Abstract
Since the UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973, the European Union (EU) and the former EEC (incorporated in the EU in 1993) have been vital organs of solidarity and investment for the cultural system of the UK. The UK’s arts sector has also benefitted from the single-market and visa-free work and travel. However, the UK’s withdrawal from the EU means that the country, and its arts and creative sector, must adapt to a new context. By using interpretative argumentative techniques to analyse 30 interviews, and policy analysis, this article focuses on the manifold emotional, creative, and financial resilience strategies developed and trialled by the UK arts and cultural sector following the referendum result in June 2016. Those strategies suggest that some long-standing partnerships with EU countries will continue in the years to come, although not without issues.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 231-246 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | International Journal of Cultural Policy |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 11 Feb 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:I would like to thank the University of Manchester’s Collaboration Labs programme (2020), funded by the ESRC NPIF Accelerating Business Collaboration scheme, that supported the original report upon which some of research for this article is based. Further funding from Creative Manchester (2021) also provided important support to carry out this research. I am grateful for the support of Dr Rosalinda Quintieri and Hannah Murray (University of Manchester) and Tom Fleming at Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy. I would also like to thank the individuals who took the time to be interviewed for this report. Finally, many thanks to Itay Lotem and Craig Griffiths for the comments on the final versions of this article.
Funding Information:
Since the UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973, the European Union (EU) and the former EEC (incorporated in the EU in 1993) have been vital organs of solidarity and investment for the cultural system of the UK (). They have provided important sources of funding for the arts, including from the European Regional Development Fund (launched in 1975); Interreg Europe (launched in 1990) and Creative Europe (launched in 2014) (Næss ; European Commission Directorate-General for Education and Culture ). Between 2007 and 2016, 1,385 projects related to the arts, museums, and the creative industries in England received £345 million in EU funding (approximately £40 million per year) (Euclid , 6). In 2018, the Creative Europe programme awarded €15 million to projects in the UK (Creative Europe Desk UK ). The UK’s arts sector has also benefitted from the single-market and visa-free work and travel. Moreover, it has developed strong ties with organisations based in EU-member states within the framework of European legislation (intellectual property, copyright, VAT, and broader employment legislation to name but a few) (Littoz-Monnet ; Sarikakis ).
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Collaboration Labs programme (2020) at the University of Manchester, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Knowledge Exchange. Impact Acceleration Accounts Grant [grant number ES/T501979/1]. Creative Manchester Grant. I would like to thank the University of Manchester’s Collaboration Labs programme (2020), funded by the ESRC NPIF Accelerating Business Collaboration scheme, that supported the original report upon which some of research for this article is based. Further funding from Creative Manchester (2021) also provided important support to carry out this research. I am grateful for the support of Dr Rosalinda Quintieri and Hannah Murray (University of Manchester) and Tom Fleming at Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy. I would also like to thank the individuals who took the time to be interviewed for this report. Finally, many thanks to Itay Lotem and Craig Griffiths for the comments on the final versions of this article.
Funding Information:
UK cultural organisations have also proactively designed solutions adequate for their activities and structure, sometimes relying on long-standing partnership with counterparts in EU member states. Some organisations are considering opening branches in the EU in order to be able to continue their pre-Brexit activities in these countries, and be eligible for EU-funding. This is a solution pursued by Darren Barker at the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust in order for the Trust to continue operating in Bulgaria, where it runs workshops alongside an NGO and a university where British, Bulgarian and Asian students can gain conservation and renovation skills. Some of these events take place in the Trust’s two buildings in the Devetaki Plateau, one of the poorest regions of the country that comprises several historic villages. As a result of Brexit, the Trust is considering creating a Bulgarian company to manage its properties in the country and continue organising workshops. Barker has not received support from the UK government but has sought guidance from British and Bulgarian solicitors and is backed by the Headley Trust (part of Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, which has funded part of Barker’s work in Bulgaria). Having a sister Bulgarian company might allow the Trust to be eligible for EU funding and continue its activities in the country. Barker also notes that a Bulgarian company overseeing restoration projects in Bulgaria will constitute a more ethical solution than overseeing these projects through a British organisation (Barker ).
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