Funding

With all the whys and wherefores of the recent Arts Council funding changes comes the usual raft of articles that defend spending money on the Arts.  As a central theme to most of these articles is the money that is brought into our economy by the creative arts.  This is all valid of course, and we do generate a huge amount of income, but I can’t help but wonder if we are not missing the point somewhat and playing into the hands of art free heathen politicians.  When we go to the theatre or cinema, or listen to music or see a painting or a dance or whatever floats our creative boat, the last thing that should be on our mind is a balance sheet.  I run an Arts business, and I realise that money is an essential part of that, and we are entirely self funded, but I have to be honest in that it does stifle creativity.  If the government had a real policy of cultural enlightenment, then it would start to look at the benefits of the arts from a non financial perspective.  Creative thinking is core to any country, and its success both culturally and yes, financially.  I worry though that by constantly justifying our work in purely financial terms, we are then setting ourselves up to justify all art on this basis, and that is quite simply missing the point.  I realise that there can be no bottomless pit of money for the Arts, but to dismiss it purely on financial terms shows a dearth of intelligence beyond all my meagre expectations of politicians.  Sajid Javid, our new Culture Minister seems to be beating the drum for privatisation of the Arts, as did his predecessor.  Private investment of course has an important part to play, but not so as to excuse the Government from its duty.  By all means use the amount of income generated as a counter argument for Arts funding cuts, but to use it as a central core of the argument is playing into the hands of the people who want to culturally block our country and in particular its young people.