Art in times of recession

In 1939 the Ministry of Information in England set up the War Artists' Scheme (W.A.S), devised by the then director of the National Theatre, Kenneth Clark. One of his tasks was to organize the safeguarding of the national collections. Paintings, like humans, were evacuated from the cities, taken away and hidden down the mines in Wales.

The state funded artists to paint and depict the war-torn landscape and photographers to document the war effort. The theatre was suddenly right at the heart of society, touring everywhere, with plays asking important questions about life, uncertainty, peace, community, humanity. Short trailers and documentaries were made and broadcast, to point out that ‘although we know what we’re fighting against, we sometimes forget what we’re fighting for: to be free to work, to play, to listen and look at what we want to’. There was a 'painting of the month' at the National Gallery, bringing a painting out of the mines and on show gathering queues of people to see it around Trafalgar square. Ballet shows were taken into the factories as an initiative of CEMA (the council for the encouragement of music and the arts). Free lunchtime concerts were given and documentary-makers, dancers, actors and photographers, were considered to be part of the national treasure (with the state giving them jobs in the country in order to keep them out of the forces because they were too valuable to expend!)

Art, in conclusion, became part of the national conversation and available to all (something that was of course always the norm in communist countries), its status radically changed forever. The idea was that even in the darkest days of the war people must prepare for peace and ‘make a better peace’ than they had before!

As history repeats itself in these tough recession times, cultural centres, theatres, operas, galleries etc. are falling like dominoes, all around the globe. As art depends on public sector, big private money (banks, millionaires, giant corporations) and audiences who now have very little money to spend, it is facing collapse and decline. Creative arts, music, crafts and so on are a big part not only of the economy but also of boosting low morale and playing a major part in recovering from hard times. But can the arts community rise through the current challenges, giving way to an incredibly powerful time and a changed post-recession society? Or will it (stupidly in my opinion) back away, become defensive (no need for pretty pictures in recession times) and disappear, leaving us even poorer?

(inspiration and quotes from Alan Yetob's wonderful BBC documentary Imagine 2009: Art in Troubled Times)

ps: i don't write often but when i do i can't shut up :o