A conference is set to explore the legacy of Naseem Khan’s seminal 1976 report on the exclusion of minority ethnic artists in the UK. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Khan’s groundbreaking work, The Arts Britain Ignores, which challenged the British arts establishment and advocated for a pluralistic national culture that recognizes the creativity of Britons from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
The Legacy of Naseem Khan
Khan's report, commissioned by organizations including the then Arts Council of Great Britain, highlighted the need for recognition and support for various cultural expressions, from bhangra music to black painters and Ukrainian dance. As discussions around British identity evolve—evident in the diversity of the England football team and the self-identification of political figures—Khan's insights remain pertinent.
On Wednesday, Dawn Airey, the new chair of the cultural funding and development agency Arts Council England, will deliver her inaugural speech at the conference titled The Arts Britain Ignores: 50 Years On, hosted at the Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage in Leicester.
Current Landscape for Black and Asian Artists
Today, the works of black and Asian British visual artists, such as Frank Bowling, Sonia Boyce, and Anish Kapoor, are critically acclaimed and sought after. However, Khan's 1976 report documented how grassroots arts and cultural practices within UK ethnic minority communities were largely overlooked by funders and critics.
