For the past 14 years, Conservative-led governments in Britain said they wanted to maintain the country’s status as a cultural powerhouse, to foster new talent and to keep the home of the Beatles and Harry Potter in the global spotlight.
Successive governments slashed subsidies for theaters, museums and opera houses.
New border rules after Brexit meant musicians struggled to tour abroad.
These days, nobody is talking about “Cool Britannia”; instead, there has been chatter of an arts scene in crisis.
Yet for many artists and cultural administrators, there are hopes that change is coming, tempered by fears that it won’t go far enough.
Persons:
Harry Potter
Organizations:
Conservative, Beatles
Locations:
Britain