A working-class artist is something to be

The creative and cultural sectors in the United Kingdom largely exclude the working classes. Even the small number of working-class people who do ‘make it’ into these sectors often find themselves and their work badly treated by those who hold the real power. This article explores some of the experiences of working-class artists navigating the cultural sector and how exclusion, prejudice and precarity impacted and continue to impact them. It takes as its focus the filmmaker Alan Clarke and the playwright Andrea Dunbar, who were at the height of their success in the 1980s. It also considers the writers Darren McGarvey and Nathalie Olah, whose work has achieved prominence in recent years. It is through this focus I hope to demonstrate the long continuum of challenges for working-class creatives. This article also considers how, on the occasions when they are allowed the space they deserve, working-class artists have created powerful shifts in cultural production. Finally, it details some of the changes needed for working-class people to be able to take their rightful place in contributing to cultural life and the societal risks involved if they are denied that place.

Socioeconomic and Psychosocial Adversities Experienced by Creative Freelancers in the UK During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

There are concerns that the socioeconomic consequences of COVID-19, including unemployment and financial insecurity, are having adverse effects on the mental wellbeing of the population. One group particularly vulnerable to socioeconomic adversity during this period are those employed freelance within the cultural industry. Many workers in the sector were already subject to income instability, erratic work schedules and a lack of economic security before the pandemic, and it is possible that COVID-19 may exacerbate pre-existing economic precarity. Through interviews with 20 freelancers working within the performing arts, visual arts, and film and television industries, this article explores the impact of the pandemic on their working lives. Findings suggest the pandemic is affecting the psychological wellbeing of freelancers through employment loss, financial instability and work dissonance, and illustrates the need for urgent economic and psychosocial support for those employed within the cultural sector.

Italian cultural policy: conclusions for Russia

The article analyses current public management and funding practices of cultural organisations in Italy by using comparative and statistical analysis. The structure of the sector’s governing bodies and approaches to budgeting for culture at national level have been explored. Trends in decreasing funding from provincial, regional and local budgets have been identified. The status, legislative and institutional conditions for the emergence of Italy’s unique multichannel cultural financing system have been described. An analysis of the Italian museum system’s reform has been presented. The activities of private opera foundations have been discussed in detail. The main similarities between Russian and Italian cultural policies have been described. These are the drive to expand the boundaries and activities associated with the cultural sector, the significant burden on local and regional authorities in the field of cultural heritage preservation, the “quantitative approach” and the application of financial performance indicators to assess cultural organisations performance.The article’s scientific novelty lies in the complex approach to the study of Italian cultural policy using the criteria proposed by D. Montias and A. I. Glagolev, and in the study of the activities of Italian opera foundations and museums, which had not previously been sufficiently covered in the Russian and foreign literature. The prospect of the topic, the practical significance and relevance of the research are due to the need to implement regulations in Russia which set a course for the creation of a multi-channel system of funding and a broad understanding of the cultural sector, and ensuring inter-agency and inter-regional cooperation between the authorities in the implementation of cultural policy.The article analyses a wide range of financial support mechanisms for culture, most of which are named in the “Strategy of State Cultural Policy of Russia as Targets by 2030”, while Italy has accumulated considerable experience in this area for several decades.

Support Mechanisms for Canada’s Cultural and Creative Sectors during COVID-19

The cultural and creative industries enhance the quality of life for Canadians and visitors to Canada. However, definitions of the sector vary, presenting challenges for researchers and policymakers. Government data shows that the pandemic job and revenue loss were disproportionate in arts. The Canadian government created a range of financial tools (grants and subsidies) to support the sector during the Pandemic. This paper analyzes these financial instruments created in response to the Pandemic. This paper offers a case study on how government can support the economic and social success of the creative and cultural sector (CCS) in Canada and avoid the risk of the cultural ecosystem collapsing. In addition, the key findings may be helpful in other industries and markets when exploring ways to support the cultural and creative sectors, which are vital components of domestic and tourism activity.

Definitions Matter: Dynamic Policy Framing of the Arts in Boston’s Sustainable Cultural Development

Cultural sustainability has become a fourth pillar in sustainable development studies. Different from the research approach to embedding culture into conventional sustainable discourse, this article argues that the sustainability and resilience issues within the arts and cultural sector should be paid more attention to. Putting the arts and cultural sector in urban settings, sustainable cultural development entails dynamic policy framing and changing policy justifications in response to an evolving socioeconomic and political environment. Taking the policy framing of the arts as an analytical lens, this paper aims to investigate this dynamic change and key driving factors through an in-depth case study of Boston’s urban cultural development. This article finds that different definitions of the arts are associated with different arts-based urban development strategies across four stages of cultural development in Boston spanning a period of over 75 years. The working definition moved from art to the arts, then to the creative arts industry, and eventually to cultural assets and creative capital. The policy framing of the arts keeps evolving and layering in pursuit of more legitimacy and resources regarding groups of stakeholders, field industry components, types of industrial structure, and multiple policy goals. This dynamic policy framing has been driven by arts advocacy groups, policy learning process, urban leadership change, and cultural institutional change, allowing Boston to draw on a growing and diversifying set of cultural resources in pursuit of sustainable cultural development.

Culture as a Driver of Sustainable Development in Europe

Research purpose. The link between culture and sustainable development has been frequently debated by European authorities and academicians. Culture is treated as a tool for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and considered as the fourth pillar of sustainable development. The research goal is to investigate the relationship between culture-related indices and a country’s sustainable development based on European sample data. Design / Methodology / Approach. To complete research, culture-related statistics indicators from Eurostat were collected and regressed against the SDG index, based on data covered 2016-2019. Findings. The relationship between culture-related indices and SDG score was specified using European statistical data. The most significant impact on sustainable development measure was revealed regarding the factors “cultural employment” and “government expenditure on culture”. Originality / Value / Practical implications. The current research differs from most studies that investigated cultural issues using the mathematical apparatus versus the commonly used practice of interviewing consumers or representatives of the cultural sector. The results of this research could be used by municipalities, the cultural private sector, and NGOs by arguing for funding and applying for EU grants. On the other hand, the results and approach of this research could be transposed to other regions to understand the common cultural impact on sustainable development in the non-EU part of the world.

The Geopolitical and Socioeconomic Factors of Digitization in Vietnam: Technology Adoption in the Art and Cultural Sector During the Covid-19 Pandemic

This paper argues that there is an emergent digital culture in the art and cultural sector in Hanoi, which is producing a paradigm shift in the nature of work for cultural professionals, the way of preserving and displaying art collections, as well as the nature of international connections. The advent of the “fourth industrial revolution” in Vietnam has brought about advances in digitization. While this transition is crucial in achieving national sustainable development goals, Vietnam remains at a disadvantage on a global scale due to country-specific challenges in digitization that include lack of human, technical, and financial resources. These challenges are hindering the pace and quality of the digitization process and impeding the ability of cultural professionals to utilize digital platforms. In addition, the global digital divide is having impacts on access, inclusion, and representation. This shows that the challenges faced in the digitization process are not only about access to technology but also about much more deep-seated issues related to culture, history, and social inequalities. This is especially pertinent during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has highlighted inequalities in access and inclusion. The research draws on 20 semi-structured interviews with cultural professionals across Hanoi. The interviews were carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic and addressed its impact on digitization projects and the use of digital technologies for work. The findings show how geopolitical and socioeconomic factors can suppress the ability to adopt new digital technologies, which is hindering the ability to exploit the opportunities of digitization. Yet, the Covid-19 pandemic has allowed more time to focus on digitization projects and to utilize digital tools and platforms, especially with free open-source software or platforms such as Facebook. This has become one route toward exploiting the opportunities of digitization for increased exposure, creation of digital resources, and rebalancing the discourse and amount of content circulating online regarding Vietnamese art and culture.

Sustainability in the Opera Sector: Main Drivers and Limitations to Improve the Environmental Performance of Scenography

Private and public organizations are becoming increasingly involved in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This includes organizations within the cultural sector, with a central role in the progress of society. This study presents a state-of-the-art analysis of actions towards sustainability of the opera sector with a life cycle perspective and focusing on the impact of opera sets’ scenery. Our research is based on a review of literature and experiences, the results of interviews, a survey, and an experts’ forum to analyze the related systems, standards, and practices. The study contributes with novel research that provides an understanding of the factors that determine the environmental performance which are synthesized with a sustainability SWOT analysis. Findings are relevant for academic researchers analyzing the potential conflicts among organizational strategic goals and sustainability and for scenic arts’ practitioners and managers who aim to develop a roadmap towards improving the sustainability of their sector.

Museum Diplomacy: Developing cultural partnerships between New Zealand and China

<p>Museums play an increasingly important role in cultural diplomacy. New Zealand cultural organisations support international objectives by assisting cultural exchange, increasing mutual understanding and connecting key players. However, the intersection between museum and government activity is often regarded with scepticism, stemming from a general antipathy towards instrumentalism in museum and cultural policy studies literature. This research draws on recent work by Nisbett (2013), which revealed how British cultural organisations inverted instrumentalism—the use of cultural ventures by governments to help achieve goals in other areas—to achieve their own goals. The literature suggests that British museums strategically promoted their cultural diplomacy activity to formulate cultural policy and expand the scale of their international activity. This provides a useful model for the New Zealand cultural sector to build on, in its unique environment. This dissertation addresses this gap in the literature by investigating the intersection of museum and government activity between New Zealand and China. Through a case study of the partnership between Te Papa and the National Museum of China the research explored the state of cultural organisation partnerships, and assessed to what extent museums benefit by acting instrumentally. Interviews were conducted with ten cultural sector professionals and grounded theory was used to analyse the data. This research found that New Zealand’s national museum positioned itself as willing and able to engage in cultural diplomacy activity, in order to develop its international activity, and offer benefits in return to its principal funder, the government. Results suggested that while the museum has not utilised instrumentalism to impact cultural policy in New Zealand, there is scope to develop this. Consequently, the research identifies an emerging area in museum practice, ‘museum diplomacy’, which I define as the developing practice of intersecting activity between international museum work and state-sponsored cultural diplomacy. The research contributes to museum and cultural policy studies literature by producing modest, yet original data about museum partnerships and cultural diplomacy in New Zealand, and provides insights for government and the cultural sector in international cultural partnerships. It echoes the critical view of the disjuncture between museum theory, policy and practice, and concludes by discussing some recommendations and calling for further research to be conducted on museum diplomacy.</p>

Museum Diplomacy: Developing cultural partnerships between New Zealand and China

<p>Museums play an increasingly important role in cultural diplomacy. New Zealand cultural organisations support international objectives by assisting cultural exchange, increasing mutual understanding and connecting key players. However, the intersection between museum and government activity is often regarded with scepticism, stemming from a general antipathy towards instrumentalism in museum and cultural policy studies literature. This research draws on recent work by Nisbett (2013), which revealed how British cultural organisations inverted instrumentalism—the use of cultural ventures by governments to help achieve goals in other areas—to achieve their own goals. The literature suggests that British museums strategically promoted their cultural diplomacy activity to formulate cultural policy and expand the scale of their international activity. This provides a useful model for the New Zealand cultural sector to build on, in its unique environment. This dissertation addresses this gap in the literature by investigating the intersection of museum and government activity between New Zealand and China. Through a case study of the partnership between Te Papa and the National Museum of China the research explored the state of cultural organisation partnerships, and assessed to what extent museums benefit by acting instrumentally. Interviews were conducted with ten cultural sector professionals and grounded theory was used to analyse the data. This research found that New Zealand’s national museum positioned itself as willing and able to engage in cultural diplomacy activity, in order to develop its international activity, and offer benefits in return to its principal funder, the government. Results suggested that while the museum has not utilised instrumentalism to impact cultural policy in New Zealand, there is scope to develop this. Consequently, the research identifies an emerging area in museum practice, ‘museum diplomacy’, which I define as the developing practice of intersecting activity between international museum work and state-sponsored cultural diplomacy. The research contributes to museum and cultural policy studies literature by producing modest, yet original data about museum partnerships and cultural diplomacy in New Zealand, and provides insights for government and the cultural sector in international cultural partnerships. It echoes the critical view of the disjuncture between museum theory, policy and practice, and concludes by discussing some recommendations and calling for further research to be conducted on museum diplomacy.</p>