François Matarasso responds to the controversy over Arts Council England's focus on 'creative practitioners' rather than artists: "This strategy is three days old, and is already being reduced to a fruitless argument about a false story."
'On Monday, Arts Council England published its new strategy for the coming decade. Judging by the consultation document and the media coverage so far, it’s an important (and welcome) attempt at change. But I haven’t read it yet, because I’ve other things to do right now and – well, it’s going to be around for a long time. I’d rather read and think about it carefully, then I might write something here. This post is not a response to the strategy but to something that’s being said about it, in the press and online:
Arts Council England has said it will start referring to “creative practitioners” because people feel uncomfortable with the term “artist”
The Times, 28 January 2020
This was picked up by the Daily Mail, which merely repeated the Times report in more outraged tones. Some artists are now taking to the barricades to defend their ‘self-identification’. I’ve been told that the strategy doesn’t even use the words ‘art’ or ‘artist’. It reminds me of community artists I met in the 1980s, who argued that the word ‘art’ would put people off. I thought they were wrong then, and I still do.' ... Keep reading on A Restless Art
'On Monday, Arts Council England published its new strategy for the coming decade. Judging by the consultation document and the media coverage so far, it’s an important (and welcome) attempt at change. But I haven’t read it yet, because I’ve other things to do right now and – well, it’s going to be around for a long time. I’d rather read and think about it carefully, then I might write something here. This post is not a response to the strategy but to something that’s being said about it, in the press and online:
Arts Council England has said it will start referring to “creative practitioners” because people feel uncomfortable with the term “artist”
The Times, 28 January 2020
This was picked up by the Daily Mail, which merely repeated the Times report in more outraged tones. Some artists are now taking to the barricades to defend their ‘self-identification’. I’ve been told that the strategy doesn’t even use the words ‘art’ or ‘artist’. It reminds me of community artists I met in the 1980s, who argued that the word ‘art’ would put people off. I thought they were wrong then, and I still do.' ... Keep reading on A Restless Art