Weve come a long way since W B Yeats wrote his scathing poem To a Wealthy Man who promised a second Subscription to the Dublin Municipal Gallery if it were proved the People wanted Pictures. His premise was that ordinary people couldnt possibly know what they wanted: they didnt have the education to realise that art was good for them. They had to be given the right twigs for the eagles nest. Now everyone can have a say. The ACE report on public engagement and the upcoming McMaster report on excellence in the arts both subscribe to the idea that everyones opinion and ideas are worthy of consideration. This is a valuable shift in many ways: knowledge is power, and the arts establishment ought to be able to use that power to make change happen. (Or is that getting hold of the wrong end of the twig?)
We still see the eminent wrangling over policy and investment. Sir John Tusas policy task force is clearly biased towards the arts, and happy to make some radical proposals (with which the Tories, who paid for it, may or may not agree). Plans for setting up Creative Scotland include a commitment to artistic freedom and risk-taking, responding to some hotly expressed views on state influence on the arts. Clearly, the old tension is still there. Taking on the peoples view could be seen as dangerous: what do they know, after all? But sticking with the patrician view just wont wash in this day and age.
Wherever you look, the hot issue seems to be cultural entitlement, and whether it has been sidelined. Scotland wants it; Tusa wants it; at least some of the respondents to the ACE debate seem to want it. However, a clear idea of what it may be has yet to emerge. Is it education (music lessons, trips to museums)? Is it infrastructure (wheres your nearest theatre)? Is it the Internet (potentially a universally accessible alternative venue according to Sir John)? Is it about having individuals and communities own cultures being recognised and celebrated, in whatever form they take? Whatever it is, it sounds expensive, difficult and slow to achieve. Lets hope the powers that be are in for the long haul.
Catherine Rose
Should Englands leading arts organisations be funded directly by the DCMS?
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