Category: Arts policy

Post-(art)war

piss_christ.jpgThe ‘arms-length’ principle underpinning the Irish Arts Council is often subjected to a healthy dose of skepticism– nevertheless few public arts policy bodies have endured the heat of political scrutiny quite like the U.S. National Endowment of the Arts. Michael J. Lewis’ perceptive recent article in Commentary Magazine charts the decline of the NEA into the risk-averse and toothless grant-making organisation it’s largely become:

In brief, the NEA has withered in a matter of decades from a self-styled instrument of world peace to a cautious dispenser of largesse whose one inflexible principle is that no grant must ever redound to the administration’s embarrassment. Whether it can regain its early ambition—or whether it should try to—is an open question.

War-scarred with charges of obscenity and wastefulnes, the NEA now toes a pretty timid line on a tiny budget. Is there any hope of resurrecting the NEA into a force for progressive national arts policy? (more…)

Backlash against British Council

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Over 100 artists and arts professionals (including Damien Hirst, Tracy Emin, Nick Serota, David Hockney, Gilbert & George, etc) have signed a letter in protest over the apparent restructuring of the British Council’s arts programme, published recently in the Guardian. According to the accompanying article:

What is known is that the British Council is planning a radical shakeup in the way it delivers arts abroad, and part of that will entail scrapping its long-established arts departments, including visual arts, theatre, film and dance.

(see also the BBC‘s reporting of the controversy)

Meanwhile the British Council’s chief executive Martin Davidson has insisted in a statement that ‘the British Council remains deeply committed to the arts in all its forms. But like any organisation, we need to review our focus from time to time, and we are initiating such a consultation on the council’s arts strategy this month.’

It’s not yet clear what the restructuring will entail, but the claimed ‘consultation’ seems to be an exercise in optics rather than a true dialogue, as subsequent letters to the Guardian on the issue seem to indicate.

It’s been a tough week for the arts in Britain– in response to the recent major cuts by the ACE (as noted in a previous post) a number of theatres and orchestras in the UK are preparing to sue the Council for their loss of income. As Mark Brown of the Guardian observed:

… the artists are in revolt. The actors’ union, Equity, passed a vote of no confidence in Arts Council England, although it is implementing a much bigger than expected spending round. But while it is increasing money to three-quarters of its 990 regularly funded organisations, it is also cutting it for 194 of them. Sometimes the Arts Council must take tough decisions to allow innovative groups more money and refresh the pot with new organisations. But the actors believe theatre is taking too big a hit. Now the painters and sculptors are flexing their muscle against the British Council. What should have been a week for forward-looking debate on the arts has ended in acrimony and a breakdown in trust between artists and arts managers.

A big lump o’coal for some English arts organisations

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The Guardian reported yesterday on the Arts Council of England’s decision to axe funding for nearly 200 organisations, although a significant number will be enjoying large grant increases. Little comfort to the National Student Drama Festival, however, which looks set to lose its £52,000 grant in advance of its annual festival only a few months away…

With over £1 billion in their coffers, is the ACE’s decision savvy management or serious scrooging?:

The Arts Council admitted the pre-Christmas timing was bad, but said “tough decisions” had to be made. Its spokeswoman, Louise Wylie, said the criteria on which it was taking the funding decisions included access and breadth of audiences, and the excellence of work. The council has been taking decisions in tandem with a national review into excellence in the arts by Brian McMaster, former director of the Edinburgh International Festival. The government is expected to publish his report in January.

The news comes at what had been an atmosphere of good cheer in the arts after the Arts Council was given a higher than expected financial settlement by the government. But the council’s strategy is to hand out the money so that organisations can thrive rather than just survive. “In among the bad news for the minority, there is extraordinarily good news for the majority,” said Wylie.

It admits that there will be fewer organisations getting money, but points out that while 194 are seeing funding cut, another 80-odd are being added to its portfolio. (more)

EU Culture ministers adopt ‘European agenda for culture’

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eu_flag_star.jpgAnother petal unfolds from the flower of EU cultural bureaucracy (er, policy). In a nutshell, EU Cultural Ministers have accepted the topics for discussion proposed by EC Commission on Culture: (1) promotion of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue; (2) promotion of culture as a catalyst for creativity in the framework of the Lisbon Strategy for growth, employment, innovation and competitiveness; (3) promotion of culture as a vital element in the Union’s international relation. Now that we’ve moved from talking about talking, to agreeing what will be talked about, the next step is… more talks? Hmm.

The European Forum for Arts and Heritage has more:

Education, Youth and Culture Council, Brussels, 15-16th November 2007

During their November meeting, the European Ministers of Culture adopted the objectives and instruments proposed by the European Commission in its Communication on Culture. The Council resolution on the ‘European agenda for culture’ brings to a close the long consultation process and opens up some new perspectives for cultural policy developments at EU level.

Following difficult negotiations between EU Member States, and a large-scale consultation exercise with civil society representatives in Lisbon last September, the EU finally agreed on a ‘European agenda for culture’, which should open the way for strategic and coordinated EU action in the cultural field.

In addition to its Culture programme, and respecting the principle of subsidiarity which excludes any kind of European harmonisation of national cultural policies, the EU will launch an ‘Open Method of Coordination’ applied to the cultural policy field. This intergovernmental, voluntary and flexible instrument is intended to stimulate Member States to reflect, converse and exchange ideas on a number of key policy issues, which urgently require enhanced cooperation at European level. If the Council agreed on the topics to be discussed within the framework of the Open Method of Coordination’ during the next three years (mobility, access to culture, cultural statistics, the economy of culture and the implementation of the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions), the concrete instruments and time tables have to be worked out. Access to documents and civil society participation will be of crucial importance to make sure that discussions develop in a democratic and transparent way.

In addition to proposing the Open Method of Coordination in the field of culture, the adoption of the ‘European agenda for culture’ should also open the door to the recognition of the role of arts and culture within the European Commission system and policies: the setting up of internal instruments to finally implement proper cultural mainstreaming, the gathering of cultural statistics by Eurostat and the development of a genuine structured dialogue with civil society organisations. Hopefully, this new ‘agenda for culture’ should finally lead to an increased European budget for culture in the financing period after 2013.

(Click here for the resolution in full.)

More budget woes northside…

koaarally2.jpgThink the arts sector is underfunded in Ireland? Spare a thought for our neighbours in the north, currently facing significant budget cuts in the proposed Budget 2008-2011, when per capita spending on the arts is already half of that in the Republic: ‘Public spending per capita on the arts in the year 2006-07 was: in the Republic of Ireland £12.61; in Scotland £11.93; in Wales £8.80; in England £8.39; in Northern Ireland £6.13 (£10.5m).’ (Source: ACNI)

The ACNI’s Multi Annual funding programme has already been discontinued, and it warns that many more programmes and organisations will lose funding if the proposed budget goes ahead. A rally was held yesterday at Stormont to demonstrate support for the arts in Northern Ireland:

Arts Sector rally to Save the Arts (link)
10/12/2007

Northern Ireland ’s arts sector, supported by the Arts Council, today organized the Keep Our Arts Alive rally in a bid to save the arts and to improve the allocation contained within the Draft Budget 2008-2011, currently out for public consultation and which closes on 4th January 2008.

The arts in Northern Ireland are in danger of dying from neglect. That was the message of artists, arts professionals and supporters who gathered at Carson’s statue at Stormont to make a public call for increased arts funding.

Dressed in costume and carrying the tools of their arts and banners, supporters presented the Chair of the CAL Committee, Barry McElduff, with a letter which calls upon government to rethink the final budget settlement. This letter explained how the draft budget proposal pushes the sector into continuing downward spiral of decay and highlighted the negative impact it will have on the economy as a whole.

Artists Danny Devenney and Mark Ervine also unveiled a blank canvas to represent Northern Ireland without art – a consequence that Northern Ireland may have to tackle.

The advantages to be gained from meaningful investment in the arts have not been recognised by Northern Ireland’s main political parties, which gave overwhelming support in October to a Private Members’ Motion, calling on the Executive ‘to raise the level of arts funding to at least the United Kingdom average within the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review’. Regrettably this support is not reflected in the Draft Budget.

Speaking on behalf of the arts sector, Ali FitzGibbon, Director, Young at Art said, “The arts industry desperately needs this investment and has shown it is necessary to a peaceful, fair and prosperous society. All the parties backed a bid for parity of funding. *Over 70% of the population attends arts and culture events and 78% believe it should be funded. The case has been made and the priorities and budget must follow suit and increase spending on the arts to a realistic level.”

Roisín McDonough, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented, “If the allocation is not increased this will have devastating consequences for the arts sector. Our artists and core organisations will face a bleak future, and pressing developmental work will not be undertaken.”

“The people of Northern Ireland deserve the same cultural entitlement as their neighbours on these islands and I am asking everyone who understands the rewards to be found from investment in the arts to make their feelings clear during the public consultation process. The Northern Ireland Assembly must rethink its budget allocation for the arts.”

To find out more about the campaign to improve the funding situation for the arts in Northern Ireland, visit www.keepourartsalive.com, visit the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s ‘Campaigning for the Arts’ webpages or telephone (028) 9038 5200.

*Arts and Culture, (2004), Arts Council of Northern Ireland Study