The next UK government should appreciate the creative industry's contributions, and that the arts should not be spoken of as an economic "bloodsucker"--that from acclaimed actor Timothy Spall.
Spall made the comment ahead of the UK's July 4 general election, and following the release of the Lowry theater and gallery's annual report, which found that the space contributed £47.7 million to the UK economy.
"Whoever takes over, should work on--and it's a tricky one--making people realise that [art is] not elitist," said Spall. "The arts has this connotation of being you know, arty farty, for an exclusive audience, and it's not. Even if you don't want to make a living out of it, it opens your mind."
"It was a shame that it had become harder for children from ordinary families to access the funding to take up opportunities," said the "Harry Potter" and "The King's Speech" star, who also came from a working-class background. He added: "That's why I think the Lowry is such an amazing place. Where it is in Salford, it has this connection with the community, it's an open gate. There's an opinion that art is exclusively funded by the government but it isn't, it pays for itself. And it's in the interest of people that don't like it I suppose, to advertise it as if it's some kind of bloodsucker, but it simply isn't, is it?"
Most Arts Council England national portfolio organizations get nearly half their funding from the public. The Lowry, which soon celebrates its 25th birthday, is an exception, being largely self-sustaining, and with only 6% of its income coming from public sources in 2022 to '23. During that period, 22,000 people participated in its programs, including 15,000 young people and 3,000 people with special educational needs or disabilities.
Spall's comment also comes in light of declining arts funding in the UK, which saw the ACE cut £50 million a year from London-based arts organizations in its 2023-26 plans.
