‘Arts should be central to the life of our nation’

THE Arts Council of Wales has pledged to up its game and ensure that a wider section of the community participates in artistic activity.

Today, in its corporate plan for the next five years, the body is setting out its mission for the period up to 2023: “Making the arts central to the life and wellbeing of the nation”.

The Arts Council is committing itself to two priorities:

■ Promoting equalities as the foundation of a clear commitment to reach more widely and deeply into all communities across Wales.

■ Strengthening the capability and resilience of the sector, enabling creative talent to thrive and enabling the Arts Council to work more effectively, collaborating more imaginatively with like-minded partners across Wales.

At today’s press conference to launch the plan, Phil George, chairman of Arts Council of Wales, will say: “The Arts Council remains committed to excellence and to supporting bold, innovative and provocative art. But we also want to reach a wider range of our fellow citizens with the transformative power of the arts.

“This is more challenging than it sounds in principle. The brutal fact remains that too many people are effectively denied the opportunity to enjoy, take part or work in the arts. If we believe that the life-enhancing experiences of the arts, of imaginative expression, are crucial for a healthy and dynamic society, then they should be available to all.”

Continuing this theme, Nick Capaldi, the body’s chief executive, will say: “We’ve worked hard to dispel the myth that the value and benefits that the arts bring are limited to an exclusive minority. But the evidence shows that in spite of some success, we’re still not doing enough.

“There are still too many barriers that impede people’s access to the arts. Breaking down those barriers – cultural, social or economic – will be one of our defining priorities over the duration of this plan, as well as continuing to champion excellence and encourage the best in the arts in Wales.”

The Arts Council aims to do this by:

■ Providing packages of funding and support to encourage the resilience and durability of artists and arts organisations;

■ Increasing its investment in the creative work of black, Asian and minority ethnic artists, disabled people and those wanting to work through the medium of the Welsh language;

■ Campaigning for greater diversity within the arts workforce and in the governance of its portfolio of revenuefunded organisations;

■ Ensuring that the Arts Council itself lives up to the values of fairness, equality and diversity;

■ Exploiting the opportunities working internationally;

■ Extending its work with children and young people, securing the future of its Creative Learning programme.

Mr George will say: “Earlier this year we asked Gary Raymond, critic, editor, novelist and broadcaster, to talk to key individuals with an important story to tell or experiences to share. Thirteen of those stories are included in our new corporate plan, and contribute hugely to it. They stand as flag-bearers for the inclusive approach, which we are committed to pursuing.”

Mr Raymond said: “Over the course of a few months, I spoke to a wide range of people from a diverse demographic pool, all of whom have put themselves in the enviable position of having creativity in the centre of their lives. These conversations continuously came back to the transformative power of art and how the future must be about diversity, access and creating an open-mindedness in regards to form and medium. The conversations were marked with boldness, fearlessness, passion and energy – they are both a look at the creative landscape of Wales as it is, and how it could be.”

One of the artists featured in the corporate plan is writer and performer Sophie McKeand, from Wrexham, who states: “I had never written a poem until I was 28. I had no interest whatsoever in poetry. In school I’d found it boring, tedious, irrelevant to my life. I loved books, and although I read voraciously it never occurred to me that I might become a writer.

“I did all sorts of jobs after leaving school – cafés, bars, telesales, banks – I was a single mother at 20. I worked my way up to a well-paid sales executive job at 27, but still I felt deeply unfulfilled and unhappy, so I quit to undertake a degree in English literature and creative writing.

“I didn’t want to take the poetry module, but it was compulsory, and I suddenly found myself surrounded by these amazing thinkers; these minds that were reaching out across time and space helped me to view the world and my place in it in an entirely new way. I felt a deep resonance with their approach and need to reflect the world through poetry.” of