Discussion Forum
General debates
| Topic | Started by | Posts | Last Post |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is the time right to consider a new framework of support for the Arts sector? | ArtsProfessional | 0 | 05/11/2008 |
| Free ticket scheme for young people | ArtsProfessional | 7 | 14/12/2008 |
| Conservative policy: have your say | ArtsProfessional | 3 | 04/09/2008 |
ArtsProfessional Articles
| Topic | Started by | Posts | Last Post |
|---|---|---|---|
| Re: Live encounters | Justine | 2 | 20/11/2008 |
| Re: Surviving a downturn | irene.m.80.r | 2 | 06/10/2008 |
| Re: Fruits of labour | ArtsProfessional | 3 | 12/08/2008 |
The Blogs
Sometimes controversial, always entertaining, our blogs reflect all areas of the arts and are written by well respected industry experts with their fingers on the pulse. So keep your eyes on these pages and post comments to our bloggers to let them know if you agree with them... or not!
Editor's Blog
Hot iron
Catherine Rose 15 December 2008
There is clearly a perception in the arts world that the iron is hot and the time to strike is now. In a matter of weeks we have had two important papers suggesting – nay, insisting upon – changes to the way the UK deals with the arts and culture. Tim Joss’s ‘New Flow’ (see AP182 and AP183) called for a completely new infrastructure to support the creators and providers of the arts, while Demos’s John Holden, in his ‘Democratic ... read more >
An Alternative Power Source
Clare Cooper 05 November 2008
My thanks to the person who left a comment on my last blog asking the question: “Are we facing a recession which, if companies can survive, will return them to the prosperity they have come to know and love? Or,... read more
The Bigger Picture: The Value of Slack
Paul Kelly 02 October 2008
There is a rubric in the jazz world that what you don’t play is as important as the notes you do. And I heard a sadly now-deceased University Vice Chancellor say something similar about architecture; the spaces between buildings, he... read more
What is it about drama?
Neil Rathmell 22 August 2008
What is it about drama? Children like it but adults don’t. It’s the most popular of all the performing arts in schools (well ahead of music and dance at GCSE) but the least likely to get the support of anybody... read more
Five things to do in a recession
Clare Cooper 15 August 2008
Back in February the USA’s Non Profit Finance Fund CEO and President, the formidable Clara Miller, (a member of the MMM Action Group in our last phase) outlined 5 recommendations for what non profits could do to ease the sting... read more
The Bigger Picture: The Culture of Critical Times
Paul Kelly 09 June 2008
At a South West Arts conference ten or more years ago, the conference Chair, Helen Marriage, now co-Director of Artichoke, related how she had been driving through East London and had seen a slogan painted in large letters on a... read more
Expanding our financial toolbox
Clare Cooper 17 May 2008
David Dixon’s hard-hitting critique of A&B lists a number of excellent sounding initiatives that are happening elsewhere which aim to increase and support private sector funding of the arts.
I agree wholeheartedly that we need to step change our individual organisational... read more
The Real World
Neil Rathmell 30 April 2008
I have become a historical artefact, a piece of living history, a resource for the primary school classroom. One of my daughters, the one who is a primary school teacher, called me a few weeks ago to ask if I... read more
Good News Day
Neil Rathmell 01 April 2008
Today’s announcement of a new strategy for the arts for children and young people has taken everyone by surprise. Some of us – cynics like me who have been accusing the government of doing nothing but run one pilot after... read more
The Majority
Simon Kensdale 31 March 2008
Most people are not interested in art.
This is a fair depiction of social reality. To be more exact – whilst there are only a very few people who are opposed to art (see previous blog) there are... read more
Mending Fences
Christopher Gordon 27 March 2008
ACE’s new chief executive in his first major speech (Liverpool, 13 March) chose to focus on the importance of local authorities and wants shared aims in funding and delivery. At least that sounds better than the statement from a key... read more
Jackboot funding?
Catherine Rose 25 March 2008
It may sound like alarmism, or even paranoia, but the growing propensity for government and government-funded bodies to use funding instrumentally is becoming extremely worrying. Even with the idea of the ‘excellence agenda’ taking hold, it’s clear that instrumentalism is... read more
It's only children
Neil Rathmell 05 March 2008
At least one of the regional offices of Arts Council England was brave enough to hold a briefing session on the new ‘cultural offer’. (If my information is correct, that should read ‘only one’. If not, you can take it... read more
I, Robot?
Mark Robinson 27 February 2008
People will have their own opinions of the Arts Council's recent regular funding decisions. Obviously these were never going to please everyone, and it's quite understandable some people are going to get upset, angry and organised, and that these concerns... read more
Going round in circles
Neil Rathmell 22 February 2008
Chocks away! Another pilot takes off! This time it’s to find out whether you can give every school child in the country five hours a week of high quality cultural activities on £15 a year.
With so many pilots... read more
Talent v Entitlement: No Contest
Paul Harman 15 February 2008
The arts are not like sport. Sorry, but the coming big fight for Gold Medals between USA and China does not enthral me. If they need to show how well they train kids to run faster than horses, balance like... read more
Candy for the boys
Catherine Rose 25 January 2008
I was having a chat with that nice Louise de Winter from the NCA yesterday, on the subject of politicians on all sides who hold the Culture portfolio. We agreed that the (then) current Labour and Tory chaps (James Purnell... read more
Metamorphosing our Mindsets
Clare Cooper 03 January 2008
It’s the time of year to make new resolutions so let’s throw caution to the wind, wrench ourselves from our comfort zones and confront the hardest of the brutal facts (see my last blog) holding us back from developing our... read more
The Vision Thing
Alice Devitt 29 November 2007
I spend a great deal of time trying to wrest thinking from my clients to enable me to develop marketing, fundraising and communications strategies. Arts organisations realise they have to give me their box office data, their financial records and... read more
Right to your Reply
Gillian Bates 26 November 2007
When I was a trainee journalist we were taught a golden rule: if you ever wrote anything even slightly challenging or controversial about any person or organisation, they must have the right to reply.
The second golden rule was... read more
Storm in a bath tub
Catherine Rose 26 November 2007
There are quite of few things which make me splutter into my tea as I listen to the radio. The most recent was an ad for the podcast of Front Row, which goes out at 7.15 each evening on Radio... read more
Blague, Black, Blog
Paul Harman 26 November 2007
Tiens! A debut blog de Paris! Childrens Theatre is active in 82 countries and I can vouch for a dozen in the last three weeks. Here in Paris I’m playing in a bilingual co-production about the thousand year love/hate relationship... read more
The Writing on the Wall: Why organisational development needs to become the ‘new rock ‘n’ roll’
Clare Cooper 26 November 2007
“The architecture that sustains the world’s growing interdependence is under great strain …. it needs to be re-crafted and re-invigorated, but this requires pre-conditions that are lacking: intellectual conviction and a high degree of trust and common values between the... read more
Arts Policy: who makes it and for whom?
Christopher Gordon 26 November 2007
At a recent seminar in Turin I heard a smart Italian woman gave a vivid description of the country she was leaving because she no longer wished to work in it. The cultural sector had suffered a serious erosion of... read more