Darwin Chen (right) with Baillieu Myer at Cranlana, the Myer family estate in Melbourne on the occassion of APPC's 2nd Family Philanthropy Workshop.
We feature the views of APPC Board Member Darwin Chen on philanthropy and the Arts in Asia. Apart from being the Honorary Chair of Habitat for Humanity China, Darwin is very active in the arts scene in Hong Kong as the chair of the HK Government’s Committee on Performing Arts.
Under his tutelage as Director of Cultural Services of the HK Government in the 1970s, he was responsible for the establishment of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, Hong Kong Ballet and Hong Kong Dance Company.
What is the status of art philanthropy? How important is it in Asia?
Based on history, the arts have been funded by aristocracy, particularly in Europe and the United Kingdom. People who can afford to commission artwork come from the regal class. Because of this tradition, funding for the arts has always been a function of the state. Every city in Europe has an opera company, an orchestra funded by the government. Many European governments also have ministries for arts and culture.
On the other hand, in America, funding for the arts has always been the province of the private sector, primarily for tax reasons and if art is in the funder’s interest.
For most countries in Asia, public support for the arts is at a minimum, apart for some exceptions such as former British colonies like Hong Kong. The creative industry in Hong Kong is regarded as one of the six pillars of economic development. The government is a staunch supporter of the arts and is investing huge resources into the sector – one strong case is the government’s initial USD 3Billon funding for the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District in one of the city’s prime sites.
Most funding for the Arts in Asia comes from private institutions, corporations or individuals. These primarily come from foundations with education as main focus, and find a niche in the arts. Corporate sponsorship is regarded as strategic philanthropy: art as a means of generating community recognition and branding.
Why is culture and the arts a worthy cause to support vis-a-vis the many other pressing needs of the region?
Funding for arts and culture is essentially funding for education. Culture and the arts represent different aspects of life, but it is still very much education. The educational system in general is too achievement oriented, always by examination and training for vocation. Culture and the arts is a complement to this current trend of education. It is education for education’s sake; for developing one’s full potential and life.
The arts promote out-of-the-box, lateral thinking, and in real life and beyond the confines of schooling, creativity and innovation flourish in industries such as advertising and film. It is important to support culture and the arts because art as education contributes to the intellectual development of society and ultimately, shapes the identity of a community, a society, a nation.
What do you think will happen to art and philanthropy now that there is an economic crisis? How can art companies gather more support?
Most of the sponsorship will continue on a similar level, but there are cases that the level is decreasing. There will be difficulty is getting new sponsors, especially corporate sponsors, as it would be a reduction in their own investment income. Art companies need to work harder to come up with imaginative schemes to gather more resources.
Community support is the best foundation for any arts company. I say that it is more important than the box office. For example, drama companies can create productions that reflect the community’s issues and perform in schools and other venues. This will increase their impact and relevance in the community and society, and therefore garner more support. While art companies strive for excellence and higher levels of artistic achievement, they must also consider what contribution they can make to society. More than just marketing their craft, arts companies achieve more impact if they utilize their craft for audience development and education. This way, they are truly able to enrich the community.