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COPYRIGHT 2001 The Spectator Ltd. (UK)
Mark Ryan believes a new green paper on culture and creativity is funny, sad and dangerous
On almost any day of the week, Tate Modern is thronged with school children, herded around by harassed-looking teachers, trying their best to keep up a running commentary on Picasso or Rothko. On a recent visit, I saw a teacher try to lecture a class of ten-year-olds on the draughtsmanship of Matisse while the children scribbled away with their pencils and crayons. Tare Modern is more than just an art gallery dedicated to the simple and modest task of showing off its collection. It is above all committed to the production of creative citizens. The children may not know it, but they are part of a great plan.
Where the culture industry and educational establishment lead, the government follows. A new green paper from the DCMS, Culture and Creativity: The Next Ten Years, contains much familiar rhetoric -- accessibility, excellence, cultural diversity and inclusiveness -- but now creativity is the key. The green paper is a landmark in the `joined-up thinking' that the Blair government loves so much. State, business,...
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