The tendency for people from higher social grades to be more likely to attend arts events is down to a mismatch between current funding priorities and the public’s taste, rather than any lack of demand, an evidence review suggests.
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.
Tate, the British Museum and Imperial War Museums have all recently completed drives to gain support for large-scale capital work, but economic changes also played a part in the decline.
Approaches to assessing cultural value are stuck in a financially reductionist ‘value = money’ orbit. We should be examining people’s experiences of culture, and the meaning that comes from those experiences, says Julian Meyrick.
The decision comes as the region develops a new cultural strategy, aimed at improving access to the arts and recognising the positive impacts of culture on wellbeing.
As local authority cuts continue to squeeze culture and heritage budgets, libraries offer a way for councils to preserve access to the arts, says Gerald Vernon-Jackson.
A Select Committee on the rural economy will report back next year on the sorts of interventions needed to support local amenities and tackle deprivation.
The arts are important because they matter to us, and any attempts to further justify them lead to an impoverished and less human life, says Carter Gillies.
When James Haddrell took on the directorship of Greenwich Theatre over ten years ago, he didn’t know if the company had a future at all. Here he charts its imaginative route to recovery.
Has Arts Council England got cultural democracy wrong? Steven Hadley and Eleonora Belfiore argue for a more thorough questioning of existing hierarchies.
