| "A Metaphor for the Culture Sector in Wales”: Culture News Survey |
Culture in the Senedd |
| Media, Culture Committee, Minister, Senedd Member, Singers , Art & Culture in the Public Sphere , February 13, 2025 |
Culture is not often in the news. In this season it is. It takes a lot for the culture of the nations to catch the attention of the wider media. But the disorder expressed in Cardiff is of a measure that it caught the eye of Private Eye. The item is not quite complete. The last tour of Mid Wales Opera came courtesy of the government in Westminster, the support from public bodies in Cardiff being absent. * * * * “The Stage” for its edition of 16th January devoted the whole of its page two to the theatre of Wales. This is not normal. The Creu Cymru report, below 14th January, was cited at length. Jack Sargeant made his first appearance in “the Stage” on 6th February. He disputed, ran the feature on Wales, the warning from the Arts Council of Wales’ “that the nation’s arts sector is in crisis.” “Sargeant admitted there were “challenges”, ran the article, “but suggested they could be “overcome” by working together.” The Culture Committee had “expressed “significant concern” about “whether the minister fully appreciates the extent of the pressures the sector is facing”. “But when asked by the Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee whether he agreed with ACW’s diagnosis of a sector in crisis, Sargeant replied: “I wouldn’t describe it as a crisis myself.” “He went on to acknowledge that “there are challenges” but vowed to “work collaboratively and in partnership with the sector to overcome those challenges like we have done in previous years”. “The Committee’s report acknowledged Sargeant’s view, but continued: “Taking into account the evidence we have received about the depth and impact of the funding situation, and the sector’s own use of terms such as crisis, we have significant concerns about whether the minister fully appreciates the extent of the pressures the sector is facing.” “It continued: “We are disappointed that the minister was unable to give us any assurance that the 2025-26 allocations represent a turning point in the Welsh government’s approach to funding for the sector.” “The committee reiterated appeals to the government to increase funding for culture until it was comparable with that of similar nations, having cited research earlier in the report that found Wales ranked second from bottom in Europe in terms of cultural services spending per person.” * * * * On 10th February Gareth Davies MS wrote an 1100-word article for Nation Cymru on the National Museum. It was headed “The National Museum’s crumbling building is a metaphor for the culture sector in Wales.” In extract: “The National Museum in Cardiff has been issuing pleas for cash injections going back years to fix its deteriorating building. This came to a head last year when concerns were raised over the museum’s potential closure following Welsh Government cuts, until emergency talks resulted in the Welsh Government reluctantly agreeing to provide Amgueddfa Cymru with an additional £3.2 million to “protect and preserve” cultural institutions, including the National Museum in Cardiff. “The urgent repairs for the National Museum alone, however, have been costed at more than £25 million, and according to the Chair of Amgueddfa, the money offered by the Welsh Government “doesn’t go far enough.” “The £3.2 million uplift last year was a sticking plaster solution, and it was inevitable that sooner or later the neglected maintenance issues at the National Museum would create an even bigger headache for the Welsh Government. “Wales’ rich and unique culture is more than just history – it’s the distilled traditions of thousands of years of her people. It’s our duty to preserve Wales’ ancient Celtic roots, cherished language, and powerful musical traditions, as a source of identity, pride, and resilience in an ever-changing world. “The Welsh Government play an important role as stewards of our culture, and they are failing in that role. Last week the National Museum in Cardiff announced it was closing unexpectedly due to a ‘mechanical fault,’ but thankfully was able to reopen within the week. “The disappointing closure of the museum again brought the issue to the fore and is a symbolic reminder of how the cultural sector in Wales has been neglected and under-funded. The valued and popular Theatre Clwyd in Mold, which attracts 200,000 visitors a year from north Wales and beyond, underwent essential work to replace the roof following investment by the previous UK Government. “The Culture Committee has also raised “significant concerns” over whether the Minister for Culture, Jack Sargeant, “fully appreciates” the pressure that arts, sports and heritage bodies are under. His perceived inability to comprehend the seriousness of the funding crisis in the sector should come as no surprise. “The Welsh Government has long thought of arts and culture spending as non-essential, and it’s now become an afterthought. For the Welsh Labour Government, there are other priorities that take precedence over preserving our cultural heritage – theatres and museums are seen as luxuries to indulge in during times of prosperity.” “If the Welsh Government maintains the attitude that arts and culture spending is non-essential, they will soon look like a philistine government, responsible for presiding over a nation that has become a cultural and artistic desert. “You cannot put a price on our national cultural heritage, and the Welsh Government shouldn’t spare any expense in ensuring the sector is sufficiently resourced. Once our cultural sector has been hollowed-out, it will be nigh on impossible to rebuild it.” “...The collapsing ceiling of the National Museum in Cardiff is more than just a structural issue. It’s a depressing symbol of a cultural sector being left to perish.” The full article can be read at: https://nation.cymru/opinion/the-national-museums-crumbling-building-is-a-metaphor-for-the-culture-sector-in-wales/ * * * * On 8th February, a Saturday night, Welsh National Opera chorus protested on stage against funding cuts at the end of a performance in Cardiff. Chorus members displayed t-shirts and waved placards that read “Save Our WNO” during the curtain call for “the Marriage of Figaro.” The audience at the Wales Millennium Centre applauded and cheered. Singer Elizabeth Atherton: “we are going to be left with a shell of a company." The Welsh government in a statement, said: "We recognise how important the arts sector is to our economy and the vital contribution it makes to our society, enriching our communities and inspiring future generations." The demonstration by the artists can be watched at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cp82lg18gl1o |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
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