The South Bank Show host speaks tomorrow on why art matters for new Sky Arts special…
Lord Bragg’s address will be captured for a brand-new Sky Arts special, Art Matters, airing later this year.
Lord Melvyn Bragg:
“I think we should step up and declare ourselves to be the country of the arts. The arts employ millions of skilled people – from television to painting to popular music to film and theatre and dance. The arts bring billions into the exchequer, more than most industries. It’s time the arts stopped being thought of as the cherry on the cake. We are the cake!”
The arts are in crisis. Substantial reductions in funding for the arts by government and local councils, the marginalisation of arts in the school curriculum and at universities, together with the lingering after-effects of the pandemic have taken their toll. Melvyn Bragg, whose life and work has been dedicated to throwing the arts open to everyone, will address the House of Lords tomorrow to make his case for why the arts in Britain matter, as he opens a debate on our cultural life.
A passionate manifesto for placing the arts at the centre of British life, the Sky Arts’ feature-length film will see Melvyn and special guests explore the power of the arts to enrich our lives, strengthen our communities and our democracy, supercharge the economy and shape the future. Melvyn will also reflect on his own life experiences and transformative artistic encounters, and he’ll make the case for why the next generation deserves greater opportunities for self-expression and social mobility.
Watch the speech live on Parliament TV tomorrow, Thursday 1st February.
Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts:
“We are supporting Lord Melvyn Bragg’s call to arms in support of the creative industries. No one understands the importance of the arts more than Melvyn, who has championed their contribution to our economy, our global reputation and our general wellbeing and happiness throughout his career.”
