The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Theatre Art Group’s This is NOT a Protest at Big West 2015. Image via www.asrc.org.au.
Artists, community members and other stakeholders concerned about the impending closure of Big West Festival – a biennial community arts festival based in Melbourne’s western suburbs – were left angry and confused on Wednesday night when the festival’s board failed to attend a meeting arranged to discuss Big West’s future.
The meeting was arranged by newly established community group Save Big West following last week’s shock announcement that the festival would close by the end of the year, and was intended to give the board the opportunity to explain their reasons for winding up the festival.
Read: Controversy as Big West Festival announces closure
Board members had promised to attend to address community concerns at the loss of the local festival, which would have celebrated 20 years next year.
But a few hours before the start of the meeting they pulled out, refusing to confront a public forum and saying they would prefer a private meeting with the Save Big West group instead.
In a statement read aloud at the meeting, the Big West board said: ‘We acknowledge that there is deep affection for Big West Festival and we are grateful for the passion and commitment of those engaged in arts in the West.
‘The decision to retire the organisation was a difficult but necessary one, made after careful consideration, and with particular regard to our fiduciary duties to the organisation and its communities.
‘As discussed we look forward to hearing an outcome of tonight’s discussion and to understand how you would like to proceed from here.’
The meeting proceeded without the board, and was attended by approximately 100 people, including artists, members of Maribyrnong Council, local residents, teachers and other members of the community.
Save Big West spokesperson Hoang Tran Nguyen, a Footscray-based artists and former Big West board member told the meeting, ‘We understand the board will not have taken their decision lightly, and that each member has dedicated their time as volunteers to work for the organisation; however we feel that the board has failed in its primary obligation to enact the mission of the organisation, instead choosing to terminate the organisation without adequate community and stakeholder consultation. We ask: is this a fork in the road or a terminal diagnosis?’
Where to next for Big West?
The meeting discussed the importance of preserving Big West’s charitable status and raised claims the board had received – and rejected – funding for the next four years through Creative Victoria’s Organisations Investment Program (OIP), the results of which were announced this week. ArtsHub has subsequently learned that these claims are true.
Read: Which arts organisations got Creative Vic funding?
ArtsHub approached Creative Victoria for clarification of this ​fact, believed to involve approximately $120,000 funding per annum. A Creative Victoria spokesperson advised that due to the confidential nature of the OIP program they were unable to comment.
A spokesperson from the Big West board told Artshub: ‘The festival did not recently receive $120,000 funding from Creative Victoria.’
Notably, the board did not deny the allegation that they had rejected OIP funding. The board had previously stated that ‘current arts funding challenges’ were not the reason for shutting down the 20-year old festival.
Big West also receives funding from Maribyrnong City Council. One of two Maribyrnong councillors attending the meeting, Grant Miles, said future festival funding was to be voted on by Council next week, though that decision has now been put off until August.
‘Big West was a signature festival – one of three festivals in the City of Maribyrnong which received triennial funding … There is no absolutely no reason whatsoever to believe that there would have been any change to the funding,’ he said.
The possibility of spilling current Big West board members and replacing them with members of the Save Big West group and others committed to the festival’s future was put to the meeting.
‘There are options going forward contingent on the board’s responses to our concerns. One possibility is for a Special General Meeting where board membership could be renewed, this is allowed for in the constitution,’ said Nguyen.
The motion was carried without dissent, though any such action will require the board’s willingness to work with members of the Save Big West group.
The group is also seeking answers to additional questions about the festivals finances and operations, and hopes to know more following a private meeting with the board in the coming days.
The meeting also discussed the importance of the festival to the broader community in the west, and ended with a motion expressing confidence in the Save Big West group, which was carried unanimously.
