What Next?
@WhatNextCulture
What Next? Culture is a free-to-access movement that brings small & large organisations & freelancers together to debate and shape arts & culture in the UK
A new government-backed system to pay creatives for content used by AI could be a gold mine for theatremakers, if freelancers rights are considered from the start, says Amanda Parker (@ArtsParker_UK) thestage.co.uk/opinion/ai-pay… #FreelancersMakeTheatreWork
The Campaign for the Arts will never stop banging this drum, for and with citizens like you 🥁 Join the campaign now campaignforthearts.org/join/ #StateOfTheArts #ArtsFunding
The data provided by the @_CFTA shows an erosion of funding that is deeply concerning. We have already seen the impact of years of retrenchment on organisations & on the communities they serve; affecting jobs, buildings, the talent pipeline, innovation and opportunity.
🥉 The fall in funding for Culture, Media & Sport is now over a third from 2010 to 2029 🥊 The impact of this is already being felt by people, organisations and on the communities that they serve
The arts and culture are about joy, community, and the creation of new ideas and shared experiences. It is a professional sector in its own right - one made up of large and small organisations, and powered by people (largely freelancers).
💬 “There are holes in the fabric and we cannot afford for this to continue. Government has the ability and the mechanisms to turn this trajectory around: to fix these foundations, but also to be ambitious for our collective future." @WhatNextCulture
Public funding for arts and culture is critical to the fabric of our society. Culture is part of a vital ecosystem that feeds the creative industries & contributes to growth, but it is far more than this.
It’s week 4 of our annual arts health check 🩺 Today, we look at Arts Funding with @WhatNextCulture
📢 Deadline extended to 10 August! There's still time to share your thoughts on the role innovation and R&D play in the arts and culture sector, in this short survey from @ace_national and @audienceagents 👇
Share your insights 📣 If you're a creative artist, freelancer, cultural organisation, community group or something else — we want to hear from you about how innovation and R&D shapes your work! 🗣️ Take the @audienceagents survey by 25 June 📅👇 bit.ly/4kXe0HR
After uncertainty surrounding the future of @DCMS, our Chair @cj_dinenage yesterday asked the Prime Minister if he intends for the Department to exist after his next reshuffle 👇
Want to build your climate literacy or create greener work? The expanding training section of our Climate Crisis hub links to courses, workshops, and toolkits made for people in the arts. 🔗 freelancersmaketheatrework.com/climatecrisis/… #GreenTheatre #ClimateTraining #SustainableArts"
Ardent Theatre Company have said that Theatre will become a “hollowed-out, elitist sector” without action to address the lack of working-class representation in the industry. Discover their 10-Year Manifesto for Change here: ardenttheatre.co.uk/manifesto FreelancersMakeTheatreWork
📌 THE STATE OF THE ARTS: One Year On 📌 #3 out of 5 in our annual healthcheck is Arts Provision, feat @musicvenuetrust 1/5 🧵
Creativity lives in every part of our country. And the UK’s creative industries power growth, spark innovation and create good jobs everywhere. That’s why we’re backing them with £380 million through our Creative Industries Sector Plan.
Creative Industries Sector Plan
UK creativity powers big ideas, new businesses and innovation Through the Creative Industries Sector Plan, £380 million of support is set to boost the UK’s position as a global creative superpower
0830-0930 Wed 25/6/26 @WhatNextCulture Cymru will get advice on messaging & possible arts manifesto ideas in time for @SeneddWales elections next year from @mattgreenough, former Chief Special Adviser to Welsh Government. JOIN via Zoom linktr.ee/whatnextcymru #WNCulture 2/2
Take part in the Arts Pay Survey 2025.
New event: Arts Professional: Arts Pay survey 2025 from Arts Professional and Baker Richards. Tell us how you experience work in the arts - from pay, access and precarity to equity and workplace culture. Take part in our latest survey. buff.ly/glySqau
Responding to a report from Arts Council England, freelance creative producer and facilitator Leila d’Aronville said that the sector’s future depends on its freelancers, not just its organisations. Read the full article in Arts Professional here: artsprofessional.co.uk/news/culture-s…
A report by the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, released last month, puts the spotlight on an industry struggling with rocketing production costs and in need of urgent funding. solt.co.uk/british-theatr… #FreelancersMakeTheatreWork #UKTheatre #ArtsFunding
Are you involved in creating or presenting creative work? We want to hear from you 📣 Tell us what you think about the challenges and opportunities for innovation and R&D in the creative and cultural sector by 25 June 📅👇 bit.ly/4kXe0HR @audienceagents
Today we’ve shared a position statement on AI in relation to grant making. We will not use AI to assess applications or make funding decisions. buff.ly/1jdBVb2
I was just on an excellent @WhatNextCulture Zoom meeting with @LizzieJaneC @frankcottrell_b @Booktrust about the importance of early years learning & the inequality facing many children & young people. Help support What Next? by donating or retweeting. paypal.com/donate/?busine…
We are now just 250 short of 37,000 signatures on our petition 🤏 That's tens of thousands of voices from every part of the UK delivering one clear message: if the government wants national renewal, they should invest in the arts and culture 📈🌱 HELP US HIT 37K 👉…
If the government wants national renewal, they should invest in the arts and culture 🎤 Today, we're launching a petition to remind Rachel Reeves: the arts make our lives happier and our communities stronger. Now is the moment to invest in them 🌱 campaignforthearts.org/petitions/spen… 🧶👇