Letter: The wheels turn slowly

Dear Editor,

I am pleasantly surprised that this report has addressed an issue that I believe would be a better all round approach to arts funding. I approached Arts Council North East in 2008/9 with the idea that people should be offered a loan instead of a grant based on research that showed many individuals and companies were getting grant after grant to produce things that were not sustainable. It is Important to be able to get your work out there but if it cannot sell then it is throwing good money after bad. If people were given a mixture of grant aid for those areas that will be about education and engagement with the artist and then loans for the making of the artists work towards a sellable product. The artist will work harder toward the marketing of the work as they need to sell it to repay the loan.

Repayment of loans would mean that there is a sustaining element to the cycle of arts council funding and more funding available. Anything that is lottery funded needs to be accountable and should in the very same expectation be supported by a sound business model that has a requirement of longevity and sustainability. 

I don't mean that there should not be grant aid as there are areas of the arts that will never make any money but will benefit the development of the British culture and British identity. These are usually the delivery of participatory arts, arts education, fringe festivals and carnivals where the work is usually carried out with the community and volunteers.

Great to see it actually might happen albeit in a minority approach, the wheels turn slowly.

Adrian Moule
Painter and printmaker