Online arts map to engage public support for Covid-hit companies

The Stage

03 Sep 2020

Article
by Georgia Snow

A nationwide campaign dedicated to protecting the UK’s cultural life has created an online map to help members of the public find and support theatres and arts companies near them, as the sector attempts to recover from Covid-19.

The Arts Map allows users to search their postcode to bring up local companies and venues, offering a real-time picture of their recovery status and allowing them to make donations and leave messages of support.

It is the creation of the Public Campaign for the Arts, an initiative set up in June to illustrate the importance of UK culture to anyone who engages with it, from audiences to education and community participants.

The Arts Map has subsequently been developed thanks to small donations from more than 1,000 members of the public. It is hoped that over time the map will demonstrate to the government the value of the arts to communities across the UK, using the stories and messages uploaded to the site.

The campaign’s lead organiser, Jack Gamble, who is also associate director at London’s Arcola Theatre, said the Arts Map showed the vital role of the arts to the UK’s villages, towns and cities.