Culture Summit 2017: Panellists discuss the UAE Government’s role in funding cultural initiatives and promoting art

They discuss why it is important to make art accessible to all, the UAE Government's role in funding cultural initiatives and the need to promote arts education.

From left, Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation; Angela Migally, the executive director of Abu Dhabi’s Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation; and Werner Binnenstein-Bachstein, the dirShow more

Art should be viewed as a basic need for all sectors of society – it can build empathy, boost economies and even promote justice and fairness.

This was the message from one of the discussions at the inaugural Culture Summit in Abu Dhabi this week. During a panel entitled The Different Cultures of Funding Culture: A Look at Private Philanthropy, State Support and What Lies Between the Two, the speakers talked about funding – often a pertinent question, particularly when considering non-profit and institutional-level art.

While the differences between private patronage and governmental funding were touched upon, the three speakers all agreed that, in the end, the most important thing was to make art accessible to people of all social and economic levels, while also working on a political level to help a nation mature and develop.

“Artists have always been a part of the narrative of progress of any society,” said Darren Walker, the president of Ford Foundation in the United States. “Without artists it is hard to imagine how America can be America.”

Angela Migally, the executive director of Abu Dhabi’s Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, spoke about the funding of cultural initiatives in the Emirates.

“The UAE is a young country and, as with any developing country, the government is usually the primary driver for cultural advancement,” she said.

“Here, there really is a sincere interest from the government to support art and cultural heritage, and they are widely accepted as a public good.

“Something we try to do is explain how they can affect every-thing else – including innovation, diplomacy and the economy.”

Werner Binnenstein-Bachstein, the director of the community arts lab at Porticus Foundation, added to both points by saying art should be defined as a primary focus and basic need for everyone.

“That means, as private philanthropists, we are all responsible for making sure this is accessible to everyone,” he said.

While all agreed art and culture can have a great effect on all aspects of life, they also conceded there was a long way to go to fully realise this potential.

Binnenstein-Bachstein pointed out the lack of arts education around the world, saying it remains an issue in most countries.

“There is enough money out there, but it is a question of distribution,” he said.

“It’s about where we set priorities and what we do – but we need to do much more.”

Walker picked up the conversation, and made a few points that had the audience clapping in agreement – the only speaker to elicit such an obvious reaction.

“The question is not whether children are receiving arts education – some children are, but they are from elite societies – the question is do poor children, from lower-class communities, deserve access to the arts?” he said.

“We should be clear about what the challenge is. If we see poor and marginalised people as deficits then we won’t invest in them. If we see them as assets ... we will see that it is essential that we invest in them.”

Migally talked about the UAE and why she believes there is not only a sincere focus on the arts and education, but also several private patrons actively looking to invest in the arts. She added that the role of foundations in the country is to connect these patrons with artists.

She mentioned the Salama foundation as being an example of a way to direct funding to places where it is most needed and would deliver the greatest benefit.

Regarding problems with private philanthropy, Walker said: “One of the dangers in the US is that during a time of growing inequality, having the private sector and donors determine priority for culture is problematic. Culture is a national identity, and if left to the elite to determine what the national identity is then there will be people who are visible, who are usually advantaged, and people who are invisible, who are usually disadvantaged, in that narrative. The challenge is to be more responsible.”

Binnenstein-Bachstein closed the session on a positive note, saying he hoped conferences such as this could help to close such gaps by bringing together people from different backgrounds and having them think outside of their comfort zone.

It was a hopeful message to conclude a discussion that strayed far from the differences in funding sources and concentrated more on the ways to use philanthropy and public resources to advance social change through the arts.