Leading artists and musicians are calling on the British government to do more to support the arts during the extended coronavirus lockdown.
More than 400 of the UK’s most prominent creative figures, including PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, Johnny Marr, Imogen Heap, Grayson Perry and Jeremy Deller have signed an open letter calling on the government to release more funds to support the creative industries during the coronavirus lockdown.
The letter, written by the Creative Industries Federations warns without this extra funding, the UK is at risk of becoming a ‘cultural wasteland’ because of the economic damage caused by the pandemic.
The letter is part of the Creative Industries Federation’s #OurWorldWithout campaign, which highlights the fact that more than 50% of creative organisations and professionals have already lost 100% of their income.
“We cannot allow the UK to lose half of its creative businesses and become a cultural wasteland,” an excerpt from the letter reads. “The creative industries are one of the UK’s biggest success stories, previously growing at five times the rate of the wider economy. The creative sector will also be critical to driving the UK’s economic recovery – and transforming lives for the better – as we re-build.”
Read the letter and see the full list of signatories here.
