Tim Batt Water Solutions
Tim Batt Water Solutions are at the very forefront of the commercial aquatic business in Australia, with over 30 years specific experience supplying and installing chemical control and dosing…
read moreA landmark survey from Western Sydney University has uncovered significant divides in the cultural tastes of Australians, with class, level of education, age, and ethnic heritage the key drivers behind Australians' cultural preferences.
The Australian Research Council-funded study surveyed over 1,200 Australians about their cultural activities.
A paper published by the Institute for Culture and Society, Professors Tony Bennett and Modesto Gayo discuss the findings relating to the visual arts.
Who visits art museums? Who doesn't? In asking these questions, the survey also investigated and categorised the types of art people like, and their favourite Australian and international artists.
Lead investigator Professor Tony Bennett says the results shed a new light on Australians and the arts.
Professor Bennett explained "this survey provides an unprecedented level of detail about who visits different kinds of galleries, and how these patterns relate to favourite art genres and artists.
"By connecting these patterns to different social backgrounds, the survey has provided a new, detailed analysis of what divides the art tastes of contemporary Australians.'
Key findings include:
• Roughly a third of Australians have no involvement in the visual arts
• Level of education and social class are the key factors differentiating Australians' art tastes. Tertiary educated members of the professional and middle classes are more involved in the art world, and also like different kinds of art from most other Australians
• Men and women tend to have the same tastes, particularly where they share similar levels of education and class position. But women are significantly more likely to visit art museums and buy art books
• Old and younger Australians have sharply divided tastes. Younger Australians prefer pop and abstract art, whereas older Australians enjoy landscapes and Renaissance works more
• Australian Impressionists like Tom Roberts have relatively little appeal to Aboriginal and migrant Australians
Professor Bennett says the survey opens up important questions about the role of the arts in debates about increasing levels of inequality in Australia.
"It also provides gallery directors and curators with helpful information in seeking to make the arts more accessible to all Australians.”
The survey formed part of the project Australian Cultural Fields: National and Transnational Dynamics, funded by the Australian Research Council (DP140101970), and was conducted by Tony Bennett (Project Director), David Carter, Modesto Gayo, Michelle Kelly (Project Manager), Fred Myers, Greg Noble, David Rowe, Tim Rowse, Deborah Stevenson, Graeme Turner, and Emma Waterton.
Click here for more information about the Australian Cultural Fields study.
Images: Hobart's MoNA (top) and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews with Glenn D. Lowry, Director of New York’s prestigious Museum of Modern Art (below).
17th July 2016 - $10 MILLION INITIATIVE TO CHANGE THE GREENING OF PUBLIC SPACES
28th June 2016 - FREE ENTRY DRAWS CROWDS TO SYDNEY’S MUSEUMS
2nd June 2016 - MASTERPIECES FROM NEW YORK’S MOMA COMING TO NGV MELBOURNE
9th September 2015 - ALBURY MUSEUM AIMS FOR THE BILBAO EFFECT
27th February 2015 - WESTERN SYDNEY ARTS COMMUNITY BACKS REPORT INTO ARTS AND CULTURAL FUNDING IN THE WEST
27th November 2013 - STUDY REVEALS THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC ART MUSEUMS
19th August 2013 - AUSTRALIA COUNCIL REVEALS KEY TRENDS FOR PERFORMING ARTS
Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?
As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.
The Complete Guide to Leisure Industry Products & Services.
Tim Batt Water Solutions are at the very forefront of the commercial aquatic business in Australia, with over 30 years specific experience supplying and installing chemical control and dosing…
read moreFounded in 1961, Myrtha Pools® quickly became Italy’s première swimming pool company, and has since grown into one of the world's leading swimming pool construction…
read moreYellowbox is an Australian technology company that has developed smart locker technology operated through an app with a focus on experience for users and facility managers. Found at Beaches, Aquatic…
read moreHidroplay welcomes you to the exciting world of children's Playscapes, waterslide's and Water Attractions. Appealing to families, Hidroplay increases patronage in your facility during those…
read moreSince 1989 Elite Pool Covers have designed and manufactured an extensive range of high quality affordable manual,semi-automatic and fully-automatic pool cover systems for the harsh Australian…
read moreHadley Australia and Series Australia Pty Ltd are the leading quality theatre chair manufacturers in the southern hemisphere. The businesses work closely with architects, interior designers and…
read moreCommercial Aquatics Australia provides aquatic solutions nationwide and is one of the largest and most experienced companies specialising in the design, construction, renovation, service, maintenance…
read moreSeatGeek is a search engine and mobile-focused ticket marketplace that allows fans to buy and sell tickets for live events. As of August 2018, SeatGeek has exited the Australian, New…
read moreGet your business noticed in our targeted directory. Viewed by 10,000 industry professionals per week!