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…
Posts
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…
Optimism with a side of caution
Nadine Dorries is a gift horse the cultural sector shouldn't look in the mouth.
Levelling down London’s HE sector
Universities in the capital are set to lose nearly £80m in funding for arts courses. Diana Beech fears this will further wid…
Is DCMS any longer fit for purpose?
While the appointment of Nadine Dorries to lead DCMS has been greeted with widespread dismay by the cultural sector, Robert Hewiso…
When best intentions backfire?
In trying to diversify its company, English Touring Opera shot itself – and 14 freelancers – in the foot.
Racial equity: a zero-sum game?
The fight for racially equitable funding in the creative industries is what drove Kevin Osborne to set up Create Equity. Here…
UK City of Culture competition in need of redesign
The UK City of Culture is a DCMS success story by any standards. But, as Andrew Dixon explains, serious flaws in this year’s…
Why funders must pledge to fund equitably
Covid, the murder of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement all led to an outpouring of statements committin…
Arts and culture needs its Euro 2020 moment
Ethnically diverse creative leaders are experiencing a rise in racist abuse. Amanda Parker calls for government support to kick it…
Masking for a friend
Arts venues might lose out by mandating masks and other Covid-19 mitigations but it's the only socially responsible optio…
Choosing care over censorship
The Jess de Wahls controversy has highlighted how tenuous arts organisations' solidarity with transgender people can…
State funding for BAME entrepreneurs
Can using public money to make BAME* entrepreneurs successful be in the public interest if it makes them wealthy too? Kevin Osborn…
New Deal for the arts
The more you look at the cultural aftermath of this year of lockdowns, the clearer it becomes that current thinking around arts fu…
Time’s up for conservatoire culture
Drama schools would do well to interrogate their practices and culture now before the calls for reform begin.
Funding BAME creativity
Kevin Osborne has long been exercised by systemic racial bias in UK arts funding. Last month he produced a panel discussion aimed…
Coming of age
'We’ve only been here because you’ve been with us': as ArtsProfessional heads into its third decade, Liz…
BAME over – the unintended consequences
With a Government report recommending the dropping of the term BAME, people have been challenging Kevin Osborne’s continued…
