Towards racial equality – or just ticking boxes?

The general perception that arts organisations are broad-minded, liberal and full of nice people has led to a general assumption that cultural prejudice and racial discrimination could not possibly exist in such an environment. The truth is that institutional racism is evident throughout the arts in the UK but is often not recognised as such. 

Organisations profess equal opportunities policies, ethical programming, social inclusion and outreach schemes, all of which provide a feel good factor and enable them to tick the funding bodies’ relevant boxes relating to cultural diversity. Job advertisements are placed in the Guardian or ArtsProfessional clearly stating, “we welcome applications from all sections of the community”, or “we will guarantee an interview to applicants from ethnic minority backgrounds who fulfill the minimum criteria” and enclosing ethnic monitoring forms in their information packs. But how many organisations have tried advertising in The Voice or The Asian Times, or networking in the African Caribbean and Asian communities to actively seek out eligible applicants? How many have an action plan to support their Equal Opportunities policy or can substantiate their public claims to an unbiased recruitment process through providing genuine culturally diverse results? A black dancer, musician or actor amongst a white group on stage creates welcome publicity and debate, but who notices whether the marketing manager, finance director or senior curator is black or not? Unfortunately, attitudes towards cultural diversity, or a ‘tick box mentality’, often create negative experiences both for ethnic touring groups, who feel they are sometimes just fulfilling a politically correct mandate, and for individuals who cynically wonder if they are being appointed to a job for their skills or for their colour.

Revealing statistics

In general there is a willingness in the arts community to be seen to be doing the right thing; to be conscious of and committed to addressing cultural diversity. But institutional racism is a deeply complex issue that requires focus and debate at a much more sophisticated level than most are prepared to recognise. The facts and figures speak for themselves. Arts Council England (ACE) research found that, out of 2,009 staff employed in English theatre in 2000, only 80 were Black or Asian; and out of 463 board members, only 16 were. There is currently only one non-white artistic director running a mainstream producing theatre in the UK and in London, where over 50% of the population comes from ethnic origins, none of the major theatres, orchestras or galleries is led by anyone from these groups. Even the best known Black and Asian theatre and dance companies all still employ white general managers to run their businesses. Statistics in the museums and galleries field are even lower. So, what are the main reasons for the small numbers of ethnic minority employees in arts management and what is being done to address the situation?

Cultural barriers

Class, education and environment play a strong role in our career choices and there is no doubt that we are still very traditional in the route we all take into arts administration via drama school, music college, university, and/or an arts management course. Children from ethnic minorities grow up immersed in their own culture and find it harder to engage in Western art. Those that do move into the arts field are much more likely to do so within their own cultural sector. It is also recognized that children of first or second generation Black or Asian parents are more likely to be encouraged to take up a professional career such as law, accountancy or medicine where they believe financial security and status will offer them better protection against racial prejudice. However, one of the main reasons seems to be just a matter of timing. It takes between 10 and 15 years for most people to acquire the knowledge, skills and experience required to become a chief executive and, quite simply, ten years ago there were very, very few administrators from ethnic minorities working in the arts. As, Felix Cross, Artistic Director of Nitro Theatre commented, “Nothing works in isolation and if no-one sees black people active in the arts, how will they know there is a career opportunity there for them. Twenty years ago there was only one black footballer in all four English divisions: then a threshold was crossed and look at the difference now!”

Renewed efforts

The situation has been changing slowly over the years, but it is only recently, with the initiative of ACE, the Theatrical Management Association and Nottingham Playhouse in setting up a conference in 2001 on how to combat racism in theatre, that the real issues have been recognised and are being addressed. The recommendations in the ensuing Eclipse Report included the setting up of training boards, establishing posts for senior staff in equal opportunities and race relations and encouraging organisations to reflect their policies through live action plans that are constantly monitored and updated. In other areas, training and fast track schemes and fellowship and apprenticeship programmes are helping to bring more ethnic minority administrators into the arts from other sectors. Work within communities to encourage people to take up opportunities in the arts, is also proving successful.

One of the most critical factors in bringing a greater cultural mix into arts management has to be through the leadership roles. The arts, like other businesses, are led from the top and while there are so few chairs, board members and chief executives from ethnic minority groups in our organisations there will be little major change. This is where we must look for the signs that change is not just on the way, but that the threshold has finally been crossed.

Heather Newill is Practice Director, Arts, Entertainment and Media, for Friedlander Sachs, an agency specialising in Executive Search and Human Capital Consulting
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