A collective of Black and Asian artists, curators and educators explains how the impenetrable glass ceiling keeps them on the margins – and why public statements promising reviews, reports and diversity panels cut no ice.
Two-thirds of organisations and almost three quarters of individuals who applied to Arts Council England for emergency funds were successful, but 4,000 applicants were left disappointed.
Professor Gavin Henderson has apologised for “the lived experiences of students of colour” and his racist comments during his time as Principal of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Lois Keidan is leaving the Live Art Development Agency – which has an exclusively white workforce – to help address “critical issues of representation”.
Funders are putting BAME artists under increasing pressure to explore sensitive topics from their own lives or communities, but leave them unsupported to deal with the consequences of sharing their stories more widely. Ranjit Khutan calls for a more ethical approach.
Plans are being drawn up for actions to improve diversity in the arts, though a long history of similar initiatives across the UK suggests that progress will continue to be slow.
As cultural organisations post positive messages of support for the Black community on social media, Twitter has been alive with comments accusing them of “virtue signalling” while failing to address their own racism.
The Commission will be asking fundamental questions about how the union organises, represents and fights for Black and minority ethnic workers, hoping to achieve reconciliation after a recent period of acrimony.
The time has come for conservatoires to recognise their role within the wider sector and to embrace the challenges presented by modern times. Tom Foster offers six proposals for setting the ball rolling.
Tokenistic diversity schemes, middle-class professional networks and a heavy London bias in the literary and publishing industries mean nothing less than sweeping changes will be needed for the talent of working class writers to be recognised.
Inclusion means ensuring workers can fulfil their potential, regardless of their background, identity or circumstance. Is now the time to re-think your organisation’s culture, asks Sara Whybrew.
As we rebuild the arts sector there are some things we must not lose. If we narrow our priorities too tightly we will limit our potential too, says Amanda Parker.
Technocratic, old-school approaches to building audiences have only worked among privileged groups. The sector needs to think harder about what people actually want, says Anne Torreggiani.
What happens when an internationally acclaimed theatre producer is accused of cultural insensitivity? He puts on another production – about another nation’s culture, writes Amanda Parker.
