Industry leaders sign open letter to Mary Archer as ACE review gets underway

More than 100 leading figures from across the cultural sector have called for a simplified application process to be "at the heart" of the Arts Council England review.

Shakespeare’s Globe chief executive Stella Kanu, Actors Touring Company boss Matthew Xia and Live Theatre artistic director Jack McNamara are among those backing an open letter to Dame Mary Archer, which proposes a "transformation" of the application portal Grantium in order to reduce demands on applicants and make the process more "streamlined, equitable and transparent".

The letter also makes a strong defence of ACE’s current 10-year strategy, Let’s Create, and warns that "there has been a concerted effort by some in recent months to steer the public debate and conflate issues, encouraging an unhelpful media-driven impression of ‘a growing revolt’ against Arts Council England". 

"We are concerned that those who shout the loudest and have the ears of the powerful are able to dominate at the expense of a range of voices and a reasonable consideration of the issues," the letter states, going on to criticise attempts to create "false divisions" between representation and excellence and calls for such debates to be "resisted". 

Archer is at the helm of the government’s ongoing review of ACE, the findings of which are expected to be released this summer. 

The review is set to examine whether the funding body can cut costs by 5% and assess the "ambition and quality" of ACE-funded projects, according an announcement by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport earlier this year. 

Other signatories of the open letter include Exeter Northcott’s artistic director Martin Berry, as well as representatives from organisations such as Shakespeare North Playhouse, Battersea Arts Centre, HOME Manchester and Diverse Artists Network. 

Published in Arts Professional, it reads: "While aware of the need to collect data and demonstrate our impact and value, we would welcome a reduction in the demands placed on organisations and artists, with more streamlined, equitable and transparent processes.

"We would propose that ACE conduct a ’from first principles’ review of all its funding processes placing simplification for applicants at the heart of that review.

"We hope there will finally be an acceptance that the application portal, Grantium, is not fit for purpose, and that investment is made as needed for ACE to properly transform their systems and replace Grantium."

Grantium, the body’s online application portal, was launched in 2016 in a bid to cut costs, but has come under sustained fire on social media for being "terrifically bad" and "debilitatingly archaic".

The letter opens by praising Let’s Create.

"We note that the current public body review for Arts Council England is a critical moment to review whether ACE, in the words of its terms of reference, is ‘up to date and remains relevant’ and whether its ‘delivery model is appropriate to deliver effective outcomes for the public’," it says.

"The terms of reference get to the heart of the review by aiming to explore ‘whether ACE ensures there is high-quality, excellent, representative culture and creative practice across the whole country, reaching a broad public’. We believe that ACE’s 10-year strategy, Let’s Create, reflects these principles and sets out a clear road map for achieving this ambition," it continues.

The open letter warns that some people have tried to reframe the review as one of Let’s Create, and adds that divisions within the industry are resurfacing based on "false and obstructive divisions between ’quality’ or ’excellence’ and ’representation’". 

"We cannot allow a few voices to influence a swing back to an interpretation of excellence that narrows the opportunity for the ‘broad public’ to experience culture and creativity.

"We should resist an attempt to create divisions, playing into the prejudices and unfounded fears of some commentators who seem to believe that ACE is ‘determined to shift public subsidy on to supporting amateurs and community projects’," it states.

The open letter comes amid growing pressure on ACE to improve representation of marginalised groups, with campaigns calling on the body to recognise the work of female artists, disabled artists and artists from the global majority. 

It concludes by citing Let’s Create and urging that its guiding principle, that "everyone, everywhere should benefit from public investment in creativity and culture", be heeded.