Good morning. Everyone who has worked in the arts, from the heads of major institutions to the creatives who depend on their funding, has been warning for years about the dire state of the sector. As investment dwindled and contempt for arts and humanities education became mainstream – fuelled by senior politicians dismissing these courses as “Mickey Mouse degrees” – making a sustainable living in the creative industries became increasingly difficult.
Since taking office as culture secretary, Labour’s Lisa Nandy has sought to undo the damage inflicted by years of austerity. Emphasising the economic value of the arts and creative industries, she has pledged to “bulldoze” barriers that stifle potential.
