Yesterday I joined the rally at the Scottish Government to demand/cry for MSPs to stop cutting the arts. But in a rapidly moving political game, the night before the original cut had been rescinded. This was the latest in a series of u-turns. As far as I can see it was caused by Creative Scotland choosing, quite deliberately, to cut 100% of the funding pot for individual artists in their open fund, rather than saving the same amount by reducing funding to some of the gold-star flagship organisations. They knew that the very livelihood of hundreds of freelancers would be affected, and they knew that we would rally, shout, protest, write letters and generate the kind of noise which causes MSPs and anyone in power to be embarrassed. It worked – but at what cost to freelancers and those who try and help them navigate the R&D and invention/creation phase of new artistic life.
There were powerful speeches yesterday. Passionate. Fact driven. Personal story driven, and rallying/inspiring. My thanks to Emma Jane Park, all the representatives of the Trade Unions, the organisers from Equity, and especially the band and physical theatre company who created great art for everyone – and were probably all doing it unpaid.
I am bemused by the Arts/Culture world I live in today. I don’t know whether I am just getting old and sad/angry or whether there has been a fundamental shift over the last 14 years and more.
My reflections are:
- There is so much less trust in artists and arts managers to do their jobs – so much more requirement for administrative accountability. This requires masses of non-art-making time from artists and organisations.
- Whilst any other business which delivers £8 to GDP from every £1 r&d investment* would be cheered, the Arts has got itself into a tangle of negative language around what is necessary to society, what is elitist, what is subsidy.
For reference: We are not a tiny sector of the economy – £11.2b from music/performing and visual arts employing 283.000 people https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/contribution-of-the-arts-to-society-and-the-economy/ This live sector is then the feeding ground for digital, TV, film and all the aspects of the cultural sector, quite apart from a tourism driver. The same report then highlights that Creative Industries overall accounts for £126bn in gross value added to the economy and employed 2.4 million people in 2022
- Artists and arts organisations are being required to work in totally unrealistic and ever- changing investment timescales. I stood outside Parliament with leaders of organisations who serve the community, and have done effectively across Scotland for years. They have no idea whether they will have a workable financial model to operate from April 1st 2025 – and may not know their income streams until announcements this December. They can’t commit to artists, to projects, to communities they have traditionally served, to their own staff, or even to recruiting a new key employee for the delivery of this work – because they may be In or Out of the arts ecology. This was a decision which was due to be offered to each organisation 6 months or more ago.
For reference: The Scottish Government has decided to do a Review of Creative Scotland. The first one since it was structured out of the old Scottish Arts Council in 2010. https://www.gov.scot/news/review-of-creative-scotland/ Somewhere between the Government and the ‘arms length’ funding body it needs some serious attention and shared rethinking. Whether as individuals, as small not-for-profit-distribution companies, as charities, or as commercial theatre providers we are all trying to be business-like, business-SMART, and deliver the best possible service/arts/entertainment/education for our audience/participants. It ain’t working effectively at the present.
- In this state of operational uncertainty arts organisations are pulling in the drawbridge and avoiding collaboration or anything which could make them feel less “essential”. At the same time some are fortifying their strongholds and planning big shiny towers which might make them seem even more essential to those who look on from the government and love the shiny new things they see. All this fortification and tower building work takes money and effort away from the core charitable principals of those organisations.
- I’m seeing staff numbers growing phenomenally in some organisations – partly in response to all of the above. And those staff are, in the main, not artists. They are, of course, offering valuable additional protection and support to an industry which used to rely so heavily on overworked, passionate people. But they are not making more art. In fact they seem to be increasing the overall costs of organisations so much that the art has to be reduced because there is no money left.
For reference: At Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society “By 2001 more than 600 groups from 49 different countries performed 1,462 shows in 175 venues across the city. “(BBC Article) and 8 Staff year round (EdFringe Accounts). Twenty Years later there are now 3,317 (just over double) shows across 262 venues (50% increase) but the Full Time Equivalent Staff have risen to 29 according to the 2023 accounts – a rise of 262%.
- In the West End, I am watching the top/bottom ticket prices on shows which I would love to see become scarily high. And yes some rich dudes will pay for the best seats at whatever the price – but the press and general public see the high prices and think elitist, greedy, unaffordable. There is then almost no change in recent years (SOLT members tell me) between the Average Yield on the seats, and audiences are staying at a good or rising level. That has to mean that there is even more discounting and deals being done. I am not in any special club or deal place. I go online and see what prices I can get at the Box Office or the Half Price Ticket Booth if I am just after a random show . I keep walking away from shows I’d love to see which have run in the West End for years. I head over to the National Theatre or to my local off-off West End places or the cinema or, if I’m honest, often just my bedroom and Netflix. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a long list of never-seen shows.
For reference: I really honour what Kenny Wax, Andy Barnes, Ameena Hamid and others are doing with their shows like Six, Mischief Theatre, and now Why Am I So Single. They are creating high quality work, building a slow following, and keeping the prices at really realistic levels. Thank you.
- I am watching Local Authorities across the UK reaching the end of their reserves and being legally required to cut non-statutory services. The arts are exactly the thing that can help to prevent people needing to go to statutory services – to hospital or prison or special schools or call on social services – the services which the local authorities desperately need to reduce pressure upon. Cut the theatres, the libraries, the community art projects, and so much more and you are taking away safe spaces for so many people. It is tragic to hear story after story about someone who was flourishing with the community that an engagement project created, now unable to access that support. These are tiny investments which return massively on community cohesion, personal confidence, and health of society. Invest in prevention and save calls on critical responses.
- And finally, I am seeing inspiring small companies, early career producers/employers, and freelance workers questioning whether they can make work and make a living – just at the time that they are inspired to help the most deserving in our community, or to create work which will give joy, or may even become the next big export from our creative nation.
Refocussing on nourishing the roots (as was so eloquently championed by a speaker yesterday). Take some money from the top and feed it back into the ground – whether that is “Tax The Rich” which became one anthem yesterday, or just a re-assessment of the amount of money going into administration/reporting and gold-tower building. Or maybe, like the tourist tax being talked about, a payback charge of some sort on those making substantial profits from the innovation of the early career producers, writers, companies seeking early r&d support from Creative Scotland and others.
I think that is maybe my 2nd big look-back-in-anger blog/report. It is really written to help me think through whether there is anything practical I can do.
My lobbing Blogs from the sidelines is not truly helpful. I am not bitter or vindictive. Every person working in these major organisations – government departments, funding bodies, and major arts organisations are good people – but somehow the reset which could have happened in Covid didn’t happen. In fact it feels worse that 2018 2019.
Or am I just ready for Homes Under The Hammer and catching up with Eastenders in my retirement.
*from a key speech at rally / awaiting notation of written/research source