Equality

Most people struggle to identify a specific reason why they don’t engage with arts online, a government survey has found.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport's Participation Survey which provides estimates of physical and digital engagement with the arts, heritage, museums and galleries, found that around one in four (27%) people had engaged with art digitally over the past year.

Of those who hadn't, when asked about the barriers they face, 45% said there was "no reason in particular", with 29% saying they were "not interested", and 11% saying they "don't have the time".

Other barriers to digital engagement included having a health problem or disability (8%), it being too expensive (8%), having no access to internet (5%) or "not knowing what is available" (3%).

The study found a negative correlation between digital engagement in the arts and areas of deprivation. The most deprived areas showed 20% engagement in the arts, compared with 31% in the least deprived areas.

Meanwhile, 32% of those in higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations engaged digitally in the arts, compared with 23% of respondents in intermediate occupations and 17% in routine and manual occupations.

Sonia Boyce has won the Golden Lion award for Best National Participation at the Venice Biennale, becoming the first Black British woman to do so.

Her winning exhibition Feeling Her Way, focuses on the vocal experimentation of five Black female musicians embodying feelings of power, freedom and vulnerability. The jury said that “in working collaboratively with other black women, [Boyce] unpacks a plenitude of silenced stories.”

Boyce said: “This is momentous, and utterly overwhelming. I want to say thank you to everyone for their support. Their generosity has been beyond my expectations."

Emma Dexter, Director of Visual Arts for the British Council, which commissioned the work for the British Pavilion at the Biennale, said: “Sonia made a work for the Biennale that speaks of hope, experiment, joy and freedom, and the importance of remembering and celebrating women’s achievements and creativity. 

“It is also highly significant that an artist who was part of the Black British Art movement of the 1980s has been honoured in this way – thereby bringing this crucial part of British art history into an international spotlight.”

Past British winners include Richard Hamilton (1993), Anish Kapoor (1990), Frank Auerbach (1986), Bridget Riley (1968) and Henry Moore (1948).

Ethnically diverse creatives are experiencing increased job insecurity and financial instability post-Covid, according to a University of Manchester study.

Researchers found 29% of respondents are in employment a year after the first lockdown – 22% less than in 2020 – with 44% saying they are now "financially unstable" or need immediate assistance to pay their bills.

30% of respondents had left the creative and cultural industries for another sector, raising concerns about backsliding diversity in the sector.

Dr Anamik Saha of Goldsmith University’s Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity said the Black Lives Matter protests translated into relatively few new opportunities for Black creatives.

“Our hope is that in shining a light on their circumstances, media and cultural organisations can better support creative workers from minoritised communities, ensuring fair and equal treatment during these difficult times.”

Inclusion and diversity organisation Inc Arts has won four accolades from Anthem Awards.

The awards recognise "purpose and mission driven work". Inc Arts was acknowledged with gold awards for special projects, best strategy, partnership and collaboration and a "medal class" award.

The organisation helped share the experiences of 400 ethnically diverse arts workers with 3,000 senior leaders in the sector during the lockdowns, hosted a conference, Speak-Listen-Reset-Heal, and provided the Unlock toolkit.

CEO Amanda Parker said the work has been hard but has catalysed change at hundreds of UK arts organisations.

"In the darkest of storms, it's great to be seen."

Disabled actors are unable to perform at Theatre Colwyn because Conwy County Council cannot afford a wheelchair lift.

The council owned theatre underwent a £740,000 redevelopment in 2011 that included disabled access on all floors, but no disabled access to the stage.

During a committee meeting, Theatre Colwyn Manager Phil Batty said installing backstage disabled access would cost a £250,000.

He said: "It is the lift issue that is the cost. We did look into that, but it hasn’t moved any further. Obviously we’ve had Covid the last few years, but we will certainly pick it up again."

Conwy Counil’s Head of Economy and Culture Sarah Ecob said council is considering an installation, but it is complicated by the building's footprint.

Conwy disability champion Frank Bradfield called the issue an equal rights matter: “The cost of the lift doesn’t come into the rights or wrongs of it. You can’t discriminate against people on grounds of disability.”