Arts debate

Open space event report

A final arts debate event on 29 and 30 September brought together a large number of arts professionals to debate the future of public funding of the arts. The event was a collaboration between Arts Council England and theatre company Improbable. It was an Open Space event, in which the participants set the agenda and led the discussions, within a unifying theme. The overall theme was both a question and a challenge: if you were the Arts Council, how would you do it?

A report of the event was written by the participants and provides a transcript of all the discussions that took place over the two days. The report is a collection of notes from the discussions. A few very minor edits have been made to the text to remove potentially offensive or defamatory content. Please refer to our comments policy and website terms and conditions for further information. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views and values of Arts Council England.

Click here to download part 1, Word format, 94 pages

Click here to download part 1, PDF, 94 pages

Click here to download part 2, Word format, 99 pages

Click here to download part 2, PDF, 99 pages

The Arts Council is considering the outcomes of the event along with all the other stages of the arts debate research and consultation. We are hoping to publish an overall report later this year and a detailed action plan in the first half of 2008. In the meantime, the debate is open to everyone, so please feel free to add your comments below.