A Year of Anti-Racist Action survey, 2021

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In summer of last year, as black squares went up in solidarity, African diaspora, Asian diaspora and ethnically diverse arts sector workers demanded explanations for the treatment they’d received, and en masse made recommendations for organisations to make anti-racist change.  

In May 2021, Inc Arts sent out survey requests to 100 Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio organisations (NPOs), and the 16 organisations directly funded by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Out of 831 ACE NPOs, we asked the 100 with the largest annual budgets.  

With this survey, we wanted to see if arts and culture organisations were doing more than just posting a 'black square'.

Our new report, created in collaboration with The Bridge Group, exposes inequalities in the arts that have been exacerbated during Covid-19, and calls for urgent, practical action.

This report is about who gets ahead and how in UK arts management. The study includes over half a million quantitative data-points, more than 500 survey responses and 60 hours of qualitative interviews – and makes practical recommendations for change.

Hundreds of people working in a range of roles shared demographic information and occupational data, alongside their perceptions of opportunity, progression, diversity and inclusion across the arts sector. The findings are stark.

"In the UK we have a long tradition of maintaining structural inequalities, while simultaneously wringing our hands about it. What is stopping change? Retention of power is driven by fear, and a lack of imagination: a fear of losing relevance, status, incomes – considerations that all can relate to. Imagination takes courage: and right now, imagination is what is required of us all. The sector is at an important point of inflexion. It is the perfect time to experiment with radically different strategies for employment, progression and retention in the sector."

Amanda Parker

The report makes a range of practical recommendations, including:

• Embed ethnic and socio-economic diversity as a condition of funding and government support – contextualised regionally
• Individual arts organisations should support Inc Arts in the development and implementation of a National Action Plan for diversity in the arts and cultural sector
• All arts organisations should pay people undertaking work experience and internships lasting more than two weeks, and openly advertise all internships wherever possible
• All organisations should access and adopt best practice in advertising and recruiting roles and opportunities – and evidence where possible why a university degree is essential criteria
• Lobby for socio-economic background to be a protected characteristic, enacting Section One of the Equality Act
• Lead by example by using language that is progressive, specific yet accessible, appropriate, and inclusive.

Read the Summary Report below and the full report by clicking here.