Culture

18 Culture Vultures
writing from the perspective of a curator and arts professional, sees
the rhetoric of social inclusion as a deeply anti-democratic strain in
the arts. Current arts policy, he argues, misunderstands the universal
power of art and leads to a tick-box culture of political bureacracy
which all artists should be wary of.
Challenge for the arts
The arts can be expensive, but that is not the central complaint of
this book. On the contrary, we welcome the much-needed long-term
cash injections administered by this Government. The vagaries of
the market do not always produce excellent art and for the sake of
the public good, most people accept that the Government should be
prepared to step in. The problem with Government funding these
days is that it often comes with strings attached. The conventional
narrative about the arts sector in Britain is that, since the 1980s, it
has become more ‘commercialised’ and ‘market-driven’. In fact, the
opposite seems to be true. Whilst artists and arts managers may
speak the language of ‘performance measurement’, ‘market share’
and ‘return on investment’, they are more dependent than ever upon
the state. In terms of funding and policy direction, politicians have
extended their reach into the arts beyond the traditional ‘arm’s
length’ envisaged in the post-war period. The close relationship
between state and artist may be unintended but it presents worrying
developments.
This new instrumentalism driven by the state, raises questions
about how subisidy is increasingly decided. If the arts are valued for
their role in tackling social problems, what happens to those individuals
and organisations that fail to meet the targets set by their