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Day 89 - Friday 12th June 2020

Location: London, UK

COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak


Lockdown

The image below is a list of statistics from The Stage newspaper, the figures are from the Arts Index covering years from 2007-2018.  It is pretty depressing reading and doesn't give me a lot of hope for the current government to turn their ideas around and properly fund the arts.

The UK is a world leader in the arts.  Our theatres, concert halls, galleries etc are what attract millions of tourist here every year, adding nearly 10% to the UK's GDP.

I've said it before, I'll say it again.  What have we all been doing, more than ever, during lockdown?  We have turned to the arts for solace, for entertainment - TV, film, radio, books, concerts, theatre, opera and ballet broadcasts.  Without investment, we won't have these incredible works, this breadth of talent.

We need to stop seeing art and entertainment as a frivolity and something that can survive on it's own.  We need to recognise their value and support them, properly, through education, access and funding.

“If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him… We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.” ~ John F. Kennedy


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