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Olga Wong

The government will consider inviting the public to join the authority  that manages the arts hub in West Kowloon, a move that would address  concern the body may  become a bureaucracy.
Lay people and representatives of arts groups presented their views on revised plans for the development of the arts hub  at the Legislative Council building yesterday. A three-month consultation on the plans ends in December.
Those present included people at the managerial level of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department who deal with  cultural programmes and promotions.
At the hearing, the government was  urged to formulate a comprehensive cultural policy, to integrate the arts hub into old areas, to establish an open and transparent authority and to develop the site in sustainable ways.
Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs  Esther Leung Yuet-yin said the new authority would work under a clear cultural policy and the government was still drafting the regulations.
'We will actively consider inviting the public to participate [in forming the authority],' Ms Leung said, adding arts groups and non-profit organisations would be invited to run various performing arts venues.
Some representatives expressed concern yesterday that the  cultural  sector did not  retain local talent   and urged the government to nurture more professionals for the future arts hub.
Associations of Managers of Cultural Services president Irene Lam Tsz-tsui said there was a lack of experienced cultural managers in the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
She said about one-third of the department's 201 managers had only one to two years' experience. Some were recruited on  contracts.
Ms Lam said manpower had been a problem in the department since the quota for cultural managers was frozen 10 years ago.  She said the 201 managers were also responsible for more than 4,000 cultural programmes and 900 promotional activities every year.
Visitor estimates for  a flagship museum, dubbed M+, were also said to be over-optimistic.
Chan Ki-hung,  chairman of the Hong Kong Curators Association, said a flagship museum featuring popular culture might not prove attractive to the public.
Mr Chan said the Heritage Museum and the Convention and Exhibition Centre also exhibited pop culture from time to time. Instead,  a museum for children should be planned in the arts hub, he said. His view was echoed by the International Association of Art Critics.
Speaking during a  session with about 300 teaching staff and students of the Academy for Performing Arts,  Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen  said the Western Kowloon Cultural District would provide facilities for the film industry. Premieres with audiences of up to 2,000 could be staged at the  hub's venues.
But Mr Tang said the government would not provide as many subsidies for film development as on the performing arts because the former could attract commercial interest on its own.
The chief secretary said attracting and retaining talent was vital to the cultural development of Hong Kong.
Mr Tang encouraged the mainland and overseas students in the audience to stay in the city after graduation and contribute to the arts sector.



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