The participation myth

TLDR

Arts participation rhetoric has been widely documented internationally for over a decade. The article examines barriers to arts participation in England and argues for broadening decision‑making voices to enhance artistic practice and public engagement. In the UK, participation targets are consistently missed, participation correlates with socio‑economic status, and policy implementation is driven by vested interests of a narrow elite.

Abstract

Policy rhetoric around strategies to and the value of increasing participation in the arts has been well documented internationally over more than a decade. But in the UK, which is the focus for this article, targets to increase participation have been consistently missed and there remains a direct correlation between those taking part in cultural activity and their socio-economic status. The starting point for this article is to examine the barriers to increasing participation in the arts and question the way that such policy has been implemented within the English context, which may have relevance for policy-making in other countries. What is demonstrated is that policy implementation is influenced by vested interest of those in receipt of funding and that a narrow range of voices, from a powerful cultural elite, are involved in the decision-making in the arts. The article makes a case for widening the range of voices heard in decision-making in order to support both artistic practice and public engagement.