Arts panel to assess impact of coronavirus

THE City of Greater Geelong council has formed the Geelong COVID-19 Arts Recovery (G-CAR) Advisory Panel to help inform the city on how the arts industry can be supported during and after the pandemic.

The advisory panel, which came together earlier this month, is made up of 21 cultural and creative practitioners, selected to represent the breadth of the region’s arts industry.

Painter and co-founder of the Boom Gallery Ren Inei is one of the panelists.

He said the first meeting provided a chance for everyone to express their own concerns and learn from others’ perspectives.

“It was quite varied and diverse. It was an opportunity for everyone on the panel to say who they were and what their main concerns, impressions and thoughts were about what is happening at the moment.

“For me to be able to see the breadth of what the art sector looks like and represented by real people was really, really good.”

He said it had been quite a shock having to close the gallery. But he also said while the region’s art sector had undoubtedly suffered, he had also seen cause for optimism.

“We’ve been very fortunate because we do have an online presence and have been able to still keep trading. It’s remarkably positive that aspect of it.

“People are very supportive and are still purchasing things. So that was very, very surprising.”

Mr Inei said other people’s generosity had been invaluable to the business.

“We have a lot of sub-tenants that we lease out spaces to. One thing that’s really helped us out is that our landlord has offered us really great rent reductions that we were able to pass onto our tenants and the chain reaction of that is that we have been able to retain most the people in our spaces.”

A similar “chain reaction” occurred when the Boom Gallery was forced to close its doors.

Mr Inei said the gallery’s closure highlighted how the art sector was inextricably linked with other parts of the community.

“With us, it’s not just the gallery, it is the community of people that’s built up in the street, and we foster that through our spaces and offices.

“I suppose you get an idea of what they’re going through as well. So, when I speak to the panel I’m not just speaking about ourselves and our own little business, but also the multitude of businesses around as well.”

The advisory panel will meet via Zoom once a week in the short-term.

Mr Inei said he was hopeful it could become a continued practice.

“It was nice to be listened to and not spoken to. I thought it was pretty constructive.

“It’d actually be brilliant to have something like this going on when there wasn’t a crisis happening. It would be lovely to get that engagement and support and that sense of working towards something good for Geelong together.”