How to be an effective arts advocate (from the archives)

You don’t have to be a well-paid political lobbyist or have a weekly radio program to be an arts advocate. You can probably do it over Christmas dinner.

Whether focused on the intrinsic value of the arts – art for art’s sake – or their instrumental worth – art’s links to learning, health, emotional intelligence and well-being – our passion for the arts, and our first-hand experience of their social and transformative powers, make us all potential advocates for the sector.

There are a number of ways by which we can all become better arts advocates. Here are some of the suggestions.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts