Your editorial highlights a problem that afflicts not just the arts but the culture sector as a whole (The Guardian view on women in art: a cycle of here today, gone tomorrow must be halted, 22 December).
Successive surveys have identified “significant inequalities” and discrimination in the sector – not only in terms of gender but also class, ethnicity, disability etc. The pandemic and cost of living crisis have deepened this imbalance. Arts and culture are in danger of becoming the preserve of white, public-school-educated men.
Change must start at the top to ensure that our incredibly diverse culture is fully represented in our museums, galleries and theatres. The governing bodies of our leading arts institutions can no longer reflect a narrow elite within society.
Inequality is also symptomatic of a much wider problem. Despite contributing more than £112bn to the economy, the sector is underfunded in comparison to France and Germany. Increasing public funding to the European average of 1% would more than double budgets. This would enable much-needed access and support to be offered to tackle under-representation; bring a more geographically diverse sector by giving local authorities the power to breathe new life into cultural centres and arts spaces; and allow the pathway from education and training into careers in arts and culture to be repaired.
We have been encouraged by the campaigns organised by unions representing people working in the sector calling for overdue change. Union documents such as Making Culture Ours and Performance for All offer a rounded analysis of the problems facing the sector and detailed proposals to address them. Investing in arts and culture benefits the economy as a whole. To whoever forms the next government, we say: “Bread for all, and roses too”.
Ayvianna Snow London, Alice Dupont London, Frances Rifkin London, Pam Foley Oxford
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