A Thankless Profession: In light of cuts to UK arts funding

It’s no secret that the government has wanted to reduce arts funding for years, and this year Gavin Williamson helped achieve this goal, cutting funding in half for higher education courses and pushing the spoils in the direction of STEM subjects. This blow comes after the infamous government-backed campaign that saw an image of a ballerina with the slogan ‘Fatima’s next job could be in cyber (she just doesn’t know it yet)’ (seen below) and is further proof that, despite the empty promises that the government has frequently made to the arts community, there is an ever ingrained hierarchy in our career and education system which tells us that the arts hold a lower value in our society.

The Cyber First campaign came at a time when artists had hit rock bottom where most were unable to work because of the pandemic. It was controversial and offensive to artists who have spent so much of their lives in training and sent a misjudged message about artistic careers. Take the ballerina shown in the image - it takes a ballerina around a decade of training before they can go professional, usually training from childhood, but the campaign suggests that throwing their life’s work away to retrain in cyber would be more worthwhile and an easy transition, mocking the years of painful training that ballerinas go through. Equally, other artists dedicate their lives to their craft but are still considered not to have ‘real jobs’, especially when starting out. There is extreme pressure to prove yourself early on in order to be taken seriously and even then there is no guarantee of good pay or even any work at all. Artists love their trade in a way that many other professionals don’t because if they didn’t there would be no point in pursuing their craft. There is such great competition and stigma within the system, so those who succeed deserve respect for persevering in a competitive field, not an offensive poster belittling their life’s work.

The irony of these cuts and these patronising campaigns is that many have finally begun to appreciate the arts in a way not seen before. People have realised that when you are stuck in a small space with your family/partner/self, there is no greater relief than that of watching a group of people in a box to help forget the amount of pringles you consumed for breakfast or the depressing state of the planet. Even the government continued to support the arts financially throughout lockdown with a £1.5bn lifeline, but as soon as restrictions began to ease, the arts took further blows as legislation continued to bar performances from opening to a profitable capacity. The football season kicked off with thousands of fans huddled in the stadiums meanwhile theatres and cinemas could only open to reduced audiences with extreme measures in place. On top of this, when multiple football players came down with Covid, the rest of their team was able to continue to play, and while football fans yelled racist abuse at 19-year-olds, the cast of Hairspray had to cancel performances after a single Covid case. The hypocrisy of the situation was only further evidence of the seeming lack of importance of art, and particularly theatre, to the government and their guidelines.

Because of the attitudes held towards art, I often feel ashamed of my degree in Theatre - with a view to writing - as I know do many of my fellow students. When asked about my degree, the answer “I take theatre” tends to act as an instant conversation killer or as the beginning of a condescending attack on my intelligence and life choices, so in the past I have often taken the easy route and lied that I take English to avoid these uncomfortable conversations. Nowadays I try to think of my degree in a new way, as something that should not be seen as self-serving or something to be ashamed of, but as something I can use to help others. To me, the purpose of art is not simply to entertain or express, but is also a means of mental health support and of making others happy, art benefits both the artist and the consumer. Think of one day where you weren’t bored out of your mind where you didn’t watch TV, listen to the radio or music, talk about the latest show or album - I can’t. Art is in everything we do, we don’t even think about it most of the time and that is perhaps why arts careers are seen as frivolous, because the consumption of art is often a lighthearted activity. You may go to see a musical or movie for a fun night out, just a couple of hours of escapism - but those few hours have taken months, and sometimes years to create. If you look into the process of just one movie or album, you will find that creative careers are some of the most unpredictable and challenging jobs out there - but most only look at the product rather than the process.

Without the arts we could survive, we could exist, but we would just be cogs in a machine making the world go around just because we can. Art makes us human, it nourishes our minds and mental wellbeing. Happiness is not a long-term goal, but a series of moments, so why not maximise these moments with the shows and the music you love? Share your favourite book with someone you love? It all seems superficial, and sometimes that’s all art is, but if something, even something that seems trivial, makes you feel happy, that’s not insignificant at all and neither are the people who created it