Arts debate

About the arts debate

What was the arts debate?
The arts debate was the Arts Council’s first ever public value inquiry. You can read more about what public value is and the theories behind it in our literature review. The arts debate has been a major programme to explore how people value the arts. It combined in-depth research with wider consultation and debate, bringing together members of the public, artists, arts organisations and other key stakeholders to share their opinions and set some new expectations for public investment in the arts.

Why have a debate?
In 2006 we celebrated the Arts Council’s 60th birthday. This was both a time to celebrate past successes and an opportunity to look forward. The aim of the arts debate was to explore how people value the arts and their aspirations for public funding. We hoped that by understanding more about how the arts create public value, we would be able to align our own policies and activities to create more public value ourselves, in ways that balance the needs of all our stakeholders. You can read more about the rationale for the arts debate and the challenges that the arts debate is helping us to address in our strategic challenges paper.

How did it work?
The arts debate consisted of a programme of formal research and wider public discussion and consultation. The research programme was devised to ensure that the views of all our stakeholders were represented, including the public, artists and arts organisations. Research with the public involved people from all walks of life, all around the country, and included those who have no current involvement in the arts as well as those who are passionate about them. The findings of the early stages of research were used to shape the questions we asked in a wider debate in our consultation period, which ran from 12 February 2007 to 11 May 2007. During this period everyone was able to have their say, either through submitting a written response or by joining the debate online (see the online debate archive here).

The research and consultation were underpinned by some core principles, which set out our commitment to rigorous inquiry and meaningful response. Read a copy of the arts debate principles.

The arts debate was also overseen by an independent panel, who contributed their expertise to the development of the arts debate and ensured that the process was rigorous and transparent. The panel members were:

Philip Cullum, Deputy Chief Executive, National Consumer Council
Tony Hall, Chief Executive, The Royal Opera House
Julia Hobsbawm, Founder and Director, Editorial Intelligence
Ian Kearns, Deputy Director, ippr
Dame Suzi Leather, Chair, Charity Commission
Masood Lone, Head of Equalities and Social Inclusion, London Borough of Camden

Read more details about the members of our advisory panel in the advisory panel biographies.

What were the results?
You can read an overall summary of the findings drawn from all stages of research and consultation on the summary & conclusions page. You can see detailed findings from each individual stage of the inquiry on the research & consultation page.

What happens next?
The Arts Council looks forward to responding to the opportunities and challenges presented by the arts debate. Over the coming months we will be sharing and debating the findings widely and developing a detailed response, combining short-term actions in our next corporate plan and a long-term policy response to be published in spring 2008.

The Arts Council is committed to ensuring that the conversation continues. We shall be working hard to maintain this important dialogue about the value of the arts, the role of public funding and our own priorities and principles in the future.

Arts debate

About the arts debate

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