ACE awards Index on Censorship £100,000 to tackle arts censorship - Museums Association

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ACE awards Index on Censorship £100,000 to tackle arts censorship

Programme to involve boards, senior management, police and wider sector
Patrick Steel
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Arts Council England (ACE) has awarded £100,000 to Index on Censorship (IoC) to provide workshops for arts organisations in England and Wales on issues related to censorship and the ethical challenges that affect programming, fundraising, and managing controversy.

The two-year programme will see workshops piloted later this year before the scheme is rolled out across England and Wales, culminating in a report on the state of free expression in the arts, and a conference discussing the issues at the end of 2018.

IoC is hoping that the workshops, which will be delivered in partnership with Cause4 and What Next? will include boards, senior management, and police commanders.

Through involving the police, the programme hopes to explore ways in which forces can support artistic expression, and follows a legal review of IoC’s public order information pack by the Crown Prosecution Service, which has advised that the pack can be distributed to forces across England and Wales.



A series of case studies will also explore the pressures around presenting controversial programming, what leads to a piece of work being cancelled, and what lessons can be learned from those situations.

And Theatre Development Trust is contributing funds to work led by What Next? to develop a nationwide network of local groups to support colleagues facing ethical challenges.

“We are delighted that the Arts Council values this work,” said Jodie Ginsberg, the CEO of IoC. “A risk-averse culture is putting artistic expression under severe pressure. In the recent past, we have seen plays, performances and exhibitions being cancelled when faced with a hostile public reaction, or where police have advised closure. A disturbing pattern is emerging, which diminishes the arts.”

Julia Farrington, IoC’s associate arts producer, said: “The aim is to get people who are interested to come together to create a supportive environment to challenge risk aversion and explore how organisations can be more supportive and take a stand on these issues.

“This is a huge opportunity to do an important piece of work. It will take us into some of the most difficult issues, and issues that have been problematic, but it is important to get this right in terms of inclusive programming, discussing difficult issues in an inclusive, supportive way.

“The things that tend to be shut down are generally around race and religion. We want to look at how arts organisations can be robust and keep those spaces open.

“The message is that free expression is not a predominantly white institution, it is for everybody.”



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