Latest news with #artsFunding
Telegraph
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Left-wing zealots are robbing Britain of arts and culture
In a few weeks Scotland's capital city will turn into a metropolis of storytelling and comedy as the world's biggest performing arts festival, the Edinburgh Fringe, kicks off for the 78th year. Its existence should not go unappreciated – as society grows more divided and people are sucked into their own online worlds, communal events like this are needed more than ever. This isn't just about rich kids cracking jokes – a good performance gives its audience a new perspective and a fresh way of thinking. The most original shows I've seen have been at the Fringe. Of course, originality comes at a price. It may not be poetic to talk about money but it is important. Arts events like the Fringe rely on a mish-mash of state support, ticket sales, corporate cash and philanthropic donations. In other words, arts funding is finely balanced. Pull out one part and it can all come crashing down like a Jenga tower. We are seeing this play out at some festivals this summer, including the Fringe's parent event, the Edinburgh International Festival. Francesca Hegyi, the boss of the Edinburgh International Festival, said over the weekend that the loss of corporate sponsorship meant it had to slash the number of shows it was putting on by a fifth this summer. There has been a 'wholesale collapse of arts sponsorships,' she told the Financial Times, explaining that businesses there was a 'reticence' among businesses to donate after the rise of activists targeting arts donors. The message comes a month after major museums called for an end to the 'relentless negativity' around private cash in the arts. Edinburgh was last year the subject of a public campaign to cut ties with Baillie Gifford, an investment giant targeted because of its small investments in fossil fuel companies and alleged links to Israeli defence via its investments in tech giants such as Amazon and Meta, companies whose products many protesters themselves likely use. The festival ultimately yielded and cut ties with Baillie Gifford. In the wake of such pressure, other businesses are questioning whether they would pass the new purity tests of the activists. As a result nobody wants to step in and pick up the cheque. It is absolutely right for climate and human rights campaigners to hold companies to account – corrupt businesses eager to polish their image by 'art washing' should be called out – but there needs to be some reasonableness and sense of proportionality. Boycotting art sponsors that have small investments in companies on the fringes of issues will do little to help the wider cause. All that will happen is the arts will suffer, not the fossil fuel companies or tech giants in question. We will all be left culturally poorer as a result. Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, warned earlier this year of a 'moral puritanism' sweeping through the arts that risked gagging society. The Fringe, which is funded in a different way to its parent festival, is still accepting cash from Baillie Gifford. Benny Higgins, the Fringe's chairman, says the board 'make careful judgments about what's acceptable' when it comes to sponsors. But if you can't take money from Baillie Gifford – a Scottish investment giant that creates jobs in the area and which is best known for investing in technology – then 'I'm not sure you can take money from any corporate,' he says. That's a concern, given that the Fringe itself is currently on the hunt for a replacement for its former key sponsor Johnny Walker. Baillie Gifford insists it has been unfairly targeted. The fund manager says less than 2pc of its assets are invested in companies that work in oil and gas, which is below the industry average of 9.5pc. It invests significantly more in green energy. Its links to Israel, meanwhile, are through investments in tech giants that work in the country – hardly a full-throated backing for Tel Aviv. Baillie Gifford argues that demanding divestment on such grounds is unreasonable 'much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon'. Nick Thomas, a partner at the investment company, said suggestions from some campaigners that it had significant money in the occupied Palestinian territories was 'offensively misleading'. While the argument rages, corporate sponsors are retreating. Major companies do not want to get caught in a row over the environment, Israel or other contested issues, and so would rather sit on the sidelines. Ultimately, this will mean less art, culture and music. Ticket prices will be higher. More people will be excluded (the Fringe is already criticised as elitist because of exorbitant accommodation prices) and important, thought-provoking pieces from marginalised groups will never get made. Less money simply equals less access, less experimentation and less creativity. Minds will become smaller. The economy will also suffer. These big events can generate hundreds of millions of pounds a year for local economies. Take The Hay literature festival, for example. It was founded in 1987 around a kitchen table and today brings in tens of millions every year to the Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye. The event was described by former US President Bill Clinton as the 'Woodstock of the mind'. Its sponsorship deal with Baillie Gifford also ended last year following protests. The argument here isn't that campaigners and artists should roll over and not hold companies to account. Calling for museums to ensure their sponsors meet certain environmental criteria, for example, seems sensible. But activists need to rethink their tactics and the threshold at which they act. This summer art chiefs will rightly call out boycotts which they think are unreasonable. The problem is it could already be too late.
The Australian
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Australian
Creative Australia apologise after Khaled Sabsabi reinstatement ahead of 2026 Venice Biennale
The head of Australia's arts funding body has backtracked and issued an apology to two artists who were sacked as representatives to the Venice Biennale, before being reinstated in a major backflip. Artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino were initially selected as the artistic team to represent the Australian Pavilion at the internationally-renowned 2026 arts festival held in Venice, Italy. But in February the pair were controversially dumped by Creative Australia after questions were raised in parliament about previous artworks by Mr Sabsabi. Michael Dagostino is the director of the Campbelltown Arts Centre. Picture: Supplied Khaled Sabsabi with his works at Mosman Art Gallery. Picture: Supplied Following a review released on Thursday that found 'a series of missteps, assumptions and missed opportunities' in the decision-making process the artist and curator were reinstated. Opposition arts spokeswoman Claire Chandler cited the artworks in parliament, and hours later the creative agency had backflipped on the pair's appointment. One of the works showed footage of the September 11 attacks spliced with a clip of George W. Bush saying 'thank you very much'. Another contained depictions of then-Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Creative Australia acting chairman Wesley Enoch has since apologised to Mr Sabsabi and Mr Dagostino for the 'hurt and pain that they've gone through in this process'. Wesley Enoch AM, Acting Chair of Creative Australia. Picture: Creative Australia He acknowledged the 'personal cost' that Mr Sabsabi and Mr Dagostino had paid in this saga. Mr Enoch reiterated the board had gone through a 'very rigorous process' which found reinstating the pair was 'the best option'. One former board member, sculptor Lindy Lee, quit the board at the time in protest of Mr Sabsabi and Dagostino's sacking. She told the ABC because of Mr Sabsabi's background his artwork was misinterpreted as supportive of Nasrallah. Coalition Arts spokesman Julian Leeser has been critical of the decision to reinstate Mr Sabsabi, telling RN Breakfast he thought Creative Australia had made 'the wrong decision' the reinstatement. Opposition arts spokesman Julian Leeser said he thought that Creative Australia had made 'the wrong decision'. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman 'The representative of Australia on the world stage should reflect our values and to reinstate this artist as our representative at the Biennale and to give them taxpayer funds I think flies in the face of those values,' he said. Mr Leeser did not make clear which values he thought Mr Sabsabi and Mr Dagostino did not represent, however he went on to reference the artists' works as having a 'history of presenting terrorist leaders'. He cited declining social cohesion as a reason that 'particularly at this time, this is the wrong person to be representing our country'. Mr Sabsabi has consistently maintained that his works do not promote terrorism – a view that was backed by Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke following the board's about-face. Arts Minister Tony Burke supported the pair's reinstatement. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman 'The report has shown that these works have not been regarded in any way, as promoting those involved with terrorism – the artist has made the same thing clear. 'If anything, the body of evidence says that these works are the exact opposite of something that could be seen to promote terrorism. 'Bearing that in mind, it makes complete sense that Creative Australia have recommissioned Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino. Their decision has my full support.' For their part, the artist-curator pair have accepted their reinstatement and said they will 'recommit ourselves fully to this project'. Brendan Kearns Cadet Journalist Brendan Kearns is a cadet journalist with News Corp Australia. He has written for The Australian, the Herald Sun, the Geelong Advertiser, CHOICE, Cosmos, and The Citizen. He won Democracy's Watchdogs' Student Award for Investigative Journalism 2024 and hosted the third season of award-winning podcast Uncurated. He studied as Master of Journalism at The University of Melbourne, before that he worked as a video producer and disability worker. @brendandkearns Brendan Kearns
News.com.au
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Australia's arts council issues apology, backtracks after sacked artists reinstated as Venice Biennale reps
The head of Australia's arts funding body has backtracked and issued an apology to two artists who were sacked as representatives to the Venice Biennale, before being reinstated in a major backflip. Artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino were initially selected as the artistic team to represent the Australian Pavilion at the internationally-renowned 2026 arts festival held in Venice, Italy. But in February the pair were controversially dumped by Creative Australia after questions were raised in parliament about previous artworks by Mr Sabsabi. Following a review released on Thursday that found 'a series of missteps, assumptions and missed opportunities' in the decision-making process the artist and curator were reinstated. Opposition arts spokeswoman Claire Chandler cited the artworks in parliament, and hours later the creative agency had backflipped on the pair's appointment. One of the works showed footage of the September 11 attacks spliced with a clip of George W. Bush saying 'thank you very much'. Another contained depictions of then-Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Creative Australia acting chairman Wesley Enoch has since apologised to Mr Sabsabi and Mr Dagostino for the 'hurt and pain that they've gone through in this process'. He acknowledged the 'personal cost' that Mr Sabsabi and Mr Dagostino had paid in this saga. Mr Enoch reiterated the board had gone through a 'very rigorous process' which found reinstating the pair was 'the best option'. One former board member, sculptor Lindy Lee, quit the board at the time in protest of Mr Sabsabi and Dagostino's sacking. She told the ABC because of Mr Sabsabi's background his artwork was misinterpreted as supportive of Nasrallah. Coalition Arts spokesman Julian Leeser has been critical of the decision to reinstate Mr Sabsabi, telling RN Breakfast he thought Creative Australia had made 'the wrong decision' the reinstatement. 'The representative of Australia on the world stage should reflect our values and to reinstate this artist as our representative at the Biennale and to give them taxpayer funds I think flies in the face of those values,' he said. Mr Leeser did not make clear which values he thought Mr Sabsabi and Mr Dagostino did not represent, however he went on to reference the artists' works as having a 'history of presenting terrorist leaders'. He cited declining social cohesion as a reason that 'particularly at this time, this is the wrong person to be representing our country'. Mr Sabsabi has consistently maintained that his works do not promote terrorism – a view that was backed by Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke following the board's about-face. 'The report has shown that these works have not been regarded in any way, as promoting those involved with terrorism – the artist has made the same thing clear. 'If anything, the body of evidence says that these works are the exact opposite of something that could be seen to promote terrorism. 'Bearing that in mind, it makes complete sense that Creative Australia have recommissioned Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino. Their decision has my full support.' For their part, the artist-curator pair have accepted their reinstatement and said they will 'recommit ourselves fully to this project'.
CTV News
18-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Pride Toronto's $900K shortfall sparks NDP call for ‘stable' and ‘predictable' funding
With Pride Toronto facing a $900,000 deficit and warning next year's event could look drastically different, Ontario's New Democrats are urging the province to step up their financial commitment. 'The provincial government has largely left arts and culture funding the same since 2009,' Toronto Centre MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, told CTV News Toronto. 'It hasn't kept up with the rate of inflation and any funding that the government says that they have infused is largely related to COVID activity, which was one-time funding.' The Ontario NDP says it has introduced a motion in legislature that calls for 'stable' and 'predictable' funding for major cultural events such as Pride Toronto, which they say generates enormous economic returns. While Pride Toronto has dominated headlines in recent weeks, Wong-Tam says it's part of a wider crisis stemming from over a decade of flat funding for Ontario's $26-billion arts and culture sector, which employs 270,000 people. 'Organizations like Pride Toronto, plus all the other major festivals in Ontario, have been struggling to gain access to provincial funding,' they said. 'What that means is that they are so much more reliant on corporate partnerships and what we've seen is that corporate partnerships can be fickle.' 'Not asking for a handout' In a press conference held last week, Pride Toronto Executive Director Kojo Modeste confirmed losses from organizations such as Google, Home Depot, Nissan and Clorox — some of whom, he says, already committed to participate in this year's events. He says the loss, combined with soaring costs and security expenses, pushed the festival's projected shortfall to nearly $1 million, straining their $5-million budget. 'We are not asking for a handout; we are asking for our fair share of the pie,' Modeste said, noting that Pride generates $200 million in taxable revenue. 'As we face our current challenge, we're not asking for much, we're asking for less than one per cent of the taxable revenue we bring in annually.' Some governments have already answered the call. The City of Toronto increased its annual funding by 35 per cent to $350,000 this year. However, Modeste said there's been little movement from Queen's Park or Ottawa. Insurance costs alone have jumped nearly 200 per cent since 2022, and Modeste told CTV that they now spend over $425,000 on security annually. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Ontario's Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming wrote to CTV News Toronto suggesting that they have already provided funding to Pride Toronto this year. 'This year our government is providing Pride Toronto with over $450,000 including advertising space and sponsorships, which includes $335,000 in direct grant funding from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming – part of the over $1.9 million we have provided directly to the organization since 2018," they wrote in an email. 'In addition to funding for Pride Toronto, our government provides support to eight other 2SLGBTQIA+ events across the province.' More than just emergency relief The motion introduced by the NDP is about more than just emergency relief, Wong-Tam explains — it's about rethinking how Ontario supports a major employer and economic driver. 'Whether it's through the collection of tax revenues or the employment of people, arts and culture does a lot to hit above its weight, to foster tourism and to promote social cohesion and the economy.' Wong-Tam added that festivals like Pride not only activate public space but also contribute to Ontario's brand as a vibrant, inclusive destination — something that both the Conservative and previous Liberal governments haven't made a priority. 'I would say that the Government of Ontario has very little relationship with a juggernaut like Pride Toronto,' they said. According to Ontario Art Council, their share of government's budget stands at just $60 million, adding that 'OAC's base budget has been mostly at this level since 2009.' 'Perfect time for Canadian corporations' Without stable government backing, Wong-Tam warns Ontario risks undermining years of both cultural and economic progress. 'Would you rather reduce the GDP by $26 billion annually? Would you rather see the unemployment lines go up?' they said. 'If their answer is yes, then they're not civic-minded people.' Wong-Tam points to Quebec as a model, where provincial funding is more robust and integrated into long-term cultural planning. 'Can you imagine what we would have in Toronto and Ontario if governments stepped up with a strategic plan to infuse money into these festivals that hire hundreds of thousands of people in Ontario?' For now, the motion has not been scheduled for debate. But Wong-Tam said the urgency is growing. 'This is the perfect time for Canadian corporations to step up if they can,' they said.
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Sting says governments ‘wilfully' neglected North East
Sting has accused successive governments of 'wilfully' neglecting the north-east of England as he announced a donation to a major Tyneside art institution. The former Police frontman, who grew up in Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, told the BBC that the North East had been 'wilfully neglected by successive governments for decades'. The comments came as it was announced the singer-songwriter had made a 'generous' donation to the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, which has been described as the Tate Modern of the north-east of England. Sting told the broadcaster that governments had disregarded the North East, 'ignoring its significant historical contribution to national life, both industrial and cultural', and added that 'levelling up' strategies in the region were 'empty promises'. The musician – whose real name is Gordon Sumner – said: 'The culture of the North East made me who I am, and I am proud of those roots. 'I want to acknowledge how lucky I have been and pay that debt back. 'Giving to Baltic is a way of saying thank you and ensuring that the next generation of young people on Tyneside have access to arts and culture.' Sting, who will also perform at the centre's fundraising gala in October, added: 'This is about investing in the future of the North East. 'It's about unleashing the creativity of children and young people so they can dream and think big.' The centre plans to raise a £10 million Endowment Fund to keep entry free and support its community programmes. Sarah Munro, the director of the gallery, said the donation was a 'major step' towards establishing the fund. She said: 'We are incredibly grateful to Sting for his generous donation, which is a major step in establishing a crucially needed £10 million endowment.' Ms Munro added: 'We are a much-loved gallery, welcoming 400,000 visitors through our doors each year, platforming artists, connecting communities and inspiring children and young people. We need to preserve this for generations to come.' Kim McGuinness, the Mayor of the North East, said: 'Our cultural centres have a huge role to play so it is amazing to see Sting and Baltic come together to launch this new endowment to create exciting programmes and activities for years to come. 'This endowment will make sure Baltic continues to inspire the creative talents we want to see in future generations.' A Government spokesperson told the BBC it was investing £140 million in the seven most deprived towns in the North East, including Washington and Jarrow, as part of a wider £1.5 billion investment across the country. The spokesperson added it would 'fix the crisis we have inherited'.
