mahi for the fundraiser.

"Tiaki Taiao is about reciprocity of care to the environment - kaitiakitanga - and the responsibility carried by mana whenua and communities living in relationship to these spaces within te taiao. 

"This work acknowledges the role of artists as caretakers, nurturers and protectors of our natural world, and acknowledges the natural world as a source of mana, identity, inspiration and nourishment." 

(Sc)roll up

Next month isn't just New Zealand Music Month, it's the deadline to Aotearoa's musicians and producers to get their mahi entered for some of the country's most coveted awards.

The APRA Silver Scrolls are open for entries from now until 15 May - for songs, compositions, or waiata reo Māori released between 1 July 2022 - 31 May 2023. 

Both the entry and eligibility dates have changed from last year, so it's worth double checking your eligibility but cost shouldn't be a factor - it's free to enter.

Aside from the Silver Scroll itself,  the Maioha Award for Māori composition as well as Best Original Music in a Feature Film and Best Original Music in a Series Awards  are open too - but just noting, the SOUNZ Contemporary Award entires don't close until 31 May.

APRA's also introduced its new Moana Songwriting Sessions initiative - providing a dedicated space for Pasifika songwriters and producers with a mini songwriting camp that encourages them to explore their identity and find innovative ways to champion their culture through music.

The Sessions will curated by songwriters/producers (above, left to right) Brandon Haru, Frank Eliesa (Frank Keys), and Saia Tu'itahi (SFT) at Auckland's Big Pop Studios on 29-31 May - APRA members have until 2 May to apply.

New music initiative

While there's no question of the growing profile of Pasifika musicians, a new targeted fund has been created to help bring an under-represented community into the spotlight.

New Zealand on Air has today (20 April) introduced the New Music Pan-Asian fund, designed to increase the amount of quality Pan-Asian music content available in Aotearoa, and to support artists to connect with Pan-Asian and mainstream audiences.

It's a single-track funding scheme which provides up to $10,000 funding towards the costs of recording, mixing, mastering, any additional production, or work on a single song, with options for music videos, short films, promotion and marketing available.

A Music Diversity report produced by NZ On Air highlighted why it's been established.

While the total number of applications to the New Music Single fund from applicants who identified as Asian in 2021/22 was 4.14%, (up 0.58% from the year before). The number of applicants to the New Music Project fund who identified as Asian dropped from 4% to zero in the same period.

To address the issue, NZ On Air consulted with Pan-Asian representatives of the Aotearoa music community to ensure from the outset that there was a clear understanding of the challenges and how funding would help. 

Yee Yang ‘Square’ Lee - a vocal creative community advocate and thought leader, who is also artist manager and convener of Asian arts movement Where The Asians At‽ (Aotearoa) - is part of that group.

“This is well overdue support for our Pan-Asian creative community in Aotearoa,” he states. 

“The overarching feeling from the consultation group that NZ On Air brought together was one of real anticipation. We believe it is the first targeted fund of its kind for Pan-Asian music in Aotearoa. 

“Everyone at that table was amped about NZ On Air’s leadership to bridge the increasingly significant sector gap and excited to learn that they were putting this fund in place.”

NZ On Air Head of Music, Teresa Patterson points to the organisation's successful investment in the Pan-Asian Screen Collective (PASC) as proof that such a target fund can make a difference.

“That initiative successfully boosted the technical and business capability of Pan-Asian creatives in the screen space,” says Patterson, adding that it's "something we would like to build on in the music sector.”

The fund will open on 4 May and close on 25 May. 

Suit up

The Zonta Female Art Award exhibition closes at Ashburton Art Gallery this weekend, having showcased the works of emerging and mid-career female artists based in Canterbury. 

But not before the People’s Choice Award was handed out - with Hazel Rae the clear favourite with her work Suits, a painted triptych which reflects on the societal perception of women by reinventing images of housewives from the 1950s imagined as playing cards.

Rae states “having the opportunity to exhibit my paintings alongside such stunning works by women artists of the Waitaha region at the Zonta Ashburton Female Art Awards was an honour. Hearing that the work resonated with the public is a huge compliment, and I am extremely grateful.”

Earth Day

Earth Day lands this weekend (22 April) - and one dedicated creative is making it count.

Ana Solo has produced the Forgotten Sounds project, an interactive event that starts online and then adventures into nature.

Letters are hidden in tiny pods in various locations around the Tasman region, with coordinates and clues posted on the project's website. When people find the pods, they are encouraged to stop and listen to appreciate the sounds of nature. Feedback collected from the experience will be part of the completed project and participants are gifted an anthotype. 

In an interview with AlternativePhotography.com Editor Malin Fabbri, Solo explains "I wanted to utilise the most environmentally friendly printing method I could find. After doing some research I came across anthotypes (using photosensitive material from plants). While most examples I found online were photographic prints, I was keen on trying it out for my thin-lined illustrations. The process proved to be more challenging than I initially anticipated, and I even considered giving up at one point. Nonetheless, I was determined to make it work and after much perseverance I achieved successful results.

"Since I discovered anthotypes I also experimented with Chlorophyll prints, and I feel they will be part of my next project as the result is so magical.  I totally love it!"

Solo continues "to celebrate Earth Day, I will be hosting an event at the Cultural Conversations Hub in Nelson where I'll be giving away my artwork. 

"My partner, Danny, will accompany me by creating music using sounds of nature which I collected at the various locations, and a friend will read her poetry. During the event, I'll also be demonstrating how I've created these prints. I'm excited to share my love for nature with the local community and inspire others to appreciate the beauty around us."