Arts Council England, which gives out grants to artists in need and supports arts ventures in the country, has endured some serious blows in the last few days. The Bookseller reports that Jackie Kay, Arts Council England’s lead advisor for literature (and a novelist, short story writer and poet in her own right) has resigned from the organization in protest at a restructure which has also seen the departure of literature director Gary McKeone. The restructure, which is expected to save the organization almost 2 million pounds, has Kay “deeply concerned” about a “worrying vacuum [that] will see the Arts Council lose knowledge, expertise, depth and focus.”
I care very much about Arts Council support for literature and have worked with Gary McKeone to make that support as robust and farsighted as possible,” Kay said. “Those of us who care passionately about the arts want an Arts Council that has the respect of the arts world nationally and internationally. The ‘new’ Arts Council shows no sign of being able to achieve this. We are in danger of creating an Arts Council without the Arts.”