Great commentary here from Nicholas Hytner, Arts correspondent for the Guardian.
Arts education is disappearing from our state funded schools in favour of STEM subjects. Admittedly, STEM subjects are vital for jobs and will further support the British manufacturing industries which in turn will contribute to the Governments strategy to improve Britain’s Industrial capabilities. However, by leaving arts education almost exclusively to private schools we run the risk of the arts becoming an elitist activity. Already, we see almost all of our Oscar nominated actors having come from a privileged, privately educated background. If art is to thrive in this country then it must not just come from a place of privilege otherwise it will not become a representative form and will lose touch with the very people it is designed to connect with.
The arts in Britain should be cherished, they are highly regarded across the world and its a large export industry… certainly they are worth investing in. After all, for the most part our free time is spent consuming the products of a wide range of artists, whether that be music, film, television, theatre, dance, gaming, reading or contributing to its creation… we all use the arts in one way or another.
JD
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