Over 4,000 artists and arts professionals sign our letter to DCMS, calling for policy changes to support the visual arts
Over 4,000 artists and arts professionals have co-signed a letter to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, backing policy recommendations to support the visual arts sector, that have been developed by 24 visual arts organisations including DACS, a-n and CVAN.
As published in the Observer and the Art Newspaper, the letter has been signed by 4,223 artists and arts professionals including artists Dame Sonia Boyce, Sir John Akomfrah, Mona Hatoum, and Heather Phillipson, asking the new government to consider short-term policy recommendations including:
- the introduction of the Smart Fund, a private copying scheme that could generate around £300 million/ year in copyright revenues for creatives and visual artists.
- the appointment of a Freelancer Commissioner to advocate for the working rights of freelancers in the visual arts sector and across the creative industries.
In the longer term, we are collectively calling for the extension of the Museum and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief, a new Creative and Cultural Agreement with the EU, and planning reforms to incentivise the creation of artists’ studios and creatives spaces. In addition to economic support, our manifesto calls for a curriculum that fosters creativity, stressing the importance of investing in creative education.
We write this letter at a time in which galleries, studios, museums, and visual artists face significant challenges that severely impact their ability to sustain their practice and to earn a living from their work. From the dramatic reduction in culture spending by local governments, and the reduction in funding streams supporting independent artists, to the rise of Generative AI that threatens the copyright and livelihoods of visual artists. At this critical time UK artists need robust support to continue creating the works that enrich all our lives.”
CEO, DACS
Who has signed this letter?
The letter has been signed by 4,223 people - including artists, curators, gallerists and other arts professionals.
Signatories include:
Sir John Akomfrah; David Batchelor; Richard Billingham; Sutapa Biswas; Dame Sonia Boyce; Victoria Cantons; Gordon Cheung; Matthew Darbyshire; Angela De La Cruz; Ibrahim El-Salahi; Hamish Fulton; Sunil Gupta; Mona Hatoum; Tony Heaton OBE; Harminder Judge; Lawrence Lek; Daniel Meadows; Haroon Mirza; Jade de Montserrat; Ron Mueck; David Nash; Grace Ndiritu; Humphrey Ocean; Adjani Okpu-Egbe; Katrina Palmer; Heather Phillipson; Bianca Raffaella; Linsdsay Seers; George Shaw; Bob and Roberta Smith; Sam Taylor-Johnson; Caroline Walker; Ajamu X; Osman Yousefzada.
The full letter with a list of signatories can be accessed below:
Read more
- Visual arts organisations unite to call the Government to action
- Visual Arts Manifesto raised in the House of Lords
- How DACS advocates for artists' rights
