The Final Cut
With fresh cuts to arts subjects in higher education on the horizon, we look at what their impact could be – and why it’s so important that art and culture is accessible to everyone.
What happens to our art and culture when access to it is restricted to a niche group of people who can afford it? “Mumford and Sons,” says Neil Griffiths, co-founder of Arts Emergency. “And Coldplay. All of those pop stars are a great example; privately educated with private money and producing middling art that speaks to no-one but people like themselves. And that's already where we are with opera, ballet and high-level theatre, made by and consumed by the very same small strata of people. And that will happen with creative arts and the creative industries more broadly. It means you have a narrow group of people dictating the menu for working class people like me, of what we can actually aim for, what we can see and be on our screens and in our books, and that exacerbates the issue of representation, and that sucks. It completely ruins our society.”
Earlier this year the government voted through a new round of 50% spending cuts to a funding stream given to art and design higher education courses with a view to shifting the budget towards ‘high-cost, high-value’ STEM subjects instead. There was an outcry from institutions and creatives alike given that the move both threatens the viability of the courses for the universities and colleges that run them and devalues the arts as a whole. But the truth is that this is just the latest in a long line of cuts and policies designed to scale back arts education in schools and universities alike. Over the past decade, repeated budget cuts have meant that state schools forced to tighten their belts have made the difficult decision to reduce subjects like art, drama and music that call for specialist teachers and extra resources. The introduction of the English Baccalaureate in 2010, the system that measures the percentage of GCSE pupils getting grades 5-9 and that focuses solely on traditionally ‘academic’ subjects, discounting the arts completely, and ultimately narrowed the curriculum. A 2019 study showed that there had been a 38% decline in arts GCSE and a 29% decline in A Level entries between 2010 and 2019.
Griffiths founded youth organisation Arts Emergency in 2011 with comedian Josie Long in the wake of the coalition’s austerity programme. What started as a local scheme has grown into a game-changing programme that pairs 16-25 year-olds with an eye on a career in anything from video game programming to graphic design with a mentor already working in that world. The aim? To help level the playing field and make sure that those without the money to spend on extra-curricular activities or to fund themselves while they work for free or who don’t have an already-existing network that they can call upon for favours still have the opportunity to follow their dreams. It’s currently working with around 10,000 students and mentors in London, Manchester and growing proof that kids will aspire to the arts no matter what obstacles are in front of them.
“If we don't have people from all backgrounds, creating the culture we live in, and if we assume it's an aphoristic thing to say that culture is politics, we just lost the war already.”
There’s sometimes a feeling among politicians and parents alike that creative subjects are nice to have but ultimately disposable, a little bit fluffy and unserious, especially when the lack of formalised career path is factored in. And while economics are far from being the most important aspect of this discussion, the numbers do stack up: according to the Creative Industries Federation’s 2020 report, pre-pandemic the creative industries combined contributed £115.9bn and were growing at four times the rate of the UK economy. They employ more than 2 million people and are projected to create 1 million more jobs by 2030.
And it’s not just students that miss out when they’re unable to participate – the rest of us, both individually and as a society, feel the lack too. “When people talk about the cultural war that's going on all around us, we forget that actually what's fundamental to that, fundamental to democracy, is a set of citizens that can think critically, that have agency and can imagine alternatives,” says Griffiths. “The ‘culture war’, is basically the struggle across generations for equity in all forms and it hinges on that ability to imagine, to convince and communicate. If we don't have people from all backgrounds, creating the culture we live in, and if we assume it's an aphoristic thing to say that culture is politics, we just lost the war already.”
Happily, there are reasons for optimism. Thanks to the internet and the meteoric rise of social media, the ability to create and find an audience for your work has arguably never been more democratic. The possibilities for creating great art outside of the traditional structures are infinite, whether that’s making music on an iPhone and uploading it to YouTube or dreaming up inspired and inspiring video content for TikTok. But there’s untold benefit to studying your chosen subject in a more formal setting, having the time to immerse yourself in that world and hone your craft and skills with experts in your field. And the option and opportunity to do that should be available to everyone. For all our sakes.
