Publications

Action on recession

By: a-n

Arts Council England announced a package of measures to support artists and the arts as they battle a recessionary period.

Many arts organisations are now heavily dependent on other kinds of income over and above their ACE grant or project funds. ACE's own surveys in November and February revealed a sharp drop – up to 80% – in charitable funding, with ticketing and arts purchasing likely to be severely affected. Although the visual arts' Serpentine Gallery is an example of a gallery that earns 75% of its turnover, most arts organisations earn around 45%. The emphasis within the ten-year Turning point strategy for increasing markets for art outwith London – and thus income from commission for entrepreneurial galleries – is forecast to flounder as collectors and would-be collectors hang onto their cash for more urgent purposes. See also the report in this issue on Own Art. Amongst ACE measures is Sustain, a £40m, open application fund to give extra support for arts organisations under pressure as a result of recession. Note that this is not described as a fund for failing organisations, but a way to sustain artistic excellence in the context of the economic downturn. The fixed-term two year programme of one-off awards of between £75,000 and £3m can cover short term needs such as...

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