Beyond core audiences: culture’s currency lies in staying current

face masks drying on a washing line
25 Nov 2020
Feature

In a constantly changing landscape, the ability to understand and respond to audiences’ changing preferences and behaviours is vital. Anne Torreggiani shares findings from the first wave of The Audience Agency’s COVID-19 Monitor.

Research
Collaboration
Data
Covid-19
Coronavirus

Beyond Brexit: Festival UK* 2022

Silhouette of a person in front of a neon pink light display
29 Oct 2020
Feature

Festival UK* 2022 is not a ‘celebration of Brexit’ but a celebration of the place we call home, argues Sam Hunt.

Festivals
Collaboration
Brexit

How racist are you?

A Black person covering their each eye with their hands, palms facing towards the camera
22 Oct 2020
Feature

Unconsicous bias can leave even well-meaning organisations with blind spots on diversity and inclusion. Roxan Kamali-Sarvestani explains what they can do to avoid this – and how Talawa Theatre Company is supporting them.

Policy
Diversity
Equality

Coping through Covid: why ‘what makes sense’ sucks

Jenny Grainger and daughter
30 Sep 2020
Feature

Jenni Grainger gives a personal account of the harsh reality of juggling childcare and being furloughed while attempting to steer an organisation through a crisis.

Equality
Leadership
Covid-19
Coronavirus

Inspiring elite performance without the elitism

Leeds Cathedral Choir
23 Sep 2020
Feature

God? Art? Heritage? Education? In the face of a financial reckoning and a crisis of balance, can cathedral choirs harness their transformational potential before becoming an irrelevant heritage industry for the soul, asks Thomas Leech.

Education
Music
Children and young people
Equality

Time to challenge the hierarchies

Rampak Genteng
10 Sep 2020
Feature

With the creativity of communities finally becoming a policy priority, arts organisations could be handing more control over to their communities. Adam Pushkin explains why – and how – that could work.

Governance
International
Diversity
Leadership

Arts and health: think big and embrace the opportunities

Drummers on stage following behind a woman in a huge twirling skirt
22 Jul 2020
Feature

A substantial new income stream for the arts sector can go hand in hand with significant savings to the health budget, says Tim Joss. But first we need to move beyond some widespread assumptions that are holding back progress.

Participatory arts
Health and wellbeing
Covid-19
Coronavirus

No community spaces? No community arts

Four people standing on stage in front of a sign saying 'Save Granville'
22 Apr 2020
Feature

Community arts organisations are at the heart of the response to the Covid-19 crisis, but their spaces are threatened by arguments that focus on the economic value of the arts. It’s time we started measuring social value, says Zain Dada.

Participatory arts

Stay well, supported and creative: our new microsite for Covid-19 updates

Statue with face mask
19 Mar 2020
Feature

In uncertain times, ArtsProfessional will be providing regular updates on projects and resources to support wellbeing, careers and creativity in the arts.

Participatory arts
Digital
Engagement
Health and wellbeing

Free to speak? Not if you work in the arts

A photo of statues of angels, one with a gag over its mouth
20 Feb 2020
Feature

As ArtsProfessional unveils the explosive findings from its recent Freedom of Expression survey, Liz Hill examines the soul of a sector that believes it is owed artistic freedom but doesn’t tolerate freedom of speech within its own ranks.

Governance
Management
Policy
Arts funding
Data
Equality
Leadership

Head to head: can a toolkit solve the sector’s class problem?

14 Nov 2019
Feature

This year Jerwood Arts published a toolkit for cultural organisations, designed to encourage greater socio-economic diversity in the arts. Julie Lomax, Chief Executive of a-n The Artists Information Company, sees it as a starting point for helping solve the sector’s ‘class crisis’ – but arts consultant Chrissie Tiller isn’t so sure.

Access
Audience development
Participatory arts
Human resources
Policy
Arts funding
Diversity
Equality

Life in the arts across Europe

Photo of woman standing by tree stump in snow
27 Mar 2018
Feature

Artists from across Europe describe what it’s like to work in their country of origin – from the almost desperate situation for some freelance artists in Spain to the generous support on offer in Arctic Norway.

Europe
Arts funding
Supporting artists

Being an international in the creative sector

Photo of Concorde
12 Feb 2018
Feature

Julie Bécaud, now a researcher at the Scottish Maritime Museum, explains her first steps into the arts in the UK.

Audience development
Marketing
Museums and heritage

Planning in a time of radical uncertainty

Electric sign on a wall with 2 arrows pointing in different directions
25 Nov 2020
Feature

In these uncertain times, it’s important to return to our core principles: making the most of the information we have and not being afraid to experiment, explains David Reece.

Governance
Data
Leadership
Covid-19
Coronavirus

Stop patronising and pigeonholing young creatives

A group of performers lying on stage distanced from one another
24 Nov 2020
Feature

Handing over the reins is a start, but it shouldn’t be an abdication of responsibility. Mentor Suzann McLean and mentee malakai sargeant put each other under the spotlight.

Theatre
Diversity
Equality

Embracing a sense of slowness

Two volunteers helping paint a shop's fornt doors
24 Nov 2020
Feature

Jon Flinn shares what happens when locking down provides the opportunity to reach up and out.

Ruffling the critics' feathers

Protester with a megaphone at a Black Lives Matter march in London
24 Nov 2020
Feature

Tajpal Rathore explains why he is creating a home for Black art that is more ambitious, more radical – more itself - free from the White gaze.

Diversity
Equality

Fund us like art depends on it

Man working on his sculpture
18 Nov 2020
Feature

Susan Jones says freelance artists carry a unique economic burden that has left them vulnerable to the vicissitudes of Covid-19. An answer lies in a funding model that doesn’t take their livelihoods for granted.

Policy
Arts funding
Supporting artists
Covid-19
Coronavirus

We can’t rebuild if we’re not valued

Two people reading a script
18 Nov 2020
Feature

Rishi Sunak said hard hit workforces like the arts may have to retrain to adapt to the new economy. Sara Whybrew counters that the new economy means we must adapt our approach to training.

Education
Children and young people

Getting copyright right

17 Nov 2020
Feature

Big brands and advertisers are cottoning on to the marketing potential of street art. What does that mean for the artists? Timothy Watkins unpacks the legal issues.

Law
Visual arts
Supporting artists

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