When it comes to openness and transparency Arts Council England (ACE) bears more than a passing resemblance to a very large brick wall. That is to say, they are the very antithesis of being transparent. If you’re still reading after that most tortured of metaphors then we shall proffer a simple apology and continue.
With the previous paragraph in mind it was surprising to stumble across the blog of ACE North East’s CEO Mark Robinson.
Now before you get too excited and head over there looking for exposé’s on ACE’s missteps, eviscerations of Peter Hewitt (do a search on here if you don’t know who he is) and other juicy details on the funding monolith, don’t bother, you’ll find non of that.
Mr Robinson does say, in the blog description that; “[he hopes] to show that people who work for the Arts Council, even Exec Directors, are not faceless, robotic bureaucrats – but maybe I am one and just don’t realise it yet. As well as working for the Arts Council I am a widely-published poet and critic.”
To prove he does in fact have a face there is a picture of him, looking suitably poetic and sepia toned, at the top left of the page.
Despite the lack of any obvious outspoken opinion it is refreshing to see a minion of the dark side, as we jovially like to call people who work for ACE, expressing some personal views that haven’t gone through the PR filter before being unleashed upon the great unwashed.
We’ll keep an eye on the blog but any more recommendations to watch a music video of the ‘Lovin’ Spoonful’ (1960’s music combo) will result in swift retribution!