Bridget McKenzie finds this book well- meaning but a bit bent on monetary profit over cultural value
For those interested in how museums are directed now that the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’s functions have been absorbed into Arts Council England (ACE), this publication is a revealing read, the author being Darren Henley, the chief executive of ACE. It is a personal, unofficial account of visits to funded organisations across England, consolidated into an argument for sustained and strategic investment in culture.
This emphasis on investment (not “subsidy”, which Henley says he can’t abide) suggests the book is a pitch to politicians and philanthropists. His final statement is: “This is the Arts Dividend. It’s investment that pays. And we squander that investment at our peril.”
In seven chapters, Henley outlines seven dividends from investing in culture: creativity, the thread that runs through all these dividends; learning, which focuses on the education of children; the feelgood factor, about wellbeing and “culture on prescription”; innovation and the uses of digital technology; place- shaping, with a focus on cultural attractions; enterprise and local economic growth; and reputation, with the aim of raising an international profile.
The first three are essentially about the development of people through access to culture; the last four are primarily about the development of places through culture as enterprise.
Henley draws on around 124 case studies of cultural organisations he has visited – useful snapshots of creative, successful cultural ventures, plenty of them chosen to reflect more modest organisations and the idea of “everyday creativity”.
I enjoyed Henley’s enthusiasm for England’s cultural treasures, and especially his determination to explore beyond London. His inclusion of stories to illustrate the learning and feelgood dividends was welcome, as these elements are often under- represented in reports that focus on culture’s economic impact.
I was genuinely inspired by reading about the Whitworth Gallery’s Age-Friendly programme, and the mix of functions at the National Glass Centre, among many other non- museum examples. Knowing it is Henley’s personal story I was reading, I forgave his emphasis on music and theatre (47 of the stories); still, given that he holds such an important position leading the cultural sector, I found his bias problematic.
It bothered me, for example, that only three stories are about craft, none about design. He mentions nine museums, but says nothing of their role as collections for research, as resources for sciences and humanities, or as stewards for posterity.
In explaining that creativity is the golden thread running through all, Henley reveals his obliviousness to the importance of heritage. Museums and libraries are ranked number one in a list of cultural activities contributing to wellbeing (Fujiwara & MacKerron, 2015), but Henley does not investigate why their unique offers make them so highly valued.
He is so keen to speak the language of investors, albeit woven with the joyful qualities of the arts, that he jumps too fast from benefits for individuals to economic outcomes, without considering wider social or environmental dividends.
In the chapter on the learning dividend, his concern is with “feeding the talent pipeline” for the economy; in the chapter on the place-shaping dividend, the rationale for creative centres of excellence is “growth in our national productivity”.
In avoiding the term “regeneration”, he sidesteps controversies about inequality, exclusion and loss of heritage. And he does not discuss how cultural participation increases awareness of the world and our confidence to speak up when it is unjust.
This is a great handbook for fundraisers and campaigners defending culture against cuts. It may also convince councillors or philanthropic funders to invest in local culture.
Writing it was a public-spirited and generous act by Henley, conveying gratitude for the privilege of visiting many inspiring venues. But it is oddly apolitical, written as though in an earlier historical era, before the momentous votes of 2016.
Read it to arm yourself with good-practice examples and facts about cultural value; but a revised version would be welcome now that we’re in 2017.
Bridget McKenzie is the director of Flow Associates
For those interested in how museums are directed now that the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’s functions have been absorbed into Arts Council England (ACE), this publication is a revealing read, the author being Darren Henley, the chief executive of ACE. It is a personal, unofficial account of visits to funded organisations across England, consolidated into an argument for sustained and strategic investment in culture.
This emphasis on investment (not “subsidy”, which Henley says he can’t abide) suggests the book is a pitch to politicians and philanthropists. His final statement is: “This is the Arts Dividend. It’s investment that pays. And we squander that investment at our peril.”
In seven chapters, Henley outlines seven dividends from investing in culture: creativity, the thread that runs through all these dividends; learning, which focuses on the education of children; the feelgood factor, about wellbeing and “culture on prescription”; innovation and the uses of digital technology; place- shaping, with a focus on cultural attractions; enterprise and local economic growth; and reputation, with the aim of raising an international profile.
The first three are essentially about the development of people through access to culture; the last four are primarily about the development of places through culture as enterprise.
Henley draws on around 124 case studies of cultural organisations he has visited – useful snapshots of creative, successful cultural ventures, plenty of them chosen to reflect more modest organisations and the idea of “everyday creativity”.
I enjoyed Henley’s enthusiasm for England’s cultural treasures, and especially his determination to explore beyond London. His inclusion of stories to illustrate the learning and feelgood dividends was welcome, as these elements are often under- represented in reports that focus on culture’s economic impact.
I was genuinely inspired by reading about the Whitworth Gallery’s Age-Friendly programme, and the mix of functions at the National Glass Centre, among many other non- museum examples. Knowing it is Henley’s personal story I was reading, I forgave his emphasis on music and theatre (47 of the stories); still, given that he holds such an important position leading the cultural sector, I found his bias problematic.
It bothered me, for example, that only three stories are about craft, none about design. He mentions nine museums, but says nothing of their role as collections for research, as resources for sciences and humanities, or as stewards for posterity.
In explaining that creativity is the golden thread running through all, Henley reveals his obliviousness to the importance of heritage. Museums and libraries are ranked number one in a list of cultural activities contributing to wellbeing (Fujiwara & MacKerron, 2015), but Henley does not investigate why their unique offers make them so highly valued.
He is so keen to speak the language of investors, albeit woven with the joyful qualities of the arts, that he jumps too fast from benefits for individuals to economic outcomes, without considering wider social or environmental dividends.
In the chapter on the learning dividend, his concern is with “feeding the talent pipeline” for the economy; in the chapter on the place-shaping dividend, the rationale for creative centres of excellence is “growth in our national productivity”.
In avoiding the term “regeneration”, he sidesteps controversies about inequality, exclusion and loss of heritage. And he does not discuss how cultural participation increases awareness of the world and our confidence to speak up when it is unjust.
This is a great handbook for fundraisers and campaigners defending culture against cuts. It may also convince councillors or philanthropic funders to invest in local culture.
Writing it was a public-spirited and generous act by Henley, conveying gratitude for the privilege of visiting many inspiring venues. But it is oddly apolitical, written as though in an earlier historical era, before the momentous votes of 2016.
Read it to arm yourself with good-practice examples and facts about cultural value; but a revised version would be welcome now that we’re in 2017.
Bridget McKenzie is the director of Flow Associates
