THE THREADNEEDLE POLL – ARTS FUNDING

1. Thinking about your interest and passion in art, how would you best
describe yourself?
Patron (sit on the board of a gallery / donate money)
Professional (practising artist / work in the sector)
Enthusiast (visit galleries on a weekly basis / read about art)
Casually interested (go to galleries every once in a while)
Not interested

2. Which do you prefer?

Art based on an idea where you are left to imagine what the work represents
Art based on observation where the artist’s intentions are clear / obvious

3. On the basis of what you know, are you happy with the way the Arts
Council spends your money?
Yes
No
Don’t know

4. Should the Arts Council concentrate more of its resources on funding

exhibitions that are popular with the public, or on funding exhibitions that
are experimental and attract a niche audience?
Exhibitions that are popular with the public
Exhibitions that are experimental and attract a niche audience

5. If you had a sum of money to be allocated to supporting the visual arts

scene in the UK, would you rather…
Spend it on supporting young artists to develop their skills in observation,
draughtsmanship and painting
Spend it on giving young artists free reign to express themselves in any way
they choose

6. Do you agree or disagree with the statement that: "Artists who produce
work based on drawing and observation still have something meaningful to
say about the ‘contemporary’ world around us"?
Agree
Disagree

7. In the current economic climate, who should be responsible for funding

the visual arts / sponsor visual arts events?
[Please rank in order of priority]
Private donations
Corporate sponsorship
Public funding
None of these – the visual arts do not merit sponsorship: they should be self-
funding