The Arts Council axe has fallen heavily on Asian arts in the UK, with the announcement that London Asian arts venue Watermans is set to loose its £500,000 grant and that leading theatre company Tara Arts has lost 50% of its £340,000 funding from the Council. Among other losers are Midlands-based Surdhwani, Anjali Dance Company and the literature development network of East Midlands-based Charnwood Arts. The cuts come at a time when the Arts Council is continuing to fund English Opera, Ballet and Theatre to the tune of more than £100 million in 2008/09.

The Arts Council has been heavily criticised for its foreshortened appeals process and while claiming that it would not be swayed by public opinion, a high-profile, celebrity-led campaign by The Bush Theatre has clearly helped safeguard that theatre's funding.

WATERMANS TO SUE

Watermans is defiant in the face of the cuts, vowing to appeal against this decision, through the courts if necessary. Its lawyers have always believed that it had a very strong case as the main objection from the Arts Council was that they were not convinced of Hounslow Council's long-term commitment to the arts centre. In a very strong letter to the Arts Council, Peter Thompson, leader of the Council, made the borough's commitment to Watermans very clear while at the same time protesting about the nature of the Arts Council's decision making process. "Hounslow Council had not been consulted by the Arts Council or been asked directly about these judgements before they were made. It still seems amazing that the Arts council can continue to justify these judgements in the face of universal evidence to the contrary", said Mr Thompson.

TARA ARTS REMAINS "UNSHAKEABLE"

Meanwhile, Tara Arts has said that it remains "unshakeable" despite the Arts Council cut. Founding Director Jatinder Varma, whose company has staged many successful productions over the last 30 years for audiences of all ages, said in a statement "this is indeed bad news for the company. It is equally bad news for the state of the arts in this country. Our belief in our cross-cultural theatre work, though dented by the Arts Council's recent decision, remains unshakeable. Our only response therefore is to prove them wrong - and with your help, we will." The company, currently touring with a version Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' is launching an appeal for financial support for the remainder of its 2008 season.

WIELDING THE AXE INDISCRIMINATELY

The withdrawal of funding, or "disinvestment" as the Arts Council prefers to call it, also seems indiscriminate. Withdrawing funds from two of the most established practitioners in Asian Arts - Watermans is the defacto leading venue for non-English language theatre, dance, comedy and new media events and Tara Arts has over 30 years experience in producing groundbreaking Asian-influenced theatre - goes contrary to the Council's assertion for wanting to drive "excellence in arts" and empowering "artistic risk". Diverting funds from established practitioners able to deliver in favour of new, un-tried arts bodies seems contrary to the Arts Council's aims.

In a statement, the Arts Council said "our ambitious vision for the future of the arts in England includes the investment of £1.3 billion between 2008 and 2011. The strategy is designed to shape an arts sector committed to delivering excellent art to the widest range of people and one empowered to take artistic risk.

The money will be invested in nearly 900 arts organisations - including 81 new organisations - and more than 75% of Arts Council regularly-funded organisations received increases in their funding in line with, or above, inflation." However, the only "winner" from this year's review is British Indian dance company Angika that is set to receive £80,000 funding for the first time in 2008/09.

A number of Asian Bodies have managed to safeguard their funding, but, the total of £5,616,047 invested solely in Asian Arts represents a mere fraction of the £1.3billion available in the next three years.

ASIAN ORGANISATIONS FUNDED BY THE ARTS COUNCIL

* Charnwood Arts and Tara Arts have both lost a large percentage of their Arts Council grants.

WHITE & ELITIST ARTS IN THE UK?

A quick glance at the Arts Council's regularly funded organisations across England shows that not all organisations are loosing out. Opera grabs a lion's share of the grants with The Royal Opera House awarded £26,961,420 (2008/9), English National Opera receiving £17,479,333 (2008/09), Opera North getting £9,400,953 (2008/09), English Touring Opera set to get £1,474,036 (2008/09) and Glyndebourne receiving £1,498,979 (2008/09).

Ballet is also a winner with the English National Ballet receiving £6,537,950 (2008/09), Sadler's Wells getting £2,273,494 (2008/09), Northern Ballet receiving £2,692,486 (2008/09) and the Rambert Dance Company awarded £2,119,300 (2008/09).

English Theatre is another winner with the South Bank Centre receiving the highest grant of £20,240,931 (2008/09), the Royal National Theatre awarded £18,715,432 (2008/09), the Royal Shakespeare Company awarded £15,179,676 (2008/09) and the English Stage Company (Royal Court Theatre) receiving £ 2,189,628 (2008/09).

ARTS COUNCIL HAS A DUTY TO BE TRANSPARENT AND FAIR

Speaking at a public meeting on 24 January 2008, held by the Shadow Culture team, on the Arts Council's cuts, Shadow Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said: "The Arts Council is right to focus on excellence and innovation but it has a duty to be consistent, transparent and fair. Why then is it cutting funds from organisations that its own website says are world famous for their innovation and quality?

"The Government harps on about an end to boom and bust but that is exactly what the arts world faces."

ARTS COUNCIL SURE IT MADE "THE RIGHT DECISIONS"

A spokesperson for the Arts Council defended their position saying that, following the wide-ranging review, the Council was "absolutely certain that they had made the right decision. Obviously nobody likes to have their funding withdrawn, the organisations most likely to be affected are those who were complacent during the ongoing review process".

In relation to funding of Asian arts, the representative said "On a wider level the percentage of the overall BME-led portfolio has risen from 7% to 8%. In 2007/8 BME led organisations received £7.5 million, this now rises to £8 million. There are several BME organisations which are receiving significant increases, among them are: New Art Exchange (£401,915) and Arts Asia Trust (£153,562). We are making positive steps towards meeting our own target to make sure that 10% of our portfolio of regularly funded organisations are BME led".

WATERMANS PETITION

It remains to be seen how Asian Arts organisations like Watermans & Tara Arts will fair but over 3,000 people have already signed a petition to 'Support Watermans 100%' including Leader of Hounslow Council Peter Thompson, Local MPs Alan and Ann Keen and Councillors Andrew Dakers, Ruth Cadbury and Matt Harmer. "We still need support as a court will consider the level of public support in its final decision" said Peter Thompson.

VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN THE ARTS COUNCIL

The funding cuts have even led to an online e-petition on the No 10 Downing Street website urging people to "support the industry by joining the growing band of people who have no confidence in The Arts Council." The petition, which ends on 31 March 2008 has drawn 5,850 signatories so far.

Created by Tammy Jones of Stop the Cull it reads "Nearly 200 arts organisations including 37 theatre companies, have been told they are to lose all revenue funding from Arts Council England, in the bloodiest cull in ACE's 61-year history. The move to axe subsidy completely from 195 organisations, for most from April 2008, is leading to threats of closure and redundancies across the country. Not only will this deprive many areas of any cultural output but also ghettoise diversity and create a more divided and less integrated society when this public money should be doing the opposite."

WHAT CAN I DO?

If you want to help save the funding available to Asian Arts organisations in the UK, here's what you can do:

1. Sign the 'Support Watermans 100%' petition.

2. Sign the e-petition 'to reverse the political impetus towards reducing funding of the arts' on the 10 Downing Street website (closes 11 May 2008)

3. Sign the 'No Confidence in the Arts Council' e-petition on the 10 Downing Street website (Closes 31 March 2008)

4. Complain online to the Arts Council.

5. Write to your local MP - click here to find out who this.

6. Write to the Department of Culture Media & Sports (DCMS)

7. If you live in London, write to the Mayor of London.

SOURCES

Art Council regularly funded organisations by region (1.3MB, doc)
Arts Council non-renewals 2008 (100kb, doc).
Arts Council disinvestments procedural guide (70KB, doc)