Axis Rant 30: http://www.axisweb.org/dlForum.aspx?ESSAYID=18075 A.C.E. Waving or Drowning ? Has the Arts Council failed? Do we really need it anyway?

. despite the significant efforts of arts organisations and the Arts Council to broaden audiences and there has been, and is, some really excellent work going on our statistics show that there has been no significant shift in the profile of people who engage with the arts over the past three years. This means that we cant simply continue doing more of the same; its not working. We need a new approach. Their words not minefrom an Arts Development Officers report West Midlands November 2009 Now in the current climate there are two ways of looking at this new Consultation process http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/consultation/ starting now apparently. Either, at long last the Arts Council of England has realised it is historically an elitist institution and finally trying to spread the taxpayers money back to those who paying for it and not just subsidising opera, ballet and a multitude of underperforming serious theatres across the land. Or this second consultation (yes two consultations in as many years) is simply a PR job before those very same elitist institutions become the only recipients in a categorical shift rightwards by all major parties? My bet is on the second outcome. Already, if one reads between the lines, all the major parties seem to be planning to take a very sharp axe to the arts and especially administration of the arts. Tories wish to replace funding with private patronage (down 5% on a year ago according to Arts and Business and a total disaster in USA post recession) whilst Labour is signalling a contraction of admin and behind the scenes may be accepting a shrinkage back to core funding of institutions that it politically inconceivable of closing for fear of a middle class backlash. This is a very undemocratic pill to swallow for all leftist art-burgers but the election looming Whichever way your vote goes the outcome will be remarkably similar and the bottom line simple. The lottery years are over. We have had a glut of pretentious high profile Euro funded buildings (still being paid for) and a free for all of nepotistic and opportunist artists and of course the little matter of the Olympics/Olympiad to pay for. The A.C.E. cupboard is now pretty bare and how shall we judge its previous years of plenty? Indeed, is it time to close it down and try something else? Between 2008 and 2011, we will invest 1.3 billion of public money from government and a further 0.3 billion from the National Lottery ACE website. 50 p in every pound of public money for the arts goes on admin and overheads. This includes 40 p within regularly funded organisations. Anonymous blogger on Arts Council report Guardian blog page p.s.AXIS is part-funded by A.C.E. by the way. Can it too survive the downturn..?