The creative industries are one of Britain’s biggest exports, helping to attract millions of tourists each year, and critics have warned that the Arts Council’s changes could threaten that if the quality of London’s theater and arts deteriorates.
Others bracing for drastic cuts include the Royal Opera House, whose annual funding will fall by £2.5million under the new deal.
She faces “significant financial challenges” and will “do everything possible to remain at the heart of the nation’s cultural life.”
Two world-famous London orchestras, the Philharmonic and the Symphony, each have to cut their payments by 10 percent.
Funding will be cut by £1.5m a year for the Southbank Center and £500,000 a year for the National Theatre.
Meanwhile, English National Ballet is set to lose £200,000 a year.
“We had to make some uncomfortable decisions”
Sir Nicholas Serota, chairman of Arts Council England, said the organization had been “briefed” by the government to move funding out of London.
At a press conference, he admitted that as a result it “just had to make some unfortunate decisions about where we fund most.”
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said London’s arts scene was “devastated” by the cuts, which “couldn’t have come at a worse time”.
“Arts organizations are already facing a triple whammy of rising utility costs, rising energy bills and the impact of both the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis on viewership,” he said.
“London’s cultural organizations contribute billions each year and are driving the economic recovery of our capital and the UK economy as a whole, which is why they need continued investment.
“A strong London equates to a strong UK, so I urge the government to think again and reconsider the consequences of these adverse cuts.”
Some of the winners from the new funding package are likely to cause controversy.
The Mimosa House in the London Borough of Holborn, which aims to “encourage dialogue between intergenerational women and queer artists”, is being funded for the first time.
The gallery describes itself as “a safe and empowering space that focuses on the fluidity of identity and recognizes the need for change”.
His exhibitions included the Mother Art Prize, which he described as “an international prize for self-identifying women and non-binary visual artists with caring responsibilities.”
Multimedia artist Hannah Catherine Jones’ current exhibition aims to “explore how queer, diasporic folx can move through the often traumatic complexities of contemporary life to continue their journey of individual and collective healing.”
The gallery receives £100,000 from Arts Council England.
