Britain: An official handbook > 1993

22 Promotion of the Arts
Artistic and cultural activity in Britain ranges
from the highest professional standards to the
enthusiastic support and participation of
amateurs. London is one of the leading world
centres for drama, music, opera and dance.
Other large cities such as Birmingham,
Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow
have also sustained and developed their
reputations as centres of artistic excellence in
recent years. Arts festivals held in towns and
cities throughout the country attract wide
interest. Many British playwrights,
composers, film-makers, sculptors, painters,
writers, actors, singers, musicians,
choreographers and dancers enjoy
international reputations. Television and radio
bring a wide range of artistic events to a large
audience. Arts activities introduced and
developed by the ethnic minorities are also
thriving. At an amateur level, numerous
choral, orchestral, operatic, dramatic and
other societies for the arts make use of local
talent and resources. The arts in Britain
represent a major sector of economic activity.
In 1990 they contributed an estimated
£6,000 million to the country’s balance of
payments.
Arts 2000
Arts 2000 is an Arts Council of Great Britain
(see p 397) initiative which celebrates the
approach of the millennium. Each year
between 1992 and 2000, a city, town or
region in Britain will be nominated to
celebrate a particular art form, concluding
with the Year of the Artist in 2000.
Birmingham has been chosen as City of
Music 1992, the East Midlands will be the
Region of Dance 1993, Manchester is to be
City of Drama in 1994, and Swansea the City
of Literature in 1995.
Arts 2000 is a competitive process judged
by an expert Arts Council panel. Winners are
offered £250,000 from Arts Council funds,
for which co-sponsorship is being sought;
they are expected to make substantial
contributions of their own to create a wide-
ranging and imaginative programme with a
strong European context.
Policies
The Government’s policies for the arts aim
to develop a high standard of artistic and
cultural activity throughout Britain; to
encourage innovation and scholarship; and to
promote public access to, and appreciation of,
the arts and the cultural heritage. This is
achieved through providing funds and advice,
and expanding total resources by encouraging
partnership with the private sector, including
business sponsorship. National museums and
galleries are encouraged and given an
incentive to increase their resources, for
example, through trading and other activities.
An important concept in funding policy is
the ‘arm’s length’ principle, by which
government funds are distributed to arts
organisations indirectly, through bodies such
as the Arts Council of Great Britain and the
British Film Institute; this protects against
undue political influence over funding
decisions by ensuring that the allocation of
funds is made by those best qualified to do so.
Administration
Promotion and patronage of the arts are the
concern of both official and unofficial bodies.
The Government and local authorities play
an active part, and a substantial amount of
help comes from private sources, including
trusts and commercial concerns.
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