This is a foundation with its Arts in gear

By HEATH LEES

For the cynics, it was shaping up like just another awards junket; more boring and embarrassing though, because it was for Art (which no one understands), rather than for Sport (which everyone understands).

There would be the usual murmuring of innumerable brands as sponsors looked good and felt better; liquid litanies of thanks from the podium; video clips of artists going about artifying; and an occasional burst of loud, sexy music.

How wrong could you be? This foundation had got its art together.

Admitting the need to meet sport head-on, the Arts Foundation fielded short-and-sharp speakers in quick succession, then threw the audience a stunning, 10-minute film of the best New Zealand art, exploding all around, before our very eyes.

No one would have dreamed that a country with the talent to put together such brilliant footage of its arts in action was the same country that groans nightly before the drab, advert-soaked programmes of national television.

But the foundation had more surprises in store. Like not whining all night about the arts being sickly and ignored. On the contrary, they simply wanted money - lots of it, thank you - because money for the future was a logical consequence of success in the past.

And to prove it they had stacked up a brilliantly chosen tight-five gallery of talent from the country's art world.

Not surprisingly, each artist found their moment at the microphone overpowering. "Thanks," said Douglas Wright, overcome by a long and sympathetic pause. "That's all I can say."

But Roger Hall, a governor of the foundation, said much more. He charged everyone with a mission - should they choose to accept it - of talking, and talking again. Talking about the arts, about books, plays, music, pictures ... everything that makes a difference to the texture of life and challenges us to live it more fully.

Maybe one day, instead of the Air New Zealand pilot giving passengers the obligatory update on the cricket or rugby score, he might also let them know how Briar Grace-Smith's latest play has scored on opening night.