Two sets of figures for you:
Total turnover in arts and
culture in the UK in 2013 was £15.1 billion, with gross value added totally £7.7billion[1]
For every £1 of public funding
paid to Arts Council England, the culture sector pays back £5 in tax
contributions. £1 paid in by
the government, £5 return. Pretty good.
Why am I telling you this?
Well for a start, I think it’s quite interesting. That’s a helluva lotta
money! It shows what a buoyant, successful and profitable industry the
arts are. The UK’s thriving tourism industry accounts for a huge 9% of
the UK’s GDP[2]
with 24% of visitors in London going to the theatre/ballet/opera[3].
And yet, as ever, the arts are
under threat. Funding from the government to a myriad of organisations
is always in danger of being reduced or removed completely and drama and dance
GCSEs are at risk being of side lined as they aren’t considered academic enough
and this concerns me. I understand that the UK is not in the best
financial situation it’s ever been in, but reducing funding to the arts is
incredibly short sighted.
One of the reasons the tourists
go to the theatre or ballet or opera is because of the guaranteed high quality
of the work. British actors are thought to be the best trained in the
world[4] and are currently the
toast of Hollywood – the 2015 Oscars were testament to this. And this
didn’t happen by accident. This happened because of investment; in drama
in schools, in The Arts Council, in funding and bursaries, in opportunities for
people of all backgrounds to pursue a career in the arts and in local community
groups helping young people keep on track. If we lose this investment
now, then the UK will not be the cultural leader it currently is and this will
have a considerable and long lasting effect. Think back three years to the 2012
Olympics Opening Ceremony – without the investment in the arts, would it have
been the breath-taking spectacle it was? That alone proved to the world
how innovative, original and current the UK is in the performing arts.
However, a rich, successful arts scene has a lot more
to it than the money it brings the UK’s
coffers. It’s the value it gives people. In defence of the
arts, people often point out the money (as I began with) but that’s such a
hollow assessment. I would argue that drama in schools is essential in
the learning of life skills:
team work, confidence in speaking in front of a group, listening, dealing with
egos, working to deadlines… The list is long. Not everyone who is forced
to do drama at school is going to enjoy it but then I didn’t enjoy science and
I still learnt what photosynthesis is. These kinds of life skills aren’t
things you can necessarily examine but does that make them less
worthwhile? I certainly don’t think so.
And of course it’s not only the doing that matters – not everyone has
regular access to theatre or cinema, but most people own a TV and enjoy watching
it and this enjoyment is enormously important.
So when you next hear about cuts
to arts, try not to think of a bunch of people all dressed in black growing
from an acorn to a tree but instead think of Granny enjoying Downton on a
Sunday night. Think of your friend leading a team & kicking-ass in
board meetings. Think of the hundreds, thousands of people at the end
credits of a film whose livelihood is at stake. Think of the fun your
niece had in the school nativity play. And think of your favourite actor
and how once, at school, they probably did a little play about how drugs are
really bad, because that’s what investment in the arts really is.
Twitter: @mirandacolmans
Website:
www.mirandacolmans.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MirandaColmans
Great job, Miranda. Beyond the areas that you mention, I think there is something beyond this that the arts allow us to look beyond the physical and the fiscal and see the world with the imagination and empathy that allows to approach the challenges of work and everyday life.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have put it better myself Jeremy! Totally agree
ReplyDelete