‘Save the Arts’ protests take over England

Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s statements suggesting artists find new jobs due to the COVID-19 crisis have caused extreme discontent among the arts’ communities of England. In consequence, The Let Music Live campaign has organised events around the nation to put pressure on the government to support the arts industry during the pandemic. The first of these demonstrations took place in London on Tuesday October 6th, where 400 free-lance musicians performed in front of Parliament. Directed by famous conductor David Hill, they played 90 seconds of Holst’s Mars - 20% of the piece- to represent that freelance artists can only claim 20% of their income to government during these times. Violinist Nicola Bendetti was in attendance and uploaded a video of this demonstration to her twitter account, claiming it was ‘unimaginably moving’. The same protest took place in Birmingham on October 9th in Centenary Square, Symphony Hall. This protest was supported by musician Cheryll Law, who told Birmingham Live: ‘I have not felt as safe in the entire lockdown as I did that day. We were socially distanced ... we weren't touching each other's instruments or music.’

This week, on Monday October 12th, hundreds of workers from Bristol’s event industry united in Bristol city centre as part of the nationwide awareness campaign. The protest- #WeMakeEvents- was supported by freelance organisations and artists around Bristol, including The Survival Tour, a group of five industry heads who have been cycling from Newcastle to London raising awareness of the struggles artists are facing during the pandemic. The event consisted of 200 volunteers who displayed choreographed movements with a red-light stick, while performers took to showing off their skills such as fire poi and circus acts and, supporters who were not carrying light-sticks brought posters and banners.

The same day as the Bristol protest, government announced they will be helping theatres, art venues, museums, and cultural hubs around England with £257 million. Over 1,300 organisations will be benefiting from this share, including the Bristol Old Vic Theatre. Tom Morris, Artistic Director of the theatre, says that this money will go into improving the business model of the Old Vic and support its creative workforce. Furthermore, they are working on releasing dates for live outdoor and online performances since ‘the country needs its artists more than ever as we confront the bewildering force of the ongoing pandemic’ (Morris, 2020).

As a generation full of creativity and talent, the government’s initiatives to help art organisations around England is heartfelt by all of us who see the arts as more than just entertainment, but a way for artists to express themselves and for us to connect with their pieces and performances.

Written by Victoria Cornelio