The Arts & Society Forum was established in 2011 to discuss issues and controversies relating to the state of the arts today. We like to get under the skin of contemporary debates, and test different perspectives on the arts.
Do the high arts – fine art, classical music, ballet, etc – merit a special status in society? Is the arts establishment elitist? Should the arts be more accessible? What is the value of the arts? Do ‘identity politics’ and social activism threaten free expression in the arts? Has society lost sight of the importance of making judgements about art as art?
We also like to consider what makes art work, what makes it good, and for this purpose have a special occasional series, ‘Ask an artist: what makes art work?’.
