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.
Julie Lomax: When I was working at Liverpool Biennial we were approached as a potential partner for Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries. I was sceptical at first about yet another scheme, but we decided to host a bursary. I was involved throughout, hosting a person and then keeping in touch with and working with them following the placement. So I’ve been on that journey and seen the impact.
When I worked at Arts Council England (ACE), we produced an Equality Action Plan for ACE’s... more
14 Nov 2019
Feature
Asking questions about someone’s social class may feel uncomfortable, but people are less sensitive than you might think. Maya Sharma and Dan Cowley explain why it’s important to tackle the subject head on – and how to go about it.
14 Nov 2019
Case study
It’s been five years since Heads Together opened Chapel FM in East Leeds. Linda Strudwick looks at what can be achieved from running an arts centre in the middle of a disadvantaged community.
14 Nov 2019
Case study
New Writing North is helping young people in some of the region's most socio-economically disadvantaged areas express themselves through creative writing. Laura Fraine explains how a new generation is finding its voice.
14 Nov 2019
Case study
The lack of affordable skills-based training and opportunities to learn from others makes it much harder for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop their careers in the arts. Simina Neagu and Valentina Bin took action to fill the gap.
08 Nov 2019
Opinion
What might the UK's longest serving Culture Minister take as his next step? Amanda Parker makes some suggestions.
07 Nov 2019
Case study
We spend too much time trying to learn lessons from cities and apply them in other places, argues Brendan Keaney. It’s time to recognise that creative powerhouses can come in all shapes and sizes – and not always where you might expect.
07 Nov 2019
Feature
Helping artists make new work is important, but building longer and deeper relationships with them brings greater rewards for all, says Claire Symonds.
07 Nov 2019
Feature
Intuition can take you only so far. You’ll be more successful at retaining audiences and reviving lapsed attenders if you use data rather than instinct to develop customer loyalty, says Sarah McAleavy.
07 Nov 2019
Feature
Victoria Edwards details a plan to attract students with previously low arts engagement to the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama - and by extension, the creative industries.
01 Nov 2019
Opinion
How many of us working in the arts are keeping quiet about how we really feel, asks Amanda Parker.
31 Oct 2019
Feature
As part of a fundraising strategy donation boxes consistently fail to fulfil their potential, but does it have to be this way? Bernard Ross explains what’s going wrong – and the research exploring how to put it right.
31 Oct 2019
Feature
By defining what inclusivity means for you and empowering all staff to make suggestions or raise concerns, you can identify where your work and your organisation are falling short, says Amy Firth.
31 Oct 2019
Feature
Larger organisations in the cultural sector will soon be responsible for ensuring their contractors are paying the right amount of tax, and the arts professionals who supply their services must be ready for the change, says Nick Bustin.
31 Oct 2019
Feature
Creating a production that allowed a young and inexperienced disabled British Asian actor to play an authentic character was a rewarding challenge that led to a rich experience for everyone involved. Pravesh Kumar tells the story.
31 Oct 2019
Feature
As she steps down as Editor of the cultural policy journal Cultural Trends, Sara Selwood takes a long hard look at the way the sector has developed – and tells it like it is.