A wise women manifesto

Wise Woman exhibition in Leeds School of Arts. The photo depicts five frames hung from the ceiling, each with four portraits of female researchers looking at the camera
08 Mar 2023

To mark International Women’s Day, and in response to colleagues feeling 'frozen out' of academia, Lizzie Coombes, Gillian Dyson, Joanna Leah and Anne Schiffer have developed a project to empower women through creativity.

Is there an Athena factor in creative arts?

Statue depicting Athena, goddess of wisdom and the arts.
08 Mar 2023

It is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit and retain talent in the arts and cultural sector, particularly for women, writes Ri Chakraborty.  

Labour backs 'cultural corridor' across North

Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell speaking at the Creative Coalition Festival
03 Mar 2023

Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell sets out Labour's vision for the creative industries, pledging to devolve powers to local areas to drive growth and support a 'cultural corridor' across the North.

Returning to work

Sarah Meadows standing in a theatre auditorium holding two children. The theatre is empty and red curtains are drawn on-stage, though there are four stage lights switched on. Sarah has her back to the camera. She is wearing a black and white striped t-shirt and has long brown hair.
01 Mar 2023

A new initiative to champion the needs of freelancers with caring responsibilities is being launched, specifically focusing on returning to work after parental or care leave. Sarah Meadows and Emily Williams outline why it’s so urgently needed.

Diversity data: colour or ethnicity?

A graphic depicts people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds wearing suits. Two of them are being fed through a food mincer. In the lower right corner of the image, there is a laptop with the Arts Council England logo in the top left corner. On the laptop, there is a red sticker with the number '51%' and a yellow sticker with the words 'Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Minorities'.
22 Feb 2023

With all the ambiguity around ethnicity terminology, Kevin Osborne is gradually coming to the view that identifying people by their colour is the best way to drive race equity. 

Drama school launches MA course in queer performance

Two people taking part in a queer performance
20 Feb 2023

Course designed to teach and advance queer performance to open to students at South London creative arts college later this year.

Artistic Directors of the Future announces closure

Artistic Directors of the Future after winning the Innovation Award at The Stage awards 2020
15 Feb 2023

The charity, which has worked to increase leadership representation of arts professionals from the Global Majority, did not disclose the reason for its closure.

Scottish hip hop is making a breakthrough

Namebliss performs at Pitch Scotland's conference
31 Jan 2023

Arusa Qureshi had the good fortune to receive a music bursary as a child. She argues that such funding is vital to fostering unexpected creative paths.

Richard Herring: elitism of Fringe 'makes me sick'

Richard Herring performing on stage
29 Jan 2023

Acclaimed comedian announces decision not to perform at Edinburgh Fringe this year saying it has evolved into an event that only wealthy participants and audiences can attend.

Mind your language

The image is two performers on a raised tight wire in a dark circus tent decorated with gold stars and bunting. On the right is Krista, a young white woman of short stature with short brown hair looking into the distance. On the left is Gerhard, a young white man with short brown hair, who gazes intently at the other performer, Krista, as he reaches his hand to touch her. Both characters’ costumes are in the style of the 1930s. Hers is a shiny silver beaded corset with white silk shorts, tights and black sh
20 Jan 2023

In the world of public relations and, more importantly, in the world of activism and advocacy, language is critical. Binita Walia explores why.

The arts divided cannot stand

Futuristic graphic. There are rocks and wires along the bottom, robots with theatre lights for arms and UK cultural building/posters surrounding them.
18 Jan 2023

Kevin Osborne calls on leaders of the major classical music organisations to join his campaign to close the racial equity gap as a means of preserving their own funding.

Museums’ dirty secret: a failure to shift the dial on inclusion

Group of tired students sleeping at table
11 Jan 2023

Why do museums remain stubbornly non-inclusive? Because the solution is deeply unpalatable for many stakeholders, writes Amanda Parker.

Call for 'immediate action' to safeguard local culture

16 Dec 2022

Urgent action is required to protect local cultural services in the face of the cost of living crisis, a Local Government Association (LGA) report has concluded.

The Commission on Culture and Local Government, set up earlier this year by the LGA, found that the cost of living crisis, combined with the prospect of recession, and pressure on public services pose "new challenges".

"Under these circumstances it would be tempting to dismiss investment in cultural services as a luxury we can’t afford," the report states.

"But for the same reasons, these services have never been more important. 

"Cultural services, organisations and practitioners bring people together at times of crisis and celebration, they provide support and social connection, create jobs, develop new adaptive skills, and underpin empathy and critical thinking."

The report calls on local government, regional bodies, cultural arms-length bodies and national government to work together with cultural organisations and communities to "take immediate action to safeguard the future of local cultural infrastructure".

It says this should be followed by a longer-term action plan to deliver a series of outcomes including targeting regional inequalities and enabling local authorities to develop and deliver meaningful place-led strategies for culture, and a "power shift" towards place-led approaches to enable communities, cultural providers and practitioners to shape local decision making.

Baroness Lola Young, Chair of the commission, said: "Access to culture and creativity provides hope and inspiration and enriches people’s lives. That access must be fair for all.

"I hope our findings and recommendations will help councils, regional bodies, cultural arm's-length bodies and national government to work together with cultural organisations and communities to weather the latest storm and secure the future of this vital community infrastructure.”
 

'Ticket Bank' to offer free theatre shows in London

Ticket Bank founders Caroline McCormick and Chris Sonnex
14 Dec 2022

Seven cultural organisations have so far signed up to be part of free theatre ticket initiative, offering those most affected by the cost-of-living crisis the opportunity to attend shows across the capital.

Research finds gender imbalance in theatre writing

12 Dec 2022

There is a large discrepancy in the gender balance of composers, lyricists and playwrights credited for main stage theatre productions in the UK, according to new research.

Data compiled by writers Kate Marlais, Meg McGrady and Sarah Middleton, with the support of Mercury Musical Developments (MMD), analysed 500 productions with runs of two weeks or more, across 132 UK venues with a capacity of 200 or more. 

They found within musical theatre across the UK, 83% of composers were male, as well as 78% of lyricists and 65% of librettists. It also found that during 2022, 60 male, 24 female and three non-binary musical theatre writers were commissioned to create new shows. 

The gender imbalance was largest in London, with males credited for 77% of productions based in the capital, compared with 69% outside the capital.

In the West End specifically, composers were 91% male, lyricists were 90% male and playwrights/librettists were 77% male. 

MMD, the UK’s membership organisation for musical theatre writers, has committed to five years of initiatives to support and champion female and non-binary writers, funded by the Jane Goodman Charitable Trust. 

In 2023, it will host a free five-day residential to support a group of female-identifying MMD members and writers. It also plans to launch the Jane Goodman Writing Fund in January, which will fund female-identifying and non-binary MMD members by covering costs for writing time, equipment, assistance or career-enhancing opportunities.

Welsh Government commits to culture funding for anti-racism

28 Nov 2022

Cultural and heritage activities in Wales are to receive a share of a £4.5m pot supporting the delivery of the Welsh Government’s Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan.

More than £2.8m is being shared over three years between 22 local, regional, national or independently-run culture, heritage and sport organisations across Wales.

Funded organisations include the Association of Independent Museums, Butetown Arts and Culture Association and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru.

The Welsh Government says funded projects “focus on co-production, demonstrating a commitment to placing lived experience at the centre of policy, service development and delivery”.

A further £1.67m is being designated to the Welsh Government’s cultural and sport arm’s length bodies, including National Museum Wales and the National Library of Wales, to “build on existing and new programmes of activity, accelerating their work on anti-racism at a national level”.

Arts Council Wales will also receive a share of funding to put towards the appointment of more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic creative practitioners.

“Our national and local museums, galleries, libraries theatres, and sporting venues need to be inclusive of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and place,” Wales Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport Dawn Bowden said.

“Our culture, heritage and sports services must be culturally competent and reflective of the history and contribution made by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people to Welsh society.”

DCMS pledges action on gender pay gap

28 Nov 2022

DCMS has said it will take action to address gender pay gap after report finds the difference between the middle earning man and middle earning woman in the department rose to 9.3%.

Responses to ACE National Portfolio funding expose systemic racism

Weighing scales balancing North against South
24 Nov 2022

ACE has pulled off a coup in racial and geographic equity. Kevin Osborne says now we need to fight to prevent any reversal of this progress.

‘Don’t level up or down - remove barriers’

Unexpected Solutions in the Octagon, Queen Mary University of London
23 Nov 2022

A new cultural advocacy programme from Queen Mary University of London is making the case for change in cultural sector policymaking. Molly McPhee reports.

Slow train coming? EDI in music higher education

Graphic of musical instrument
15 Nov 2022

A new report into equality, diversity and inclusion in music is published this week. Its authors Anna Bull, Diljeet Bhachu and Amy Blier-Carruthers argue to tackle the inequalities it reveals, EDI must be embedded into the discipline.

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