Renewing the cultural sector: thoughts on re-organising

This week our main focus is going to be on organising. This is in part prompted by our forthcoming session on Thursday which is intended to open up the conversation about how the sector can organise itself better going forward and Build Back Better.

I am deliberately using the term organising here, rather than organisations because I don’t want to limit our thinking. While our organisations are an important part of the infrastructure, as we have seen evidenced through Covid-19 the sector comprises of a multitude of organising, and the extent of our flexible (and subsequently very vulnerable) workforce has become very evident. And Susan & I speak as part of that freelance force.

There has already been a lot of commentary, thinking and initiatives around what the sector might do to organise itself differently and recognise those whose work and work status may have gone unseen in the past. Today’s post is a compilation of some of the debates and actions that have already been happening. Unfortunately, the picture is not pretty but it emphasises the need to take this opportunity to take a good long look at what we are all part of. No-one can step back and be a mere onlooker we are all part of this system.

Here is a snapshot of some views and actions to date:

Support for freelancers

#FreelanceTaskForce, Fuel Theatre

Freelancers make theatre work, A collective voice to advocate for the UK freelance theatre workforce

This is the Time, A snaphsot A snapshot of the creative industry’s independent workers: their needs, ideas, dreams and offers to support themselves and their industry, Louise Blackwell

Support for artists

#artistsupportpledge, The Art Newspaper

Future artists livelihoods, Arts Professional

Doing better by artists, Padwick Jones Arts

Sector change

British theatre class problem, The Guardian

Captive minds, Francois Matarasso