A fantastic article!

It seems to me that many of the failures of Australian business to grapple with the creative process and communicate with the arts community stem from a failure to understand the rigour involved in art. The bulk of Australians (in my experience) tend to view art and the arts as aesthetic 'window dressing' - the source of 'nice' experiences and pretty objects. Although this is the aim of some design and decorative arts, most of modern art is concerned with process, concept and meaning. The conceptual schema that attaches to a piece of art as art (rather than decoration) involves knowledge, theory and imagination. It is these elements (I believe) which lend themselves also to business creativity. Despite receiving compulsory art classes for much of their schooling very few Australians have been introduced to the rigours of art history and theory, or could really begin to understand the process of art creation by professional artists. Given these failings, it is far from surprising that boardrooms and managers are dismissive of those people who (they suppose) devote their lives making pretty things.