We can’t afford not to support the arts, but how do we afford them with a funding landscape in decline? Donations from individuals and businesses, suggests Peter Bazalgette.
The glamorous figure swept by me in a beautiful gown and was cheered rapturously by 400 people assembled in the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens.
It was early this summer, and we were there for the unveiling of six extraordinary new tapestries. The figure was their creator, the artist and this month's Reith Lecturer, Grayson Perry. His The Vanity of Small Differences tells a story of a modern Britain that includes football fans and clubbers, all of whom happily joined the celebration that night.
This isn’t unusual – arts and culture are an essential part of our national conversation and lie at the centre of the life of every community in the country. As Chair of Arts Council England I'm sometimes asked whether, as a nation, we can afford to support the arts. My answer is: we can't afford not to. The critical question is how we afford them in a time of declining national and local government funding.
I believe that one of the answers is to increase charitable donations from businesses and individuals. This is no easy task, especially outside of London, but it can be done. Let me give you some examples.
The glamorous figure swept by me in a beautiful gown and was cheered rapturously by 400 people assembled in the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens.
It was early this summer, and we were there for the unveiling of six extraordinary new tapestries. The figure was their creator, the artist and this month's Reith Lecturer, Grayson Perry. His The Vanity of Small Differences tells a story of a modern Britain that includes football fans and clubbers, all of whom happily joined the celebration that night.
This isn’t unusual – arts and culture are an essential part of our national conversation and lie at the centre of the life of every community in the country. As Chair of Arts Council England I'm sometimes asked whether, as a nation, we can afford to support the arts. My answer is: we can't afford not to. The critical question is how we afford them in a time of declining national and local government funding.
I believe that one of the answers is to increase charitable donations from businesses and individuals. This is no easy task, especially outside of London, but it can be done. Let me give you some examples.