Local election manifesto
With many local councillors up for re-election next week, Chris Walker outlines his manifesto for increased local authority spendi…
Posts
Why levelling up shouldn’t mean levelling down on diversity
How will Arts Council England square the circle of delivering increased funding to regions outside London while also meeting its c…
Artists’ precarity is not just about pay
In the pandemic, government and ACE built a defensive hedge around the most visible aspects of the arts infrastructure. Susan Jone…
Beware the Captain Tom trap
In implementing the levelling up agenda, the arts should pay attention to some worrying news on the legacy of Captain Tom, writes…
Open letter to Darren Henley: from the coalface
Doesn't ACE realise that smaller NPOs are fighting for their very survival? Surely it does. So, says Ian Kerry, that must mean…
The case for cultural sanctions
James Doeser and Anna Marazuela Kim visited Kyiv last autumn to talk to cultural leaders about thriving cultural cities. Here they…
How to remain inclusive while living with Covid
Andrew Miller says arts organisations must work with disabled artists to keep them safe amid the very real risks the Governme…
Tate’s ‘backward step’
Tate Exchange – the only dedicated community co-creation programme in a major museum – is to be discontinued. Stella T…
Can you afford to work in the arts anymore?
As NPO applications are being crafted, budgets written and forecasts made, Keith Jeffrey asks: How big a pay rise are you going to…
What can investment contribute to race equity?
The existential question of race inequity demands new solutions. Kevin Osborne and Genevieve Maitland Hudson explore the potential…
Ethical trouble at the top
Day-to-day news is littered with questions over ethics. We care deeply about rights and wrongs. But Michelle Wright asks, do the a…
Where are the red lines on ethical fundraising?
In recent years, as climate change has intensified, so has controversy around fossil fuel funding. Chris Garrard says we must lear…
A is for absurd
Taking the 'new normal' seriously means accepting some changes might need to stay.
Emotional resilience is the key skill for 2022
While many arts and culture organisations are concerned about their financial viability, emotional resilience will also be essenti…
Not British, not welcome
While we were distracted by news of politicians partying during lockdown, last month a Bill was passed that changes rights to UK c…
Inequity in funding decisions
Funding ‘criteria’ tell you what a funder will or won’t support, but organisational ‘constraints’ ul…
Open letter from an NPO
On 15 December Nadine Dorries wrote to all Arts Council England’s NPOs about measures to increase access to the arts. It was…
Let’s not care what people think. Said nobody, ever.
When it comes to Equity, Diversity, Justice and Inclusion, Amanda Parker shares what happens when you fail to read the room &ndash…
Going public
Jonothan Neelands puts the case for a needs-based public culture, akin to Public Health or Public Education, to tackle inequality.
Thinking of applying for Arts Council NPO funding?
Has your organisation really got a chance of success? If not, think some more and save yourself the headache, says David Micklem.
Participation is everywhere. Now what?
When and why did the art world decide that everyone’s creativity should be celebrated and supported? What change does it pro…
Climate change needs more than lip service
There are better ways for the arts sector and its funders to tackle the climate crisis than slipshod data collection.
Whose ‘lived experience’ matters most?
A new strand of political correctness is reshaping conversations on race: the idea of ‘lived experience’ driving the d…
We need to talk about race
A reluctance to share opinions openly is a significant block to achieving racial equity. But as Kevin Osborne argues, without unde…
