Munira Mirza (director of Arts, Culture & the Creative Industries for the Mayor of London) gave an excellent talk at LSBU last night on 'Culture and the role of the state'.
Attacking instrumentalist views of culture which turn it into a mere tool of social policy, Munira described how there has been a gradual loss of confidence in the idea that culture and the arts have intrinsic value.
Taking up the idea of ‘the best for the most’ associated with former Arts Council secretary-general Sir Roy Shaw, Munira argued that we need to develop a more robust sense of how to uphold cultural value, rejecting cultural relativism and defending the idea that access is not incompatible with excellence. Also pictured is James Heartfield (University of Westminster), who chaired the discussion.
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