As art makes us see things differently, so do the challenges and cuts faced by the cultural sector. The sheer scale of the systemic change underway is why we opted for the seemingly flippant title of ‘We’re not in Kansas anymore’ for our first regional conference this month. As the landscape changes around us, it is timely that Gemma Taylor and Liz Hill remind us (pp5–6) of the crucial role of friends as donors and supporters – indeed the public is the biggest funder of the arts ahead of local authorities and the cultural funders. However, as we enter this brave new world, we need to be reminded there are other friends we may be neglecting, namely colleagues and peers across the sector.
It is a disconcerting and difficult experience to see friends and colleagues in local authorities and tourist boards being re-structured, leaving or even losing jobs. But in the same way that reduced public investment forces organisations to turn more closely to their audiences and supporters, these challenges should also be making us look to our peers and allies more.
There are several examples of how North West organisations are responding: the recent appointment of Maria Balshaw as joint Director for both Whitworth Art Gallery and Manchester Art Gallery (AP233); the community engagement programme run jointly by Liverpool Playhouse & Everyman, and the Bluecoat; or the role Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake is playing in cultural regeneration beyond its walls in West Cumbria. Some are pragmatic responses, some are planned and considered, but all have a focus to ensure that a joined up approach delivers real benefits to audiences, participants and local communities, and builds a stronger cultural sector. Despite the harsh environment – and although it feels counter-intuitive to ‘survival’ – organisations and individuals need to be even more aware of their inter-connectedness in the arts ecology and their responsibilities. Dire straits should bring people closer together not further apart.
John Knell, Graham Leicester and Mark Robinson have all discussed an arts ecology approach to funding, and it is interesting to see that Creative Scotland (p1) is including in its 2011/12 business plan “a review of Scotland’s cultural ecology….to identify gaps and inform future strategic commissioning of production and touring”. As a sector, we need to engage with this agenda not just when it becomes a funding issue. We need to avoid unhelpful, insular and individualistic survival tactics but look for collaborative relationships that strengthen the eco-system, allowing individual artists and organisations to survive and to deliver benefit to audiences. I do not believe Cameron’s “We are all in it together” is either a genuine sentiment or a political reality. But as a sector, as an inter-connected eco-system, we are indeed in it together.
In ‘The Wizard of Oz’, Dorothy travels to a fantasy land and meets new friends, only to realise what good friends she had at home. I hope the current pressures on arts and cultural organisations do not allow us to forget all our friends.
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