Leading UK artists, writers and performers write to The Times in support of The Smart Fund
29th June 2021
Over 100 leading cultural figures including Peter Blake and Olivia Colman have signed an open letter to support the Smart Fund, which could generate up to £300 million per year for the creative industries.
Today over 100 of the most well-renowned writers, artists and performers have written to The Times calling for the implementation of The Smart Fund, a scheme proposing a collaboration between the creative industries, tech manufacturers and the government to invest in, grow, empower, and enrich the cultural DNA of our society.
The open letter has been signed by over 100 signatories including Olivia Colman OBE, Sir Frank Bowling, Dame Phyllida Barlow, Joanne Harris MBE, Imelda Staunton CBE, and Yinka Shonibare CBE.
The list features 3 Academy Award winners and nominees, the Chair of the Royal Society of Literature, 5 Turner Prize winners, 8 Royal Academicians and 4 artists who have represented Britain at the Venice Biennale, demonstrating significant cross-sectoral support for this innovative proposal.
Read the letter below:
The Smart Fund supports the UK’s cultural and economic renewal
As a coalition of creators and performers, we support the Smart Fund: a new scheme that can help bring cultural and economic renewal to the four nations of the UK.
The Smart Fund could generate £250 – £300 million a year for UK’s creative sector, and boost a wider UK economic recovery, by placing a small levy on the sale of devices that enable people to store and download creative content, such as mobiles and laptops and providing a direct way for tech companies to invest in culture.
From Belfast to Margate, Powys to Edinburgh, the arts drive economic recovery and community cohesion. In 2019, the creative industries contributed £111.7bn to the economy and accounted for 61,000 new jobs, 2.7x the national average.
The arts provide sustenance to the engine room of cultural regeneration, recovery and renewal for the whole country. The Smart Fund is the route to supporting this.
Find out more:
Leading UK artists, writers and performers write to The Times in support of The Smart Fund
29th June 2021
Over 100 leading cultural figures including Peter Blake and Olivia Colman have signed an open letter to support the Smart Fund, which could generate up to £300 million per year for the creative industries.
Today over 100 of the most well-renowned writers, artists and performers have written to The Times calling for the implementation of The Smart Fund, a scheme proposing a collaboration between the creative industries, tech manufacturers and the government to invest in, grow, empower, and enrich the cultural DNA of our society.
The open letter has been signed by over 100 signatories including Olivia Colman OBE, Sir Frank Bowling, Dame Phyllida Barlow, Joanne Harris MBE, Imelda Staunton CBE, and Yinka Shonibare CBE.
The list features 3 Academy Award winners and nominees, the Chair of the Royal Society of Literature, 5 Turner Prize winners, 8 Royal Academicians and 4 artists who have represented Britain at the Venice Biennale, demonstrating significant cross-sectoral support for this innovative proposal.
Read the letter below:
The Smart Fund supports the UK’s cultural and economic renewal
As a coalition of creators and performers, we support the Smart Fund: a new scheme that can help bring cultural and economic renewal to the four nations of the UK.
The Smart Fund could generate £250 – £300 million a year for UK’s creative sector, and boost a wider UK economic recovery, by placing a small levy on the sale of devices that enable people to store and download creative content, such as mobiles and laptops and providing a direct way for tech companies to invest in culture.
From Belfast to Margate, Powys to Edinburgh, the arts drive economic recovery and community cohesion. In 2019, the creative industries contributed £111.7bn to the economy and accounted for 61,000 new jobs, 2.7x the national average.
The arts provide sustenance to the engine room of cultural regeneration, recovery and renewal for the whole country. The Smart Fund is the route to supporting this.
Find out more: