‘I want us tae be lood’: Arts Council England’s new chair aims tae reconnect young fowk wi cultur

Only half o bairns in England hae been tae a museum or the theatre in the bygane year, while three-quarters hae no been tae an airt gallery, research shaws.

Dawn Airey, the new chair o Arts Council England, said the figures war shockin but also an amazin opportunity tae ensure they dae hae that experience tae enrich their lives.

In her first interview syne takin up the job sax weeks syne, Airey said experience o airts and cultur shud almost be a human richt.

Whan I was at schuil ye gaed on cultural trips, she said. It was just accepted that ye wad gang tae yer local gallery. Ye can hae braw airt but if there is nae access it micht as weel no be there. That is the challenge.

Airey, a TV industry veteran and former Channel 5 boss, spak tae the Guardian while on a quick tour o airts projects in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

She succeeds Nicholas Serota as chair o an organisation that has hid a bumpy few years, beginnin wi huge cuts imposed by the Conservatives.

An independent review o ACE by Margaret Hodge this year levelled a number o criticisms, includin that it hid overly complicated application processes, which stifled creativity and innovation.

Airts organisations war also last year put through the wringer whan ACE’s grant processin platform, Grantium, crashed, causin widespread fundin limbo.

Airey recalled that on her first visit as chair tae ACE’s London office, it felt quiet, a wee bit subdued. I didna expect that.

She said she wanted ACE tae get its swagger back. I want the Arts Council tae be open, I want it tae be confident, I want it tae be leadin conversations, I want it tae hae a sense o fun, a sense o energy.

We hae been quite process-driven and it disna need tae be. We hae got tae relax. I want us tae be lood.

Airey was speakin as ACE published its first Creative Young Lives survey, ane o the biggest o its type undertaen. It looks at how bairns and young fowk engage – or no – wi airts and cultur.

The figures shawed that in the bygane year 51.79% o young fowk had been tae a museum, 48.56% tae the theatre or a shaw, 26.31% tae an airt gallery or exhibition, and 22.25% tae a music event.

In the survey, 74% o bairns said bein creative was important tae them, and 60% said they wad definitely like tae dae mair creative and cultural activities.

Cost is ane o the biggest barriers, wi 32% o respondents sayin it prevented them frae makin mair visits tae cultural places. Mair than half (55%) said makin creative activities mair affordable wad help them increase their participation.

ACE said the detailed survey provided robust data, wi previous studies no conducted a scale tae allow sic granular analysis.

On her visit this week, Airey saw first-hand the value o giein young fowk easy access tae cultur, at the airts-mad Dowdales school in Dalton-in-Furness.

Its heidteacher, Emma Aubrey, has fostered close links wi the Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, which performs in Barrow and has a youth hub.

Aubrey said it had been a battle tae ensure airts education was front and centre at her school while watchin it bein marginalised nationally.

It has been tough tae say: no, we will continue tae dae that, and we teach drama and dance as weel as music tae every bairn in key stage 3 every week.

On the day the Guardian visited, 12- and 13-year-olds war rehearsin Romeo and Juliet – and also considerin their town centre. It was rough, said ane bairn. There is naething gude gaein on, said anither. It was run doun. Fowk feel there is nae muckle they can dae about it, it has already happened.

They war speakin about Barrow, but it cud be almost any English town centre: the nation’s problems summed up in seconds by bairns rehearsin Shakespeare.

Aubrey is clearly proud o the school’s airts focus, and no necessarily because it is gaein tae create lots o artists. It is about openin up a warld that can be very insular and isolated and very industry-driven. It is about makin them believe they can be onybody, she said.

ACE distributes mair than £650m a year o public and lottery money tae airts organisations and individuals, and will next week publish new, simpler guidance for the next national portfolio fundin round.

In Barrow, Airey met a number o organisations that had benefited frae Arts Council money.

At ane roundtable she telt participants: The Arts Council has been through a bit o a tough time … I want us tae get our swagger back.

Airey said ACE wad be actively involved in the government’s ambition tae rewire the nation, addin: We hae been doin that a lang, lang time.

The idea o ACE gettin its swagger back was enthusiastically received by panellists, who spak o the challenges o gettin everyone on board whan arguin for embeddin airt and cultur in places sic as Barrow, a town dominated by its shipyard buildin nuclear submarines.

Jo Reilly, the deputy director o Art Gene, said: We need ye tae be an advocate for us at all levels.