The Aporia · 50 years on from Arts Britain Ignores: how much has changed for black and Asian artists?

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Cultural historian Naseem Khan's 1976 report "Arts Britain Ignores" challenges the British arts establishment to recognize diverse ethnic backgrounds within national culture. On Wednesday at a conference celebrating the report’s legacy in Leicester, Arts Council England chair Dawn Airey will discuss progress over the past five decades while addressing current pressures faced by community and independent cultural spaces. The event features contributions from Khan's daughter Amelia Torode, theatre director Jatinder Verma, broadcaster Brenda Emmanus, and crossbench peer Lola Young, among others.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-13, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

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Story summary

In 1976, cultural historian Naseem Khan published a groundbreaking report titled "The Arts Britain Ignores," which challenged the British arts establishment to recognize and support the creativity of Britons from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The report, commissioned by organizations including the then-Arts Council of Great Britain, emphasized the importance of pluralism in national culture, highlighting contributions such as bhangra music, black painters, and Ukrainian dance.

Fifty years later, on October 13, 2026, the relevance of Khan’s work is still debated amidst contemporary discussions about British identity. The new chair of cultural funding and development agency Arts Council England, Dawn Airey, will deliver her inaugural speech at a conference celebrating Khan's legacy in Leicester at the Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage.

The conference aims to reassess progress made over the past five decades towards inclusivity in British arts. Despite efforts like these, questions about who counts as part of British culture persist, reflecting ongoing challenges in achieving genuine diversity within national cultural institutions.

Written for “Racial Equality In Arts UK” on 2026-10-13, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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Khan’s groundbreaking 1976 report, commissioned by organisations including the then Arts Council of Great Britain, presented a vision of a pluralistic national culture, in which the creativity of Britons of diverse ethnic backgrounds – from bhangra music, to black painters and Ukrainian dance – should be recognised, supported and respected.

left Advocates for recognition and support of diverse cultural practices
Today, when polls, debates and cultural and political moments present differing notions of British identity – whether it is the diversity of the England football team, or how political figures choose to define their own identities – Khan’s work retains its relevance.

left Highlights ongoing relevance of supporting diverse cultural practices
But in 1976, Khan documented how grassroot arts and cultural practices that thrived in UK ethnic minority communities were largely ignored by funders and critics.

left Critiques past neglect of ethnic minority arts and culture

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correspondent, C. O. C. a. (2026, October 13). 50 years on from Arts Britain Ignores: how much has changed for black and Asian artists? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/oct/13/arts-britain-ignores-50-years-on-black-asian-artists-naseem-khan

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Who wrote this

Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent

2 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 On Wednesday, Dawn Airey, the new chair of cultural funding and development agency Arts Council England, will give her inaugural speech at a conference celebrating Khan’s legacy – The Arts Britain Ignores: 50 Years On – at Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage in Leicester.

2026-10-13 · assertive framing · 50 years on from Arts Britain Ignores: how much has changed for black and Asian artists?

🔮 An exhibition highlighting how news of the atrocity reached Britain much earlier than is commonly understood will tour the country after being viewed privately by MPs at Portcullis House on the parliamentary estate at Westminster in September.

2026-09-27 · assertive framing · Britain knew about the Holocaust as it happened. A new exhibition reckons with that truth

Also by Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent

Britain knew about the Holocaust as it happened. A new exhibition reckons with that truth

2026-09-27 · The Guardian

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Arts Council of Great Britain British Britons Serendipity Institute Ukrainian

Subjects

Khan PERSON · 8× British NORP · 6× Airey PERSON · 2× Serendipity Institute ORG · 2× Arts Council of Great Britain ORG · 1× Britons NORP · 1× Dawn Airey PERSON · 1× England GPE · 1× Naseem Khan PERSON · 1× Ukrainian NORP · 1×

Narrative

The Arts Britain Ignores – Khan’s groundbreaking 1976 report, commissioned by organisations including the then Arts Council of Great Britain, presented a vision of a pluralistic national culture, in which the creativity of Britons of diverse ethnic backgrounds – from bhangra music, to black painters and Ukrainian dance – should be recognised, supported and respected.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-13

2026-10-13 · The Guardian

50 years on from Arts Britain Ignores: how much has changed for black and Asian artists? · assertive framing

Claims (21 extracted, 0 hedged)

It is 50 years since cultural historian Naseem Khan’s challenge to the British arts establishment was first published, and the question of who and what counts as British continues to be contested. asserted

what → publish → British

creativity → commission → painters

Today, when polls, debates and cultural and political moments present differing notions of British identity – whether it is the diversity of the England football team, or how political figures choose to define their own identities – Khan’s work retains its relevance. asserted

work → present → relevance

On Wednesday, Dawn Airey, the new chair of cultural funding and development agency Arts Council England, will give her inaugural speech at a conference celebrating Khan’s legacy – The Arts Britain Ignores: 50 Years On – at Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage in Leicester. asserted

Britain → give → Leicester

Today, the work of black and Asian British visual artists, such as Frank Bowling, Sonia Boyce and Anish Kapoor is critically acclaimed and in demand. asserted

work → acclaim → demand

But in 1976, Khan documented how grassroot arts and cultural practices that thrived in UK ethnic minority communities were largely ignored by funders and critics. asserted

that → document → funders

This week’s conference, bringing together artists, organisations, experts and policymakers, will explore how much progress has been made in 50 years and comes at a time when community and independent cultural spaces face pressures over finances, redevelopment and gentrification. asserted

spaces → bring → finances

Contributors to Wednesday’s conference include Khan’s daughter, Amelia Torode, the theatre director Jatinder Verma, the broadcaster Brenda Emmanus and the crossbench peer and chancellor of the University of Nottingham, Lola Young. asserted

Contributors → include → Nottingham

The conference also marks the launch of a new book, The Arts Britain Ignores at 50, published by Serendipity Institute, including essays and new research. asserted

conference → mark → essays

Pawlet Brookes, the chief executive and artistic director of Serendipity Institute, said: “We had Cool Britannia, we’ve had the ‘ain’t no black in the union jack’. asserted

we → say → jack

We’ve had all of that narrative. asserted

We → have → narrative

But the reality is British is diverse – whether that diversity is layered with colour or layered in other ways. asserted

diversity → layer → ways

We can go down a negative road, or we can celebrate what we have, which is fantastic, the best in Europe – although we still have some way to go.” asserted

we → go → way

Describing Khan’s work as “seminal”, Brookes said it was time to “see how far we’ve travelled, and what we need to do for the next 50 years.” asserted

we → describe → years

She added: “We did a timeline investigation [for the new book] and what it shows is that, there has been funding for culturally diverse organisations, but what there hasn’t been is sustainability and growth. asserted

been → add → organisations

“We also need recognition for dance and theatre, in the way that progress has been made in the visual arts.” asserted

progress → need → arts

In her speech, Airey is expected to say: “The journey Khan set us on remains one of the most important our sector is undertaking … [it] will sit at the centre of my work.” asserted

it → expect → work

She praises Khan as having told institutions such as the Arts Council that “you have built an entire cultural establishment – its funding structures, its buildings, its critics, its canon – around a definition of British art that leaves whole swathes of it out.” asserted

that → praise → it

Airey is also expected to say: “It a hard time to be an artist in this country, whatever your background – but for many people in this room it is harder still. “Racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism are part of daily life for too many people in our sector: sometimes in crude and obvious ways, sometimes in subtle and deniable ones, but constantly there … asserted

Racism → expect → ones

let me be emphatic. asserted

me → let → ?

Those of us who don’t experience this – and I include myself – have a responsibility to stand with you: to stand up for the work you want to make, and to back that with action, not just words.” asserted

you → experience → action

50 years on from Arts Britain Ignores: how much has changed for black and Asian artists?