Ian Critchley of the Sunday Times has praised John Tusa‘s Pain in the Arts in his review, stating that ‘Tusa is not just an impressive advocate for the arts: he also provides a practical guide for arts leadership at a time when good leadership is needed more than ever.’

At the Way With Words Festival, on Friday 11th July, John Tusa will be talking about why we must defend the arts in a time of recession, and on Sunday 24th August will be in discussion with Dolina MacLennan and David Greig at the Edinburgh Book Festival on whether the arts in Scotland are radical enough.

Ian Critchley’s review goes on to say:

[Tusa] argues that the arts are valuable not only for their cultural and social benefits, but also in a monetary sense. It is estimated that the arts create a gross turnover of £26bn from government funding of just £400m. Public funding of the arts amounts to 0.5% of the coalition government’s overall spending; cutting it, Tusa argues, would almost have no impact on the budget deficit, but would profoundly damage the creative industries.
…
[Pain in the Arts] is neither a lament nor a diatribe (Tusa’s list of “don’ts” for people involved in the arts is headed by “Don’t moan”). Instead, it outlines steps that organisations can take to mitigate the worse funding pressures and still remain creative. These range from small measure, such as maximising take-up of Gift Aid and reviewing ticket prices, to bigger ideas such as improving links with universities.

Visit the Sunday Times to read the review in full. ■