THE problem with the stooshie over Ellie Harrison’s Glasgow Effect is how the debate on arts funding has been framed.
This is thanks in part to misrepresentations of Harrison’s admittedly poorly expressed brief, and thanks in part to knee-jerk reactions about art funding.
Commenters on the Glasgow Effect Facebook page have ranged from the insightful to the very funny to the upset and the offensive.
At its worst, the Glasgow Effect has led to Scotland’s artists and creatives being portrayed as quinoa-eating middle-class types sponging off the taxpayer. Little has been made of how important the arts are to Scotland, both in terms of our identity and in terms or our economy.
The Edinburgh Festivals alone have an economic impact of £261 million. There are smaller examples of this all over the country. Money invested in the arts is rewarded.
Of course, there are huge problems, mostly around class, when it comes to who gets the funding and who gets the opportunities to see and take part in cultural events.
If our artists and creatives are middle class it is likely because they had more opportunity to paint, play music, and act.
Hopefully Harrison’s Glasgow Effect and the response to it and others means we can start properly addressing that.
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