CONTENTS Chairman's Introduction ;,ia :.i . :,•ccountable Secretary-General's Preface 3 t o 6 provide ParhoinL•nl anc public Departmental Report s 15 with an overvie x of t he % .3 }rh and to Scotland record all grants andsfWAr<anLLu offered i n Wales 16 support of the arts. Counci l 17 Membership of Council and Staff 18 A description of the highlights of th e Advisory Panels and Committees 19 Council's work and discussion of its policies Staff 24 appear in the newspaper Arts in 21 r6an Annual Account s 25 which is published in conjunction with this Funds, Exhibitimis, &-he»us and Awards Report and can be obtained, free of charge , from the Arts Council Shop . 8 Long Acre , London WC2 and arts outlets throughou t the country. The objects for which the Arts Council i s established are : 1 To develop and improve the knowledge , understanding and practice of the arts : 2 To'uncrease the accessibility of the arts to the public throughout Great Britain ; 3 To co-operate with government departments, local authorities and other bodies to achieve these objects. CHAIRMAN'S INTRODUCTION and Libraries provided an extra £1 million . Opera generally problems which the A r CI ,_,n, i , .1, The development of business sponsorship only partly meet, but the quahrY +-~t th(- has also been very encouraging . Ten years major opera companies' work outsicil u ago, business support for the arts wa s London was still outstanding . running at only £600,006 a year . The figure now stands at £17 million and a furthe r Although we have to make judgements increase is expected in 1985/86, Obviously , between companies, the Arts Council is some of our clients are better able to secur e very conscious that it exists as a servant of local authority or business support than the arts - a difficult role in a period o f others. Until recently, business sponsor s financial stringency . It is hard to judge th e have been somewhat wary of experimental precise progress of the arts each year bu t work, though IBM's support for Londo n the British theatre now clearly has a depth , Sinfonietta shows that at least one majo r richness and quality matched in only a very sponsor is prepared to help contemporary few periods of theatrical history. Without music. Arts Council funding, much of the bes t work simply could not be done. Dance has The input from local authorities an d an enthusiastic audience and flourishes in a business sponsors is very important. wav that would have been unthinkable However, we still face the problem of without our support . The same is true o f making our grant cover the urgent needs of orchestra] music, and the hundreds of On March 301984, the Arts Council our existing clients, without totally cuttin g thousands who attended the Renoir published The Gbon~ q (the Garden, the first off new development. It certainly is no t exhibition show the immense interest in major strategic review of the Council' s true in the arts that existing work is always great paintings. mrk in the 40 years of its existence . The of a higher quality than new work . rt °. I t-W a rgued the case for regiona l All of this is a great strength of the c v, I-,,mxfnt and the need to strengthe n The general quality of the arts in Britain civilisation of Britain . The outstanding partnerships in funding, particularly thos e remains very high despite the shortage of quality of the arts is undoubtedly a majo r with kx'al authorities . money . In drama, the regional theatres are attraction for the 12 million visitors wh o doing extremely interesting work, often spend around £5,000 million in thi s The Arts Council has worked with othe r closely related to the needs and interests o f country. The work of the Arts Council is bodies interested in funding the arts sinc e local communities . The leadership given b y therefore a very advantageous investment its inception - charitable funds, busines s the National Theatre and Roya l - both in Britain 's economic developmen t ,pons ,rs and the other main source o f Shakespeare Company also continues to be and, even more significantly, in the public funds, the local authorities . This of the highest order . The RSC's Stratfor d development. of British culture . form of partnership becomes even more performance of Richard III in 1984185 wa s important when central government widely described by critics as the play' s expenditure is under tight control . most successful production since Lord Fortunately . there are signs of success in Olivier 's classic performance nearly 4 0 developing these partnerships. Local years ago . .iuth~,rities put £2 million of new money t o match the £2 million of savings which th e The Royal Opera House and English Arts Council was able to devote to regional National Opera continued to giv e development in 1985/86 . The Office of Arts performances of the highest standard William Rees-Mogg JORtETARY-GENERAL'S PREFACE country . However, the Counci l respm;, t ! i,, :1 unges laid unable to meet the needs of its diei its, an d down in 71r: G. (,_~ i~a n . Our in 1985. long-standing concern for th e ability t1)C11'.13:,rkI-1 ti ;~ , and phase of health of the arts turned to a very real fear 'Glory ' will depend largely on the for their future . When I became Secretary- response of Government - but that will be C,eneral in 1983, I was determined not t o for a future report. constantly bleat on about the lack of mone y f or t he arts . I t seemed to me that there was The effects on the arts of abolition of the 1 :lt 101 fora more positive and aggressive GLC and the Metropolitan Counties ha s 11xro tch. Develop and maximise all continued to preoccupy us throughout th e ,, H . ~ - i itln(ling for the arts, sharpen year. I wrote in the last annual report of th e r.u F•: i }R -kith, augment promotion of the Council's deep concern at the effect thi s t ; nd siren)Trhen administration - bu t abolition will have, and twelve months on, I 11 !' _ 'W hingellig. can only say that this concern ha s deepened. What do I see today from my privileged view of the arts? On the whole, well run During the year, I asked my Deputy, administrations serving imaginative and Richard Pulford, to take on the task of exciting artistic enterprises . I see a preparing for the Council's assumption of growing involvement of local authorities, a responsibility for the South Bank, in developing commercial support, better box addition to his usual duties . He has now Thedoctrine ofthe subs* has much to office (five million more go to the theatre in relinquished his responsibilities as Deputy commend it. It assure OW all the money Britain than to soccer matches) and an Secretary--General, after six years allocated is subject io annual control by export market that is the envy of the world . outstanding service to the Council, to Parliament; it is, theomcdwllx hosed upon a `I However, this small but highly successful devote all his time to the South Bank . On a calculation of actual need; and by its short part of Great Britain Inc, is once agai n personal note, Richard's wisdom, humou r Mm nature it restrainsthe beneficiaries from under threat through lack of investment , and grasp of complex issues have mad e developinggrandiose ambitiwm . Yet and however positive I want to be about th e him a delight to work with and l wish him despite these careful calculations, the money arts I cannot avoid or ignore this fact. well in his new post. needed to crow the ascertained needs of the arts is neuerforthcoming-and the adent to 1984185 began with the publication of The The organisational review begun in the which the Anfs G%mcil is unableyearafter Glory of the Garden, the Council's ten-year autumn of 1984 is still in progress and year, toofferits associated bodies the subsidies development strategy . While the document comment on its conclusions must they need is regularly reflected in the balance was praised and welcomed by some an d necessarily be included in a future report . sheets and the anxieties of these bodies. criticised and deplored by others, we were My staff have responded very positively to still able to announce the first phase o f the review, and their contributions are So what's new? Every word of the above development at the close of the year. The proving invaluable to constructive debate paragraph was written by one of my total £5 million package included £2 million on the many complex issues that hav e predecessors thirty years ago . Style rather of new money from the local authorities . arisen. than content is the only clue to its age. The Having been involved in many of the doctrine of subsidy does have a great dea l discussions with local authorities over th e The Glow of the Garden, the abolition of the to commend it - and we needs must possible matching of Arts Council Metropolitan Counties and th e defend it as the best possible base on which development money, I would like to organisational review have combined to to build a flourishing artistic life for our congratulate and thank those authorities make this a particularly difficult year for whose vision and commitment led them to &cretan .-Gemcral 's Preface the Council and its staff .