Thousands of artists, curators, arts professionals and others have signed a letter to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport urging that the Government does more to support the visual arts sector.

The letter draws attention to the contents of a recently-published manifesto which outlines a number of steps that visual arts organisations argue the Government should take to support their sector. 4 areas are highlighted in particular:

1. Supporting freelance artists and visual arts workers

The manifesto joins other organisations in the creative industries (on which we have commented, for example, here) in calling for: (a) the introduction of the Smart Fund, which contemplates a levy being introduced on the sale of devices which copy, store and share creative content, and the money being distributed to creators; (b) the creation of a Freelancer Commissioner to advocate on behalf of visual artists and creative workers; and (c) “robust regulation” to ensure that AI developers comply with copyright law.

In the longer term, the manifesto also calls for the implementation of a grace period for disabled freelance artists whose income temporarily exceeds benefits thresholds, and also for the incorporation of “exhibition payments and fees for activities, including performances, workshops and artist talks, into copyright law, as demonstrated in the a-n Exhibition Payment Guide [see here] to ensure fair compensation for artists exhibiting their work”.

2. Investing in creative education

The manifesto urges the Government to “recognise and invest in the power of the creative arts and creative skills” by increasing the availability of creative subjects in the National Curriculum and providing funding to ensure that every schoolchild visits a cultural organisation annually.

3. Recognising the international power of UK visual arts

The Government is urged to rejoin the Creative Europe programme and implement a new creative and cultural agreement with the EU which would enable “reciprocal freedom of movement for artists and other creative workers, enhancing international collaboration and opportunities for UK artists”. The manifesto also calls for the protection and expansion of free entry to museum and galleries and to promote philanthropy through tax incentives.

4. Increasing sustainable investment to enable more visual arts places and spaces

Finally, the manifesto argues that “the visual arts and artists need space to create, exhibit and engage”. It therefore calls for an urgent review of local authority funding to enable local authorities to support and invest in local cultural organisations, and for the retention and expansion of the Museum Gallery Exhibition Tax Relief to include “performance and live art, digital online exhibitions, sales of work, and educational activity”. In the longer term, the manifesto proposes that creative workspaces and cultural infrastructure should be given their own asset class in planning regulations and for the Government to consider the introduction of a Tourist Levy, directing any income generated from it into arts organisations and cultural projects.

The letter concludes by stating that “these recommendations are investments in the visual arts, the UK’s cultural heritage, economic growth, and global standing; encouraging more people, from everywhere in the UK and more diverse backgrounds to forge careers in our world-leading visual arts sector. We urge the new Government to embrace this manifesto and take decisive action to support and sustain the visual arts sector”.

To read the letter in full, click here