ARTS companies in Queensland should be banging on the doors of mining companies and asking for money, according to state Arts Minister Ros Bates.
"(There are) major mining companies who are out in places like Cloncurry and Longreach who want to give back to the community, but nobody's asked them," Bates says.
Bates, speaking at the State of the Arts forum in Brisbane yesterday, also announced an overhaul of the government's funding framework for the arts.
"We need to think much more broadly and we need not to be frightened to go and talk to business," she says.
Sue Fisher, Queensland director of Creative Partnerships Australia, says there are already partnerships between the arts community and the mining sector.
Queensland Art Gallery has been sponsored by Santos since 1995, a relationship that made headlines in December when people dressed as zombies attended the opening of the 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art to protest against the company's mining activities.
Gas company QGC is raising its profile in Gladstone and Toowoomba by sponsoring Queensland Ballet, which will present Giselle. The Queensland Symphony Orchestra hopes to again send quartets to Gladstone to conduct masterclasses with children and hold a concert, as it did last year, with sponsorship from Australia Pacific LNG.
QSO interim chief executive Libby Anstis says mining companies can help arts companies reach far-flung communities.
"It does help organisations overcome the incredible geographic challenges that we've got in Queensland," she says.
Bates also announced a new Arts Investment Advisory Board that will advise the government on spending and simplify the arts grant process. She says one of its jobs will be to approach businesses to support the arts.
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