The Politics of the Arts in Britain

Gray, Clive

doi:10.1057/9780333981412

Cited by 94 publications

(60 citation statements)

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“…Instrumentalisation is unlikely to be a conscious governmental strategy, appearing, instead, to be either an unintended consequential effect of other reforms, or a co-incidence of endogenous and exogenous changes that make it appear to be a viable policy response for policy actors in conditions of 20 uncertainty. In either case the process of instrumentalising public policies gives rise to a need to manage what is taking place -and how it is to be evaluated -and is subject to conflict between actors within differing organisations (Gray, 2000). Developing appropriate mechanisms for managing both the process, and the assessment of, the new tendencies in cultural policies is a continuous activity for participants in the field and is unlikely to be unambiguously resolved in the short-term in a fashion that will prove satisfactory for all of the participants who are involved in the process.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Instrumental policies: causes, consequences, museums and galleries

Gray

2008

Cultural Trends

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Instrumental policies: causes, consequences, museums and galleries

Gray

2008

Cultural Trends

Self Cite

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“…Some theorists identify the power of institutional frameworks in setting agendas for decision making and the structural defects within arts policy which may limit change (Gray, 2000), while others argue that individuals make structures as well as structures influencing people (Giddens, 2000). This research therefore analyses individuals as objects of study, identified by the sampling methods outlined below, and the institutional context within which they operate in order to examine the extent that the individual influences the organisation or vice versa.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The participation myth

Jancovich

2015

International Journal of Cultural Policy

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Policy rhetoric around strategies to and the value of increasing participation in the arts has been well documented internationally over more than a decade. But in the UK, which is the focus for this article, targets to increase participation have been consistently missed and there remains a direct correlation between those taking part in cultural activity and their socio-economic status.The starting point for this article is to examine the barriers to increasing participation in the arts and question the way that such policy has been implemented within the English context, which may have relevance for policy making in other countries. What is demonstrated is that policy implementation is influenced by vested interest of those in receipt of funding and that a narrow range of voices, from a powerful cultural elite, are involved in the decision making in the arts. The article makes a case for widening the range of voices heard in decision making in order to support both artistic practice and public engagement.

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“…24 A common challenge facing the arts in most countries is reduced funding for the arts (Boorsma, et al, 1998). This appears to be related to neo-liberal model of economic organization in which all aspects of social life need to be justified in market-centered or utilitarian terms (Belfiore, 2012;Gray, 2000Gray, , 2007McGuigan, 2009). 25 Despite a general view that the arts are somehow valuable, the arts can be hard to justify in state policies (Belfiore and Bennett, 2010)-especially when set against apparently more pressing, or more easily measured, areas, such as health care, education, business support or policing.…”

Section: Art and The Statementioning

confidence: 99%

Art at the crossroads: The arts in society and the sociology of art

Alexander

Bowler

2014

Poetics

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The arts face a number of challenges in the 21 st century brought about by various factors.These include rapid expansion of art markets at an international level, the impact of economic restructuring in public funding for the arts, the increasing dominance of neoliberal models of institutional and organizational success, changes in the definition of artistic work and artistic identity, and changes in the definition of audiences and new modes of arts participation in the face of technological innovations in communication technologies. In this paper, we identify and analyze six major themes central to the arts and the sociology of art: the marginalization of the arts in society and sociology, art and the state, arts institutions and organizations, artists and audiences, and issues of meaning and measurement. We argue that the arts and arts scholarship face a crossroads in the current environment. We conclude with some observations about directions for future research. Drawing inspiration from these changes in arts worlds and their implications for both the arts and arts scholarship, we explore six major themes central to the arts and the sociology of the arts in the current environment. Each of the themes-the marginalization of the arts in society and sociology, changing markets, art and the state, institutions and organizations, artists and audiences, and issues of meaning and measurement-includes observations about changes in the art world as well, as a discussion of scholarship in the area. We conclude with a discussion of directions for future research. It is our hope that this article will provide a useful overview of the state of arts scholarship at this challenging time, and suggestions for its future development. The articles in this special issue of Poetics are a contribution to that development. The marginalization of the arts in society and sociology 3The arts have occupied a marginalized position in both modern society and the discipline of sociology. Historically and today, the arts have been judged less important than other areas of study for the social sciences. As a recognized area of specialization, the sociology of art is relatively new and still developing (see below). The marginalization of art in society may be less obvious or even puzzling. After all, the arts hold an exalted, even sacred, position in society; they have the ability to confer status honor on the people who consume and possess expert knowledge about them; and expensive sales of art are reported frequently in the media. But as we demonstrate below, it is precisely this exalted status that results in the marginalization of the arts in the broader social context.The sharp, hierarchical distinction between the fine and popular arts that was drawn in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries created a dichotomous model of aesthetic objects and practices, the institutions and audiences to which they belong, and the functions or purposes they serve (DiMaggio, 1982a(DiMaggio, , 1982bLevine, 1988). 2 Put simply, the fine arts were ...

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The Politics of the Arts in Britain

Cited by 94 publications

References 0 publications

Instrumental policies: causes, consequences, museums and galleries

Instrumental policies: causes, consequences, museums and galleries

The participation myth

Art at the crossroads: The arts in society and the sociology of art

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