Perhaps taking his lead from ArtsProfessionals stance on Public Service Agreement targets for the arts sector (see Platform, AP Issue 147), the new Culture Secretary, James Purnell, has used his first speech to indicate that his department is, after all, not so interested in targets (p1). Talking of targetolatory, Purnell spoke of the risk of fetishising targets, at the expense of sacrificing what is really valuable about the arts. What should be taken for granted, he states, is the intrinsic value of the arts, that culture matters in itself. More to the point, he has now explicitly stated that the wildly improbable targets set by the DCMS are no longer his priority. As we have argued before, the PSA targets for the sector are pointless at best, ruinous at worse, and have done much to hamper Arts Council England and, consequently, the many arts organisations who depend on its resources and leadership.
For those with short memories, this may seem quite a turnaround, and one that will be welcomed with open arms by many in the sector. But we should be wary of new dawns, and the easy blandishments of politicians particularly those keen to make a favourable early impression. Three years ago, in her 2004 speech Government and the Value of Culture, Tessa Jowell said that she thought market research and focus groups were of limited value when it came to understanding the intrinsic value of culture. She continued, How, in going beyond targets, can we best capture the value of culture? and floated the idea that in future, the evaluation of arts organisations effectiveness might be formed on the basis of longer-term funding agreements, underpinned by a lighter-touch, more intelligent review that focuses on cultural outcomes.
Sunny optimists and Government apologists can, if they wish, see a consistency of argument here but that was not the spin attached to the new Culture Secretarys speech. James Purnell has offered what he claims is a new vision of how the arts sector can flourish. It was, in some ways, a thoughtful speech with many good words. The freshness of its vision, however, remains in doubt, and the seriousness of its intent is something that can only be judged over time.
Nick Jordan
Editor
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