Culture sector ‘depends on freelancers not just organisations’

Direct funding and structural support for artists should be considered equally as vital as investment in arts organisations, the founder of a network supporting cultural freelancers has said.

Responding to a report from Arts Council England that aims to highlight how public funding in culture can attract further investment, creative producer and facilitator Leila d’Aronville said that the sector’s future depends on its freelancers, not just its organisations, which she says are at risk of becoming “hollow” and “disconnected” from creativity.

d’Aronville called upon the government to consider “a balanced approach” to arts investment that safeguards institutions “where appropriate” while also ensuring that the creative workforce “receives the support it desperately needs”.

In an open letter to ACE chair Nick Serota, who last week gave an interview to The Guardian, advocating for public investment in arts organisations, d’Aronwille said: “While supporting organisations is vital, it is equally crucial to provide direct funding and structural support to the artists themselves.

“Without them, our theatres, galleries, and cultural spaces risk becoming hollow institutions, disconnected from the very creativity they are meant to celebrate.

“Whilst [Serota mentions] that public investment in cultural organisations and institutions compels inward investment – Investing in artists is not just a cultural imperative; it is an economic necessity and an essential for our communities to thrive.

“While supporting organisations is vital, it is equally crucial to provide direct funding and structural support to the artists themselves. Without them, our theatres, galleries, and cultural spaces risk becoming hollow institutions, disconnected from the very creativity they are meant to celebrate.

d’Aronville said freelancers make up a significant portion of the sector with 49% of the cultural sector workforce being freelance, and 70% of visual arts workers operating independently.

“Despite their contributions, many struggle with financial instability, with 65% of visual artists earning below the National Minimum Wage. Without direct investment in these individuals, we risk losing the very talent that makes our cultural venues and organisations vibrant and relevant.”

Freelance precarity

The difficulties facing freelancers were also highlighted in Creative UK’s Forging Freelance Futures report, published last month, with the organisation’s chief executive, Caroline Norbury, noting that they “are too frequently overlooked in the systems and structures that shape the industry”.

Based on a survey of 1,272 freelancers and 221 organisations that work with freelancers, the study found two-thirds (66%) of respondents have seen a reduction in work since the pandemic.

The downturn, the report explains, has been worsened by broader economic uncertainty, shifts in media consumption, a slowdown in commissioning, recent strikes and the rise of artificial intelligence.

Meanwhile, 64% of respondents said they have experienced low or unfair pay during their freelance careers, with some adding that late payments impact their ability to meet rent costs and bills.

Highlighting a series of structural inequalities impacting freelancers, a recurring theme among ethnic minority respondents was a feeling of tokenism, while disabled respondents shared the barriers to entry they face, including inaccessible application processes and a lack of workplace adjustments.

In her open letter, d’Aronville said: “A thriving creative workforce must reflect the diversity of the communities it serves. Yet, entrenched inequalities persist, with barriers to entry disproportionately affecting individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. If we are to ensure the continued relevance of our cultural sector, we must prioritise inclusivity and equitable access to opportunities.”

‘Crowding in’

Published last week, ACE’s Leading the Crowd report is the funding body’s latest to advocate for the wider financial benefits of public funding for the arts.

The study sets out to show how public funding in arts and culture can act as a catalyst to attract philanthropic support, sponsorship and commercial income growth streams in a phenomenon known as “crowding in”.

The report said that comments from private investors showed “time and again they confirm that a decisive public investment – a ‘first move’ – was critical to their willingness to invest and to the scale of their support”.

English National Opera’s Breathe programme, developed with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust during the pandemic to provide long-term COVID patients with free online breath retraining, is one of the examples cited.

In the first two years of the programme, ENO used £335,000 of its £12.38m core funding from ACE as part of the National Portfolio for 2018-22, to directly support the creation of the scheme, securing an additional £1.1m in philanthropic income over the last five years.

Elsewhere, a capital grant of £26.4m from the previous government to the National Theatre was cited as delivering “significant leverage” for the venue, enabling it to raise £73m in additional private investment and undertake a major skills and infrastructure programme without placing additional operational pressure on its core revenue budgets.

“These case studies provide robust evidence that public funding acts as a lever for additional investment, driving social, cultural, and economic returns”, said the report. “It underpins a sustainable, diverse cultural ecosystem while enabling access, innovation, and long-term resilience.”