Pain in the Arts

Over a distinguished career in cultural leadership, management and journalism spanning almost 30 years, John Tusa has amassed a unique experience of the arts world, the political controversies it faces and the battles it continues to fight. His new book is a fearless and passionate defence of the performing and visual arts at a time of increasing 'Pain in the Arts'.
Tusa addresses the controversies in the arts that must be resolved so urgently today, including the ever-flowing arguments on whether they should be useful before they are excellent. He gives guidance on how the arts can survive in the downturn and explains why the case must always be made that they deserve special treatment. He writes an excoriating critique of the language of Whitehall bureaucracy and shows how crucial to the nation's health and wealth are the small regional arts projects alongside our big arts institutions like the Barbican or National Theatre. He also draws on his expertise as Chair of the Clore Leadership Programme to discuss those increasingly complex questions - practical, personal, professional - that today's and tomorrow's cultural leaders must face, including the qualities of character needed to succeed and what a revolution in arts leadership might achieve. The backdrop throughout is Tusa's personal story of discovery and love of the culture he strives to defend in hard times.

Sir John Tusa is a British arts administrator, author, journalist and former presenter of BBC's Newsnight. He is the co-chairman of the European Union Youth Orchestra and was formerly the managing director of the BBC World Service and the Barbican Arts Centre. He is the author of On Board, Making a Noise and On Creativity.

Preface
Part One: Getting Things Done
Introduction to Part One
Ch 1 Pain in the Arts: Decline or Renewal
Ch 2 Surviving the Downturn
Ch 3 The Case for the Arts
Ch 4 Mind your Language - Alphabets of Abomination
Ch 5 Learning on the Job - A Personal Road to Responsibility
Ch 6 The Do's and Don'ts of Running the Arts
Ch 7 The Leader, the Manager - What's the Difference?
Ch 8 What do you Know? - Inside the Mind of a Leader
Ch 9 An Arts Policy for a Floating Utopia
Ch 10 Keeping Things Simple
Part Two: Arguing for the Arts
Ch 11 Introduction to Part Two
Ch 12 'If Music is the Staff of Life, Play Up!': Who is Playing Whom?
Ch 13 The Great Arts Education Debate: Slam the Door on the Past - Betray the Future
Ch 14 A Special Case for Treatment: Special Pleading for the Arts
Ch 15 The Arts and Civil Society: Standing Up to the Stand Off-ish
Ch 16 The Arts and Humanities: Defending the Undefendable
Ch 17 An Agenda for the Future: Making the Arts Matter
Index