Will the 'statues' row topple the arm's length principle?
The convention of government non-interference in arts and heritage matters is hanging by a thread, but there's no hope in looking for protection from the Arts Council, says Robert Hewison.
On 22 September, Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) wrote to his ‘colleagues’ at the national museums and other arms-length bodies warning them that: ‘the Government does not support the removal of statues or other similar objects’ (the underlinings are his). The letter, headed ‘HM GOVERNMENT POSITION ON CONTESTED HERITAGE’ (capital letters also his), made it clear that: ‘as publicly funded bodies, you should not be taking actions motivated by activism or politics’.
This latest salvo in the culture wars may give Lord Mendoza – tasked, as the DCMS-appointed Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal, with reporting on how the arts can recover from the pandemic – particular pause for thought. As Provost of Oriel College, Oxford, Mendoza also faces the tricky question of what do with the statue of its benefactor Cecil Rhodes... Keep reading on Apollo
On 22 September, Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) wrote to his ‘colleagues’ at the national museums and other arms-length bodies warning them that: ‘the Government does not support the removal of statues or other similar objects’ (the underlinings are his). The letter, headed ‘HM GOVERNMENT POSITION ON CONTESTED HERITAGE’ (capital letters also his), made it clear that: ‘as publicly funded bodies, you should not be taking actions motivated by activism or politics’.
This latest salvo in the culture wars may give Lord Mendoza – tasked, as the DCMS-appointed Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal, with reporting on how the arts can recover from the pandemic – particular pause for thought. As Provost of Oriel College, Oxford, Mendoza also faces the tricky question of what do with the statue of its benefactor Cecil Rhodes... Keep reading on Apollo