Let’s move beyond the spin

Hull City Hall illuminated with the word 'Hull'
24 Feb 2021
Feature

Hull’s leaders want to build a ‘collective legacy’ for its City of Culture year. Victoria Bissett and Michael Howcroft say their success depends on rebuilding trust amid a culture of anger, secrecy and fear.

Policy
Collaboration
Placemaking

We must build back fairer

Two people working on a soundsboard
27 Jan 2021
Feature

The creative sector will bounce back, writes Jane Ide. What matters is building a more inclusive sector – and not just because it’s the right thing to do.

Children and young people
Diversity

The most important people in the Zoom room

Actor performing as Alice in front of background with the mad hatter and queen of hearts
10 Dec 2020
Feature

Lucy Askew explores the possibilities behind a digital theatre platform that puts first things first, and the digital repertory company that will be testing it out.

Digital
Theatre
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

What matters is what comes next

Man teaching woman on audio mixer
24 Feb 2021
Feature

With new demands being made for skills and training, Jane Ide asks: is this going to help young people into work? 

Education
Policy
Children and young people

One candle can light the next

24 Feb 2021
Feature

When her work was erased, Tori Allen-Martin took action to make sure it didn’t happen to anyone else. It’s turned into so much more, she writes.

Theatre
Diversity
Equality
Supporting artists

What ‘watch at home’ gave us

A pirate on stage performing Treasure Island in front of a ship prop and his crew
24 Feb 2021
Feature

Can a regional theatre make money from online productions? Kelly Johnson says you have to weigh your options and ask for help.

Digital
Theatre
Collaboration
Income

The difference between recovery and survival

Isabel Lewis, the occasion of an afternoon at Palmhuset, for Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art, 2015. Image by Attila Urban
17 Feb 2021
Feature

Moira Jeffrey writes that the fight to survive is a reality we cannot ignore. Focussing on that alone will lead to “erosion and obsolescence”.

Supporting artists
Covid-19
Coronavirus

A moral failure in cultural policy

A girl looking at picture they've taken on a camera
17 Feb 2021
Feature

Underpaid artists have become caretakers for communities that commissioners want to say they’re supporting. Eleonora Belfiore asks: whose responsibility is it to push for the change we so desperately need?

Arts funding
Health and wellbeing
Supporting artists

Pages

Subscribe to Feature