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J.W. Yes, I don’t think I could survive if I was there
all the time, but we run a residency programme and we have other artists
come over during the summer. That’s great because I have new ideas coming
in all the time, meeting people.
M.V. Currently you’re raising money for that and trying to develop
that, trying to develop that as a programme?
J.W. Yes. We have about, up to six artists a year right now. I don’t
think it’ll ever be, we’re not intending that it’ll be, very big, but
we are doing it a lot of, we have a lot of old barns which we’re fixing
up. So it’s a long, slow process. Money’s tight.
M.V. So you make a living really through the residencies. Living in
Nebraska at certain times?
J.W. I don’t make a great living and I’m probably going to need to supplement
it soon. We’ve been doing major building works recently but...The problem
of course in the States is that, if I wanted to get into a teaching position,
is that I probably have to go and live in some city, and that’s not ideal
yes, so finance is always a problem.
M.V. I’ll ask you one last question. How do you see your role as an
artist in society? Do you think that is an important role, are you attached
to that?
J.W. I don’t think it’s something I think about a lot. I think I don’t
have a particular political agenda. I’m not trying to change the world,
although if my ideas or my approach rub off on people then that’s great
and I do notice through the centre that we run, that we are beginning
to build up a group of people who will come back more and more. We do
run some children’s programmes. They’re excited about it so I guess I
have a small. An influence in a small way.
M.V. That’s perhaps not your major concern in a way, it’s a personal
exploration in how you can do that, do what you want?
J.W. You might say that’s how I would view it, and maybe, I think that
because we live a sort of different lifestyle that it does, indirectly,
have influences that we don’t really know about, but it’s certainly not
the main reason.
M.V.And you don’t have any sense that
society ought to support you more?
J.W. No, although sometimes I think, in some ways, around where I am,
there’s a lack of education into organisations around in maybe knowing
what an artist can do. I do receive fellowships now and again. I’ve just
received one from Nebraska Arts’ Council. They’re very supportive, but
there’s not a lot of money available in Nebraska for artists. It’s certainly
not as well funded as some of the States. Yes, of course it would be nice
to have more support but I don’t expect it. M.V. Okay, thank you very
much.
J.W. Thank you.
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