Arts person, occasional trombonist, sunday cyclist, gardener, techie person, dad, and amateur photographer
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How much is enough? - The Irish Times - Thu, Sep 17, 2009
A very thought-provoking piece from Stuart McLaughlin of Business to Arts on making the case for public funding for the arts. Here an extract:
1 I want doesn’t get! Rather than campaigning to defend funding, without making a coherent case, the Arts Council and arts community must calculate and communicate the right level of funding for the arts
2 It’s the economy, stupid! While understanding and appreciating the intrinsic value of the arts is important for society, we must accept that decisions in this climate will be made on an economic basis 3 A loud voice cannot compete with a clear voice, even if it’s a whisper. Retention of a voice for the arts at the Cabinet table is critical to ensure that the role of culture in society, in the current context, is understood – but the sector must work harder to make the messages clearer 4 Put your own house in order. The current debate on arts funding is distracting from an evaluation of the Arts Council itself. The lack of transparency and inefficiencies in the council’s own structure are damaging its ability to make a case, especially as it campaigns for the hearts and minds of the taxpayer 5 There’s more than one game in town. Private funding will become a major focus in coming years, but the arts sector can only achieve increases in private investment if it has a fundamentally sound “product” which can guarantee a high level of coherence on issues of governance and the entire funding landscape