Oliver Dowden on the Future of the Arts: 'I Am Not Going to Stand By and See Our World-Leading Position in Arts and Culture Destroyed'

Politician Oliver Dowden recently chatted with Evening Standard about the future of the arts. Dowden is currently serving as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport since 2020 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hertsmere in Hertfordshire

"I am not going to stand by and see our world-leading position in arts and culture destroyed," Dowden told the publication.

He also stated that he refuses to make choices that will endanger specific arts organizations, such as shutting the ENO to save the Royal Opera.

Dowden says that this current health crisis is temporary, and "we don't want to permanently lose cultural institutions." He goes on to say that the arts are central to "the strength, resilience and reputation of London. We would be absolutely crazy to throw it away."

Dowden is hoping to see galleries begin to re-open next month, but he accepts the fact that theatre is a different story. "Something like theatre cannot function properly with two-metre social distancing," he says.

He has spoken to over 120 arts institutions to ask what they need, and has set up a cultural task force to make plans.

"Of course we are not going to have anything like what we had before until we are able to safely ease social distancing," he says about the future of the theatre. "In a very limited number of circumstances it may be that a few venues could work with very low-budget performances at social distancing."

Read the full interview on Evening Standard.

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