The sector should be scared – very scared
"We have now had a glimpse of what direct government funding of the arts would look like – and it’s not a pretty…
Posts
News Comment: Sharp actions, at pace, with respect
UK Music has published its industry-wide ten-point plan for a diverse music ecosystem. But it’s actions, not words, that wil…
Teaching music mustn’t become an exclusive career option
By cutting bursaries for teacher training, the Department for Education will make a career in teaching an unreachable dream for so…
Resilience: the responsibility of the system, not the people
An ongoing and unspoken sense of crisis has driven those working in the performing arts to accept an intolerable range of behaviou…
A failure of scholarship in the field of arts and health
A DCMS report asserting that ‘the arts can,’ ‘music can,’ and ‘dance can’ improve arts and hea…
Risk versus reward
England’s arts organisations will be asked to make decisions that affect more than people’s livelihoods.
Ventilation – How to breathe life into theatre
Venue operators should be rightly angry that the Government continues to insist that social distancing is the main route to making…
Systemic funding failures: it’s time to fix the fault lines
To future-proof the creative sector we must root out systemic funding bias against BAME organisations, says Kevin Osborne, startin…
Letter: Fund the ecosystem – not the select few
If ACE only distributes the Government's support package to the organisations they have a current relationship with, then 80%…
The Other Side – what should it look like and how can we get there?
As governments start to draw up plans for supporting the post-virus cultural sector, the voices of those working in it are the mos…
Covid-19: Freelancers need our support
Amid the hand wringing and the hand washing, let’s not forget the workforce, says Amanda Parker.
‘Overambitious’ about placemaking? We’ve only just started…
The Great Place Scheme demonstrates how projects flourish when official bodies allow them freedom from pre-determined outcomes, sa…
It’s true: courage is contagious
We need to find ways to support – and hear – honest, respectful difference of opinion. That’s why we’re la…
‘Art’ or ‘culture’? Let’s scrap both
After centuries of trying to define the arts and culture, we remain deeply confused about what they are and their benefits, says L…
I shouldn’t have been ‘cancelled’ for my vulgar jokes
Yes, my crude social media posts may have caused offence – but we can't only allow speech we find agreeable, says Manick…
Birmingham must embrace its Heavy Metal heritage
Regeneration is all very well – but it is only through celebrating its authentic working class culture that the city can dis…
Quotas alone won’t achieve gender equality
Setting targets helps, but wider strategies are needed to dispel the sense of novelty value that still surrounds female musicians….
Crisis or opportunity?
Arts and culture will need to prove their worth to other sectors if they are to survive under a Conservative government.
Classical music must face up to abuse
Harassment will continue until institutions are willing to take difficult decisions, says Jonathan Knott.
A high street renaissance?
Amanda Parker asks whether the arts can really save our high streets.
Diversity and inclusion: why are we still talking about it?
A reluctance to self-reflect and a tendency to recruit in our own image are at the root of the sector’s failure to employ a…
We need more welfare funding of the arts – literally
If the arts sector really has faith in everyday creativity, it should put its money where its mouth is, writes Jonathan Knott.
What will Ed do next?
What might the UK's longest serving Culture Minister take as his next step? Amanda Parker makes some suggestions.
And they’re off…
How many of us working in the arts are keeping quiet about how we really feel, asks Amanda Parker.
