Tuesday, 20 October 2020
Why can’t an obscure disabled artist represent Britain at the Venice Biennale? Too many visual arts decisions are being driven by a celebrity culture based on commercial values, says Ashokkumar Mistry.
Has the Prado illustrated the very misogyny it has sought to expose by focusing on works by men rather than celebrating those by women? Sam Jones reports on the controversy around its latest exhibition.
Monday, 19 October 2020
Aesthetics, economics and ethics are all fighting for influence as arts organisations take decisions about their futures. But which one should be taking the driver’s seat asks Diane Ragsdale.
Since 1990 Glasgow has become a powerful and much cited example of culture-led regeneration for cities. Where Glasgow led, cities from Manchester to Barcelona followed.
Accessing a performance online brings an intimate dimension to attending the theatre. Vinson Cunningham shares the experience.
Tuesday, 13 October 2020
"You don’t get the same buzz and energy packing dog food eight hours a day but it pays the bills.” The people suffering most in the music business are those that didn't have a lot in the first place, reports Ian Birrell.
Sunday, 11 October 2020
Amateur theatre is often run by enthusiasts with a 'show must go on' attitude. Stephen Stafford examines the Covid challenges they face and how they intend to keep their communities engaged through the crisis.
Was it right to cancel plans to display Philip Guston's provocative set of paintings of the Ku Klux Klan at Tate? Aindrea Emelife sees it as a patronising move of the cultural establishment to protect itself from criticism.
What are musicians doing to make ends meet as they face empty diaries for the foreseeable future? Antonia Hoyle reveals the stop-gap careers that are tiding them over.
When cultural institutions talk of being impactful, life changing and 'transformative', they mean to transform the other into themselves, says Rosie Priest.
Wednesday, 07 October 2020
The ability to imagine yourself in a creative job is central to taking the first steps towards it, says Louise Benson. Without role models, pursuing a career in the arts can feel like an impossibility.
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.
Rishi Sunak's 'viability' threshold will consign businesses in the arts and whole swathes of our economy to the scrapheap, and the misnamed job support scheme is nothing of the sort. Ed Miliband decries the Chancellor's Covid recovery measures.
Tuesday, 06 October 2020
"Being relevant doesn’t mean that we can no longer perform historical works, it simply demands that the format is modernised." Tom Foster reflects on the importance of relevance.
Anita Choudhrie applauds the galleries that are buying the works of early career artists in need of support and tells arts investors why now is a good time to invest.
'Safe' is relative and 'risk' is a social construct. So how do we make those who work in the cultural sector and those who visit our spaces feel safe again? Leah Hamilton explores the conundrum.
Friday, 02 October 2020
How does it feel to be back at the theatre? Performers, employees and audiences at reopened venues describe their experiences as the (socially-distanced) magic returns.
Wednesday, 30 September 2020
The industry tremors that have accompanied the pandemic are only part of a larger trend of dissatisfaction among the sector’s employees, says Zachary Small.
Monday, 28 September 2020
Micro-scale cooperative developments building localised capacity are far better placed than our current clique of regularly funded organisations to tackle the uncharted territory of the ‘new arts normal’ ahead, says Susan Jones.
Arguing that more money should be pumped into curricular arts lessons, only for them to be ruined by an exam-oriented system which isn’t designed for them, is the wrong way forward, says Ashna Ahmad.