Art loan scheme on chopping block amid Tasmanian cost cutting

Art loan scheme on chopping block amid Tasmanian government cost cutting In short: Artists and gallery owners are urging the Tasmanian government to protect the COLLECT Art Purchase Scheme, which provides no-interest loans to purchase art. The team that administers arts grants have been hit with job cuts as part of the government's State Growth restructure. What's next? The department says there is no plan to end the program, but the sector is concerned about how it will continue if the responsible staff have lost their jobs. Tasmania's arts sector is fearing for the future of a nation-leading purchasing scheme that looks to be affected by government job cuts. The COLLECT Art Purchase Scheme offers no-interest loans of up to $8,000 to purchase Tasmanian-made artworks, which can be paid off over 12 months. As part of a restructure of the department overseeing Arts Tasmania, 250 jobs are set to be lost, including several in the arts sector. The ABC understands that this includes the role administering COLLECT and several more from the team handling grants programs. Painter Faridah Cameron urged the government to protect the program, Which she said was vital to her earning a living as a professional artist. "You know, someone has to produce this stuff," she said. "Artists are at the beginning of a surprisingly long economic chain, and it will be devastating to Tasmanian artists if the COLLECT scheme were lost." Cameron said about 50 per cent of her paintings were sold through the scheme, often to people who may otherwise not have made the purchase. "So, potentially, if the COLLECT scheme went down, that would represent about half of my income," she said. Printmaker Mandy Renard said she too received about half her sales through the program. "I got so much out of it as an artist," she said. "I feel like the next generation that are coming up are going to have even more trouble getting into the system and working full time as artists." Nation 'jealous' of program A spokesperson for Building Tasmania — formerly State Growth — told the ABC that "there has been no plan put forward to end the COLLECT program". Handmark Gallery owner Allanah Dopson questioned how the scheme could continue if there was nobody left to organise it. "It's sort of a no-brainer that this is something the government can actually do in the arts that isn't costing them any money," she said. According to the COLLECT website, more than 6,700 artworks worth a combined $22 million have been sold through the program since 2009. Along with art, it can also be used to purchase handmade furniture and jewellery. A 1.5 per cent administration fee is also charged on sales, meaning much of the cost is recovered. Gallery co-director Emma Bett said the rest of the nation was "very jealous" of the COLLECT scheme, which was run only in Tasmania. "It's the only state in the country to have it and to be forward-thinking enough to support our artists like this," she said. "It's such a small, small outlay by the government to create this incredible program that is a stimulus. "We also have returning customers who, because it takes a year to pay off a work, will take that year and then, once they've paid it off, come back and buy another work. "It works really well for young collectors who otherwise wouldn't have bought or would have banged it on the credit card." Government 'doesn't value art sector': Greens Greens Deputy Leader and Arts spokesperson Vica Bayley said it would be an "absolute travesty" if the COLLECT scheme ended. "It has flow-on benefits for framers, for transporters, for others who are involved in the art scene, and it's been a raging success," she said. "It's clear that this government doesn't value the art sector, despite the fact that it delivers a massive amount to our economy, to our community, to our sense of place, and to our place in the world." The sector has also been left reeling by proposed staffing cuts at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. They include the head of the Tasmanian Herbarium, who is an internationally acclaimed lichen researcher, as well as librarian, graphic designer, photographer and senior exhibition officer roles. It is not just jobs in the arts that are being slashed. State government departments have been told to find $1.5 billion in savings to help Treasurer Eric Abetz balance the budget. Among the jobs set to go are some in the education department's Inclusive Practice Team, which works to support children with disabilities. Eight days before those cuts were announced, Education Minister Jo Palmer's office told the ABC that "there has been no proposal put forward to reduce staff numbers".