The past 10 months have been cataclysmic for the arts: unimaginable, unprecedented. No other part of the UK economy, with the exception of hospitality, has been so gravely impacted by the pandemic. Soon after the shock of closure last March, the financial consequences for arts organisations began to sink in. Without shows, there was no way to earn. Cultural workers were faced with the personal catastrophe of seeing a year’s employment abruptly cancelled.
The rescue package of £1.57bn for the arts, entertainment and heritage was designed to enable institutions to cling on until this March – though any notion of “normality” by spring seems fantastical, particularly in the performing arts, and more government help will certainly be necessary. The package also left an unforgivable gap: individuals. The vast majority of cultural workers – artists and composers, actors and makeup artists, technicians and designers – are self-employed. But most have found themselves ineligible for support. These people – the engine house of Britain’s creative brilliance – have been thrown to the wolves.
The theory was that institutions would solve the problems of freelancers by swiftly being in a position to re-employ them. But this, as with so much of the government’s pandemic response, was too optimistic – irresponsibly so, given the warnings of scientists that there would likely be two or three waves of the virus. “Operation Sleeping Beauty”, the attempt by the culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, to get the English performing arts up and running for Christmas, was always risky. It duly hit the buffers, with huge losses for producers. It is clear that any attempt to revive this part of Britain’s creative economy in 2021 must be supported by a government-backed insurance scheme such as that which has enabled some film and TV production to go ahead.
Recovery, but no return
2020 was certainly a year of reckoning – and not always in a negative way. It became obvious how deeply the arts are relied upon as means of solace, company and inspiration. Book sales were surprisingly brisk. Viewers were transfixed by Netflix shows – some of them, like The Crown, made in Britain by British creatives. BBC TV dramas such as Michaela Coel’s extraordinary I May Destroy You struck a deep chord. Listeners flocked to Radio 3. The BBC valiantly showcased the work of UK arts organisations during the lockdowns. Its new chairman, Richard Sharp, and the director general, Tim Davie, must ensure that the corporation continues to live up to its role as the world’s leading commissioner of art, from drama to cutting-edge contemporary music. This must rest upon the foundation of the licence fee. A BBC that is shared in common among all citizens, that sits at the centre of the public square, will be the organisation that can most effectively demonstrate British creativity and British excellence to the world.
For some arts organisations, closures have meant a chance to reflect: the wisest minds have faced up to the fact that though, in time, there will be a recovery, there will be no return to pre-pandemic conditions. That is neither possible nor desirable. Covid-19, in bringing so much of the world to a stop, made many in the arts question previous norms. Was it really necessary for the (highly globalised) visual art world to have flung itself constantly round the world on planes? Did orchestras really need to do all those tours to far-off cities? Amid a deadly climate crisis, the answer is a resounding no. Much can be done remotely, or differently. In general, there has been a useful acceleration of digital technologies in the UK arts, with sagacious organisations looking to a hybrid model of live and streaming in the future.
The Black Lives Matter protests of last summer – which most strikingly coalesced around the toppling of the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol – concentrated the minds of more thoughtful arts leaders on diversity and representation. The prime minister, Boris Johnson, and Mr Dowden, on the other hand, chose to fan the flames of discord rather than attempt any kind of mature discussion, falsely claiming that protesters were aiming to “erase history” (quite the reverse was the case). Regrettably, it is almost certain that this kind of cheap political point-scoring will be increasingly indulged in by the right.
The BLM protests also drew attention to the fact that many items in British museums were acquired either through straightforward theft, as in the Benin bronzes, or under iniquitous colonial conditions. Debates on such matters must be conducted by museums with humility, not defensiveness. There are dangerous generational fissures opening up in the arts: young cultural leaders are impatient with their elders’ apparently complacent adherence to old liberal norms. Those currently in power must be alert to shifting priorities if they are to stay relevant.
Grounds for hope
Amid immense instability, little looks clear about the future for the arts. One certainty, though, is that Brexit will be highly damaging: amid many other concerns, British musicians who tour to the EU, from pop bands to orchestras and string quartets, will now face an expensive bureaucratic tangle of carnets and work permits. Another certainty is that the economic impact of the pandemic will be deep and long-lasting. Over the past two decades, success for cultural institutions, as officially reckoned at least, has involved embracing a neoliberal, expansionist model: running shops, cafes and bars; mounting blockbusters; maximising visitor numbers. This model has been dealt a blow, and perhaps that is not entirely a bad thing. For now, the arts will have to be leaner and sparser – and that spirit will also be reflected in what is seen on stage and in museums.
If any good is to come from this austere spirit, amid heart-wrenching job losses, it must be that organisations focus on what is absolutely essential: enabling artists; bringing meaningful, joyful experiences to audiences; firing the creativity of their publics; working deeply with their local communities. Arts organisations must not programme the most conservative, “crowd-pleasing” work they can, tempting though that may seem: the work that will capture imaginations will be fresh and bold. The arts have shown again and again that they can inject life into ailing towns and cities; as high streets are rethought for a post-Covid future, culture has a vital role to play.
It is going to be hard. But there are grounds for hope. People long for a world beyond the vaccination programme when they can gather together once more to share stories and witness wonders. The arts, it has been abundantly demonstrated, have immense power to heal. Which is what the nation so desperately needs.
