Recently, many leading commentators have noted the new vibrancy of the arts in the UK today. Here are some of them:
'Today, Britain is the global powerhouse of all the performing arts because, even in grim times, a Labour Government understood why they matter. A lesson to remember in this year’s spending round.'Guardian editorial, 9 Jan 2007
'Britain does seem to be consuming art, in its broadest sense, with unprecedented enthusiasm…..[Art] is something that makes sense – or indeed, nonsense – of all our getting and spending by deepening our awareness of our condition and by offering us a glimpse, perhaps illusory, of what else there might be.'Bryan Appleyard, Sunday Times, 31 Dec 2006
'The success of Tate Modern in London or Baltic in Gateshead is symptomatic of how the most vibrant – and engaging – part of the public realm is now cultural…..Politicians need to take notice of how the arts inspire collective experience in a way that our political languages no longer can. That means culture and its funding is no longer an add-on but central to any politics committed to the vitality of the public realm'Madeleine Bunting, Guardian, 3 Oct 2006
'You can argue about what art is and struggle to prove what good the arts do, but you know that a society deficient in them is pitifully impoverished.'Polly Toynbee, Guardian 30 May 2006
'As the appetite for culture increases, the audience is becoming a richer social mix….The British now top the league when it comes to household spending on culture and recreation. I am sure that it was the quality of Britain’s cultural life that helped tip the scales in favour of the London winning the 2012 Olympics bid.'Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate Modern, writing in the Guardian, 5 June 2006
These word documents can be downloaded here:
For more information about the Government’s Spending Review and making the case for funding the arts for success, please contact our Communications team in your region:
National Office
Kelly Wiffen
Head of Public Affairs
Phone: 020 7973 5297
E:kelly.wiffen@artscouncil.org.uk
National Office
Louise Wylie
Director, Media Relations
Phone: 020 7973 5528
E:louise.wylie@artscouncil.org.uk
East
Aileen Muir
Head of Communications
Phone: 01223 454447
E:aileen.muir@artscouncil.org.uk
East Midlands
Fiona Mitchell-Innes
Head of Communications
Phone: 0115 989 7557
E:fiona.mitchell-innes@artscouncil.org.uk
London
Catriona Macrae-Gibson
Head of Communications
Phone: 020 7608 6147
E:catriona.macrae-gibson@artscouncil.org.uk
North East
Susan McKeon
Head of Communications
Phone: 0191 255 8568
Mobile: 07939 636429
E:susan.mckeon@artscouncil.org.uk
North West
Anthony Preston
Head of Communications
Phone: 0161 827 9254
E:anthony.preston@artscouncil.org.uk
South East
Liz Barling
Communications team
Phone: 01273 763043
E:liz.barling@artscouncil.org.uk
South West
Gillian Taylor
Communications team
Phone: 01392 229207
Mobile: 07989 430881
E:gillian.taylor@artscouncil.org.uk
West Midlands
Jo Forrest
Head of Communications
Phone: 0121 631 5757
Mobile: 07989 430881
E:jo.forrest@artscouncil.org.uk
Yorkshire
Tamsin Curror
Communications team
Phone: 01924 486238
Mobile: 07786 256431
E:tamsin.curror@artscouncil.org.uk