A Plague upon Your Howling: art and culture in the viral emergency

In this introduction, we outline the context for the international emergence of cultural policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our article first offers a general account of how arts and culture have been affected by the pandemic, before looking at some of the state interventions (bailouts') to support the professional sector, and the present and future conditions they might be seeking to preserve or occasion. We then examine the UK as a particular case study. In rejecting a politics of bailout and return, and in synchrony with others seeking to situate culture in a re-vitalised political economy, we argue that professional arts and culture needs to move forward with a new deal in hand; one that can enhance culture's potential and multipart value, as well as help the sector progressively engage with the many social, economic and environmental challenges ahead and beyond C-19.

Automated summary

The article examines the international cultural policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, outlining the impact on arts and culture, government interventions to support the professional sector, and the need for a new deal to enhance culture's potential and value in facing future challenges.