Arts patron Sir James Wallace

Sir James Wallace talks about the rewards of supporting the arts and his concerns that creative growth in NZ could be stymied, if the next generation of arts philanthropists don’t step-up.

“The current crop of young, wealthy individuals seem to be spending money on themselves more than anything. I think it’s the ‘me’ generation – and all we can do is try and chip away at this attitude.”

Renee Liang interviews Sir James Wallace.

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Recently, in the Queen’s Birthday honours list, well known arts philanthropist James Wallace was honoured with a knighthood.  But in an accompanying NZ Herald article, Sir James expressed his worry that few of the younger generation are becoming arts philanthropists.

This hit a chord in me.  As an emerging artist competing for scraps from a very limited public funding bucket, I’ve been wondering how to access private philanthropy. I’m probably not the only one feeling shy about approaching individuals and businesses for cash – unless it’s someone we have some connection to already. 

It’s probably a fallacy, but there’s a feeling out there that unless you’re already famous and well established, private funders won’t want to support your work.  (Sir James, of course, is one of the exceptions. His passion for supporting emerging artists and collecting their work is well known in the visual arts world.)

In fact, what he is saying opens a much wider conversation. I mean, it goes two ways doesn’t it? If artists don’t make the links and ask for help, then surely we can’t expect arts patronage to grow in this country. And to do this, we need to improve our knowledge and awareness of how to do this. 

It turns out that this has already been recognized in a recent Cultural Philanthropy taskforce report commissioned last year by Chris Finlayson, the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage. Among the recommendations was the development of ‘a fundraising capability building initiative to mentor and advise cultural organisations on a one-to-one basis’.  I would hope that advice and training will be available to individuals also. Maybe we need to advocate for this.

I was lucky enough to interview Sir James about his ideas around arts patronage.

Why do you fund the arts?

Arts and culture are vital for the health of any community. I was fortunate enough to become immersed in music when I started at King’s College. At 16 I went to a private school in Boston on a scholarship and visited great galleries and heard concerts and operas in Boston and New York in particular. I then went on to hitchhike around Europe, visiting art museums, cathedrals and hearing some operas. I bought my first painting shortly after leaving law school at the University of Otago. My collecting was a bit haphazard at first as I was away in New York and London for the first few years and had limited funds to spare while setting up my own company. However those gaps have to a great extent been filled either by working with the relevant artist or in the secondary market at auctions. I never set out to invest in art, although you could say that I invested in the artist. Nothing is ever sold so this is a diary Collection.     

From an early stage, I’ve built a business with the intention of putting some of the profits back into arts.  The Wallace Arts Trust has an income stream created from my businesses.  In fact, you could say that the fact I’m in agribusinesses is almost accidental.  I was trained as a businessman - the commodity is irrelevant, I could just as easily have ended up in the media business.  But, I have a huge passion for everything I’m doing with Wallace Corporation Ltd., as much as I have for arts.

What excites you about arts in NZ right now?

There’s a lot to be excited about.  I travel overseas regularly – just so I don’t become too parochial – and can say that the artists in NZ punch well above their weight.  We are producing a large number of very good artists– in all the disciplines – great singers, composers, artists, playwrights.

Do you think the ‘climate’ of arts in NZ is nurturing - and how can we improve?

I do have a huge concern that the current generation of benefactors – people like Dame Jenny Gibbs and myself – are not being followed. We’ve all been putting money into the arts for 30, 40 years. But there’s not many people following.

It’s not just about donating money – it’s also the voluntary work. I sit on about ten trusts and I’d dearly like to hand over responsibility, but it’s hard to find takers. The current crop of young, wealthy individuals seem to be spending money on themselves more than anything. I think it’s the ‘me’ generation – and all we can do is try and chip away at this attitude.

I did wonder whether or not to accept the Knighthood but in the end I decided that there was far too little recognition of the arts when compared to sports, business or other areas and that it might convince others to get involved showing that there was some possibility of reward or recognition.

What have been personal benefits of investing in the arts?

I go to a lot of plays, art galleries, concerts and other performances and I enjoy seeing the creation of a new work – watching how the process goes, how each artist develops.  I also get great pleasure from getting to know many artists

I do feel for some of the mid-career artists in the present climate – they aren’t selling as much work, and they’ve had to divert some of their energy away from art.  The works that are selling (and there is work selling for huge amounts) tend to be the more recognized artists with investment potential. I think people can help by taking the plunge and collecting an emerging or mid career artist without necessarily knowing where their work will go.  It’s one way of supporting visual artists.

These things run two ways - how do you suggest artists make themselves known to potential benefactors? What things can they do to get noticed?

It depends very much on the discipline.  But a few things apply no matter what.

Firstly, artists should actually make applications to relevant funds!  It’s important that the applications are tailored to each fund – don’t just change the name at the top, do your research, find out what people are looking for. Accept that quite often even a good application will be turned down, due to limited funds.  This shouldn’t discourage you. Try again – and again.

Secondly, make sure you get exposure. This might be through competitions, performances… I think part of the reason the arts are not well funded in this country is that politicians don’t attend enough arts events. Exposure is fundamental to getting people to enjoy anything, as we know from when schools visit the exhibitions of contemporary art at Pah Homestead. We find that once they experience it, they start coming back of their own volition. Exposure is vital to keep renewing your audience.

How would you suggest that a closer relationship between artists and arts patrons be nurtured?

Again, it’s hard to generalize for all disciplines. But the same principles apply – make sure you get out there, get exposure, and persevere – get advice on how to market yourself if necessary. Apply for things – but in an organized, tailored manner. Do your research so that you present the right type of information, and don’t overly complicate it – remember patrons or their trusts have to read hundreds of letters and applications. And don’t forget, if you get turned down, try again.

What changes have you noticed in the creative sector in the past 10 years?

Well, we’ve continued to grow at an exponential rate in all disciplines. The quality is getting higher and higher by international standards.  For example in visual arts, many more artists can now live off their art, and there’s been a proliferation of dealer galleries. Similarly the theatre scene has mushroomed with both small and large companies, and I can no longer get to all the shows.  

We are good at overachieving for our size.  The Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra has become very good, and this is done on a miniscule budget.  The filmmaking world is slightly more erratic, but there have been some good films. And writing – we have some amazing writers. It’s all pretty exciting, and I love going overseas for a look and then coming back and reminding myself how good the arts in NZ really are.

What are some of the opportunities and challenges for the next decade?

In the next decade, I predict we’ll continue to grow – but this growth will be stymied if private philanthropy declines.  It’s a necessary partner of local and government funding.  But we can start bit by bit – by getting people to attend. Then from being ‘patrons’ by attending they can progress to other types of patronage.

Futher information:

Twenty years ago James Wallace established the Annual Wallace Art Awards. These awards are now the longest surviving and richest annual art awards of their kind in Australasia, amounting to over $160,000.

Beyond this the Wallace Arts Trust financially supports many other Arts organizations in New Zealand. James Wallace is patron, trustee or board member of some 20 such institutions.

Photo by Grae Burton