Book relating to a publication, 2007
Published by: Institute of Contemporary Interdisciplinary Arts (ICIA), University of Bath
Year published: 2007
Number of pages: 168
ISBN: 0 86197 136 1

Book written by Richard Hylton and published by Institute of Contemporary Interdisciplinary Arts (ICIA), University of Bath, 2007. From the back cover: “The Nature of the Beast [subtitled “Cultural Diversity and the Visual Arts Sector: A study of policies, initiatives and attitudes 1976-2006] sets out to explore the impact that cultural diversity policies and initiatives, within the publicly funded arts sector, have had on Black visual arts activity in England over the past four decades. Richard Hylton offers the reader a fascinating insight into the roles played by the protagonists, including the Greater London Council, Arts Council, publicly funded galleries and arts organisations. Charting cultural diversity’s various incarnations, from ‘ethnic arts’ in the late 1970s, ‘black arts’ in the 1980s, ‘new internationalism’ in the 1990s and ‘culturally diverse arts’ in the 21st Century; Hylton’s study considers how today’s overly benevolent and prescriptive attempts at inculcating cultural diversity within the visual arts reprise much of the outmoded thinking dating back to the 1970s. Through in-depth research and analysis, this study assesses the extent to which certain policies and initiatives might have assisted or hindered the progress of Black artists within the English gallery system. This study meets a long overdue need for a public analysis of cultural diversity policies in the visual arts and will be invaluable to readers interested in cultural policy, arts administration, curatorial practice and the contemporary visual arts in general.”

168 pages, with a preface by Dr. Daniel Hinchcliffe and an afterword by Eddie Chambers.

Chapters as follows:

decibel

The Arts Britain Ignores

The GLC: Anti-Racism and the patronage of Black visual artists

The Arts Council of Great Britain 1986-89: the “Action Plan“, “Towards Cultural Diversity” and the Visual Arts department

Publicly funded galleries, ‘survey’ exhibitions and Black artists during the 1980s

The Cultural Diversity Unit, the ‘Black Arts’ sector and moves towards separate development

inIVA and “The Long March from ‘Ethnic Arts’ to ‘New Internationalism’ “ and back again

Summary: The “Golden Age” and Cultural Diversity.

Notes

Afterword

Acknowledgements