Arts Council England cuts - Youth arts and theatre projects’ funding slashed - ICA budget down by 37%

Published: 01 April 2011
by JOSH LOEB

A “SLASH-and-burn” attack on small arts ­projects could mean thousands of young people miss out on music and performing arts lessons.

On Wednesday government quango the Arts Council revealed which groups had been successful in winning grants – and the ones that had lost out. 

One of the losers, Yellow Earth Theatre, say they may have to scrap some projects. The Chinatown-based touring theatre company, which works with British east Asians, said the 100 per cent cut in funding from the Arts Council would come as “a big blow to the east Asian community in general”.

Yellow Earth artistic director Kumiko Mendl said: “The Arts Council say this is about a balanced portfolio, but it doesn’t look very balanced to us. I know of other east Asian companies that have also had their funding cut. For people from this community, we open up routes into the arts that would not otherwise be available to them.”

In contrast, bigger arts venues such as the Barbican have won grants despite being able to hire out their performing arts spaces to box-office blockbusters.

Beth Cinnamon, director of the charity Westminster Arts, which was unsuccessful in its most recent application for Arts Council funding, said: “It was not unexpected but the money would have meant a lot from us. This means we won’t be able to fund projects in the community – so for example if someone comes to us with an idea about working with disadvantaged young people we will not be able to do it.”

The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in The Mall has had its budget cut by 37 per cent from £1.42million a year in 2010/2011 – but an ICA spokeswoman said she did not expect this to impact on the organisation’s programmes.

“This is a vote of confidence that enables us to continue to deliver a vibrant artistic programme and we very much look forward to the challenges that lie ahead,” she added.