In an edited excerpt from his new book about cultural diversity in the arts world, Richard Hylton examines Arts Council Englands handling of diversity issues.
We will act to eliminate individual and institutional racism, meet the needs of our clients and staff, comply with our statutory responsibilities, and make race equality a core issue in all that we do, across all programmes and activities.
Arts Council England's Race Equality scheme 2004-07
In a paper delivered to an audience at the V&A, the Chair of Arts Council England (ACE), Sir Christopher Frayling, noted: "...contemporary visual arts have enjoyed not just a sustained period of productive activity, but a much higher profile than ever before."1 Frayling pointed to the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead and Tate Modern as examples of visual arts' increased popularity and broader appeal. According to Frayling, this had come about, in part, as a result of increased funding (courtesy of the National Lottery) enabling both the development of new galleries and the widespread refurbishment of existing venues. For Frayling, such activity represented a significant moment in the arts: "The 'Golden Age' is, I believe, happening right here, right now. And it is golden precisely because we have gone for the new and the brave and the different. Despite being upbeat about the 'Golden Age', Frayling also used his speech to raise a number of issues.
He expressed the view that whilst ACE is rightly accountable for the proper investment of public money into the arts, it should remain fiercely independent in making individual decisions. Explicit in his criticism of New Labour, Frayling claimed the distance between ACE and government is narrowing& While it was the Conservative government of the 1980s that first introduced the mantra culture should serve the economy, since 1997 New Labour has added a whole list of priorities still on the basis of instrumental outcome.
Although Frayling expressed concern about the erosion of distance between government and ACE, it could be argued that the cultural diversity policies emerging from ACE today appear complicit in carrying out New Labours inclusion policy verbatim. Parallels can be made between Fraylings criticism of government in being more prescriptive and ACEs overly-prescriptive application of cultural diversity. Arguing in favour of the arms-length principle, Frayling claims that ACEs own professionalism makes it best placed to make decisions better informed by the needs and opportunities of the sector than a career civil servant ever could. Equally, it could be argued that Black artists, as individuals, should be left to decide their proximity to cultural diversity, rather than it being enforced as a fait accompli.
By its own admission, ACE has for over 30 years been involved in what it has called policy building2 relating to cultural diversity. During the past three decades, initiatives and policies have been devised to address what has, at various times, been referred to (amongst other things) as ethnic arts, multicultural arts, the Black arts sector and new internationalism. Although by no means the sole arts-related public body to have actively pursued policies and strategies relating to cultural diversity, ACE now willingly occupies what could be considered to be the most influential position regarding the impact of cultural diversity on the visual arts sector.
ACEs various strategies (not least the priority status given to what in todays funding parlance is called culturally diverse arts) arguably epitomise its continued authority and influence over such debates and activities. However, rather than being part of a broader mechanism for facilitating engagement and opportunities, such cultural diversity initiatives have increasingly become the default mechanism through which Black artists, save for a select few, are expected to operate. Racial separation in the arts appears to have increasingly become the norm.
However, given ACEs mix of arguably contradictory national and regional strategies, the concept of cultural diversity arts seems to be more omnium-gatherum and less a coherent strategy. This, it could be argued, is reflected in the development of separate buildings and award schemes on the one hand, and, on the other hand, initiatives such as Inspire which make gestures towards a more equitable and integrated mainstream.
Whilst it might be tempting to speculate about what will become of the notion of the culturally diverse artist or the minority ethnic curator in years to come, given various historical precedents, it might not be overstating the case to suggest that the prognosis for culturally diverse arts is not good. Its all-encompassing reach leaves little room, save for the select few, for those who might not wish to be framed in this way.
During this Golden Age ACE is guilty of doing precisely what Sir Christopher Frayling accused government of doing: being too prescriptive. Though unlikely to do so, ACE needs to apply its own arms-length principle with regard to cultural diversity policies, and Black artists and curators alike. Then, and only then, will it be possible for the racialised pathologies of the English gallery system to be successfully challenged. Until then, this system will, almost by default, remain arguably skewed in favour of white artists and curators.
Richard Hylton is Curator at Unit 2 Gallery, London Metropolitan University. This is an edited extract from The Nature of the Beast: Cultural Diversity and the Visual Arts Sector. A study of policies, initiatives and attitudes 1976-2006, published by ICIA, University of Bath. All are welcome to the book launch and discussion on 20 March in London.
w: http://www.thenatureofthebeast.org.uk; http://www.bath.ac.uk/icia
1 Frayling, Sir Christopher (2005), The only trustworthy book& Art and public value, Arts Council England, February 16, p3.
2 Ratnam, Niru (2005) Inspire Fellowship Programme, News from Arts Council England, London, Issue No 07, Arts Council England, October, p 12.
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