The Artists’ Assembly Against Austerity is to launch later this month with the publication of an open letter that will set out the initial hopes of this new artist-led initiative.
Three artists – the performer and writer Season Butler, live artist Bryony Kimmings, and sound artist Tom Parkinson – are calling on artists working across all media to sign the Open Letter and join them in setting up the movement as a sub-group of the People’s Assembly Against Austerity.
The aim of the new assembly is to encourage and support more creative practitioners to engage directly with democratic processes and to effect change. Based around four key points – healthcare, education, housing and arts investment – the open letter lays out why these are essential to a healthy and egalitarian democracy and, in particular, to the artistic profession.
The letter states: ‘As we see it, artists have as much to lose as many other groups as a result of a dwindling public sector; the Artists’ Assembly will provide a space in which we can mobilise to affect real change.’
“Politics doesn’t just happen on election day”
Aligning artists with a wider public who are affected directly by the ongoing cuts to public services, activities that the Artists’ Assembly Against Austerity may undertake include having a presence at the TUC’s National March and Rally on 18 October.
“I would really like to see everyone in society mobilised and taking the opinion that they express down the pub or at the water cooler into the public sphere, because politics doesn’t just happen on election day,” says Butler.
“I hope the Artists’ Assembly can be a very open and non prescriptive space where people can become more involved or learn about the issues facing them.”
Artists are invited to sign the open letter and help shape the Artists’ Assembly through attending or contributing to an inaugural meeting (date to be announced following the launch) where decisions on the assembly’s structure and activities will be collectively made.
Also on a-n.co.uk:
Over 1000 sign up for Paying Artists campaign by Jack Hutchinson
More information on the Paying Artists campaign at www.payingartists.org.uk
