| “It's a Perfect Storm”: TV Coverage of Arts Cuts |
Public Culture: Public Communication |
| Makers, Publishers, Ministers , Public Culture of Wales , March 20, 2025 |
“Is this the job of an artistic director?” asks the reporter. The setting is Swansea High Street and Paul Davies is to be seen leaving the former Iceland shop which is home to one of Wales' most enduring performance companies. He approaches a skip and tells his interviewer “We've got mountains of wood and old sets and we've got to fill this skip.” As to whether this is what artistic directors do: “It's just part of it. We don't have enough staff. We don't have enough funding. The executive producer and myself have filled this skip. The last ten days, that's what we've been doing.” Volcano is one of the survivors to still find favour with funders after decades. Paul Davies: “We're not funded enough. It's not what we asked for. They say “yeah. You're doing great work. Your activities in the front of the building. We're not going to fund them.” “Our fund-raiser is chasing, trying to get any money from charitable foundations, to fund the men's club, the women's meetings, the project about children's literacy. A modern city needs public spaces that are open, participatory and engaging active citizenship.” The interview appeared on the Sunday Politics 23rd February. The feature had several interviewees and moved to a literary event. The publishing sector in Wales has, said the commentary, seen a real terms funding cut of almost half since 2010. Rachel Lloyd, head of publishing at Gwasg Rily: “It's been a perfect storm for the industry. We've had the cost of living crisis, then school cutbacks, library closures. I work in children's publishing and they were all customers to us." Penny Thomas of FireFly Press: "I know people working for nothing. Owner-publishers who don't take their own salary or cut their own salary. I can think of three or four examples of that." * * * * “Politics Wales” turned to the decision-makers. Rhodri Glyn Thomas first appeared: “The Welsh Labour government obviously doesn't believe the arts are important in Wales. But the arts create a Welsh identity. The national institutions of Wales are the cornerstone of our nation. It's a crisis. It's been a crisis for the last decade and it's got worse every year. “What would be a small investment in terms of the money spent on health would make a massive difference to the arts. It makes very little difference to the expenditure on health.” Mark Drakeford, Finance Secretary, spoke of the budget for the year to come. “The budget puts more money back into the the arts which certainly have seen the rough ends of the cuts which have been inevitable.” Jack Sargeant: “The resilience of the sector has been remarkable. We've had fourteen years of Conservative austerity facing Wales and the U.K “I will make the case for the sector every single day to show just how important the sector is for the nation. I am listening. I understand the challenges ahead and I will work with colleagues in the sector to have a better future for the arts. “I'm grateful to colleagues in the sector for the way I've responded to them, for the way that they've worked with me and we'll go on working in that collaborative way for the sector. “ BBC Cymru Wales has arts correspondents but they do not get to interview Ministers. The questions posed were generalised. The things that make culture did not feature. The words “music”, “dance”, “poetry”, “painting”, “gallery”, “audience”, and all the rest, may not be used. When the right words may not be spoken that has a consequence. The things that matter will not be talked about. * * * * Kaja Brown repeated the fact of Wales' migration on social media: “I know of many people who have been affected by the arts cuts and have already been forced to try other avenues - often even moving outside of Wales to go to places like London where there are more arts opportunities.” Mike Smith Editor of Arts Scene in Wales: “Too late. The Welsh government has destroyed most of worthwhile arts in Wales, reduced much to social engineering box ticking, and made the nation the subject of pity from those outside Wales. Future generations have been denied a cultural legacy.” Culture is one of the five missions in the strategy document 2023-2030 of the Future Generations Commissioner . The law of 2015 stipulates a requirement of the Commissioner “must prepare and publish, before the end of each reporting period, a report.” Derek Walker, Commissioner, participated on social media 22nd February: “Of course this extra funding is positive news for the arts sector. But cuts have already been made. People have already lost their jobs. Resources and time have been spent on restructuring and what cuts to make, instead of on arts and culture activities. It is an example of why we need to find ways of implementing a longer term approach to funding.” A dramatist once wrote: “And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry And lose the name of action.” |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
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