OutdoorArtsUK welcome The Hodge Review’s recognition of Arts Council England as an important Development Agency. We are pleased that it also emphasises the need to further protect its political independence, just as us and many other respondents have insisted.
We particularly welcome the reemphasis of why the arts matter, whether that’s the economic impact or to engender our sense of place, identity and social cohesion. Outdoor arts have of course many examples of making contribution:
Lumiere Durham
Circus Raj at Maidstone Mela 2024, Cohesion Plus
Spellow Library Lantern Parade
OutdoorArtsUK, however, strongly believe that this new strategy should not merely fall back to ACE’s “Great Art For Everyone” strategy. The perception of Artistic Excellence is fluid, and it can inadvertently become an exclusionary force. Funded organisations and individuals playing to their strengths is sensible, but there still needs to be prudent scrutiny. There must be a mechanism to understand whether communities (particularly those historically underserved by the arts) actually perceive “excellent art” as something genuinely accessible to them, or not. Democratisation of the arts requires all voices to be heard equally.
We call on the new strategy to take us to a place where Artistic Excellence and Access have become intricately interlinked. Artistic Excellence should not be dictated by people of particular social or political standing.
OutdoorArtsUK also welcome the Review’s acknowledgement of the need for artform strategies. In September 2024, OutdoorArtsUK, Without Walls Consortium, and 101 Outdoor Arts formed a partnership to produce a Sector Strategy. It is supported by the Arts Council and will be published in February. We hope that the strategy will be of use to the Arts Council to continue their efforts on making artistic excellence truly accessible.
The Review’s support for Tourism Levy, Tax Relief, and Philanthropy, is encouraging. We urge DCMS and other relevant governmental bodies to ensure that our sector is at the table when these initiatives are designed and implemented. These funds must be distributed fairly and equitably, as we have advocated for here following the previous announcement regarding the tourism levy. We are disappointed that the Review’s suggested reform of Tax Relief does not go far enough to make our sector eligible despite our advocacy. However, we consider the explicit mention of Tax Relief in the Review as an opportunity to continue our advocacy on this issue.
Allocation of any new, additional resources to high-impact sector like outdoor arts will result in hugely positive return of investment.
Image credit: BDisLit 2025, produced by Bradford Council and Bradford 2025, photo:Simon Dewhurst
