In June, Germany’s culture minister, Monika Grütters, announced a 1 billion euro fund to get the country’s culture sector back up and running, on top of generous support already provided by Germany’s regions.įor months, Britain’s cultural stars - from the conductor Simon Rattle to the organizers of the Glastonbury music festival - have been arguing and, at times, almost begging for action from the government.Īcting in a coordinated media campaign, actors and theaters have called for the government’s job retention program, in which it pays about 80 percent of furloughed workers’ wages, to be extended until venues can reopen without social distancing. In May, President Emmanuel Macron of France announced that all cultural workers who lost their jobs or couldn’t find work would be covered by a national unemployment plan until August 2021. But, so far, the government here has yet to announce a specific rescue package for the arts. But in Britain, where government funding is much lower and organizations rely on commercial income, most are unprepared for a future in which they can only admit a fraction of their usual audience.Īs in many European countries, workers in Britain’s culture sector are covered by economy-wide job protection programs. In France, Germany, Italy or Belgium, where the arts are heavily subsidized by the state, performing companies and museums can survive with reduced ticket sales.
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