(Press Release)
When Arts Council England announced its £160 million emergency rescue
package to deal with the coronavirus crisis in March 2020, arts organisations
and individuals alike were rightly delighted by such a swift and positive
response.
However, an important creative cause is in danger of falling through the
cracks. Jazz music, an increasingly dynamic cultural force, and a renowned and
invaluable stimulus to many kinds of music-making beyond its own borders, has in
recent years been significantly dependent on the National Lottery Projects
Grants Scheme for the planning of tours and creative projects. The scheme has
now been suspended to release funding for the emergency measures - but no
provision for its jazz commitments has been suggested in Arts Council England's
responses to queries.
The All-Party Parliamentary Appreciation Group (APPJAG), the influential
jazz enthusiasts' lobby group of MPs and Peers, is now urging Arts Council
England to restore the National Lottery Projects Grants Scheme at the earliest
opportunity. Individuals and bands seeking to organise tours 12 months or
longer ahead cannot wait for the present crisis to be resolved and need to
begin approaching promoters and venues now.
On March 28, APPJAG co-chairs John Spellar MP and Lord Mann, and deputy
chair Chi Onwurah MP wrote to Darren Henley, Chief Executive Officer of Arts
Council England, to raise these concerns. Following an exchange of
correspondence on the subject, Darren Henley's closing response on April 20
observed that protecting the infrastructure of venues used by performing
artists required the Arts Council's full capacity at present, and that although
future planning would be difficult for some time, 'our view is that wider and
much greater uncertainties remain, such as what government restrictions may be
in operation in the future, and the economic consequences of the intervening
period on culture’s infrastructure.'
APPJAG is of the opinion that this response is particularly unhelpful in
the jazz context, and will continue to urge Arts Council England to expedite
the restoration of the National Lottery Project Grants Scheme with urgency, if
ACE is not to make worse an already bad situation for jazz music in the
culture-funding pecking-order. It would be ironic if bands and musicians
whose current live work has been cancelled, should also find themselves
with no work next year - hopefully in post-Covid-19 conditions - due to the
withholding of a relatively modest investment that would enable them to set up
their 2021 bookings now.
For further
information please contact:
Chris Hodgkins
Tel: 0208 840 4643
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