The construction of cultural leadership

Cultural leadership became a key concept in cultural policy and training in the UK during the early 2000s. It attracted significant public and private investment and remains a major focus for development programmes, now internationally, despite significant changes in sectoral needs and context. This paper reviews the evolution of cultural leadership as a discursive construct, drawing on a decade’s research. It pays attention to key inclusions and exclusions, employing Arendt’s theory of action to critique fundamental assumptions. A tendency to privilege organisational leadership is challenged by considering the social and aesthetic dimensions of cultural practice alongside corresponding influences from other spheres of action which complicate the notion of autonomy in cultural production. To define cultural leadership is therefore to engage with culture’s place in civil society. Distinctions between entrepreneurial, generous and public dimensions of cultural leadership are identified in the analysis with implications for practitioners, training providers and policy makers.