Thursday 28 November 2024

The UK is lauded internationally for its vibrant art scene, from its literature to its acting and visual arts. Engagement is at an all-time high, and it’s clear that exposure to arts leads to healthier happier adults.

And yet it’s been a turbulent year in the world of arts funding, and access to the arts at a young age is uneven, often depending on geography and wealth. A systematic dismantling of arts in education over the last two decades coupled with a sharp decrease in the levels of funding has left us with a debate about the future of arts in the UK: can we enter a new age of creativity, and what does our future relationship with the arts look like?

Join BBC News and Media Editor Katie Razzall as she talks to Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch and Tate director Maria Balshaw, and share your opinions on one of the most crucial debates of our time.

There will be a collection after the event for Hay Festival Foundation

Grand Designs is one of the most popular lifestyle shows on television, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Join presenter Kevin McCloud as he discusses the impact the show has had on domestic architecture and design, and talks about some of the most impressive and game-changing self-build projects from the last 25 years.

McCloud is best known for the internationally acclaimed, Bafta award-winning series Grand Designs. It is now shown around the world along with spin-off series including Grand Designs: The Street and Grand Designs: House of the Year. He has also written several books on design and champions sustainable development, context, the historic environment, and ecological construction. He was awarded an MBE in 2014 for his services to architecture.

Musicians Cerys Matthews and Arun Ghosh present an extraordinary exploration of the worlds and words of the late, great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Join Welsh singer-songwriter and Thomas fan Matthews – whose Sunday morning show is the biggest single show on Radio 6 – for a unique night out as she takes us on a tour of Llaregubb, the fictional seaside village of Under Milk Wood, joined on stage by acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Ghosh accompanying on clarinet and harmonium. In this magical evening, the pair bring to life characters including Captain Cat and Nogood Boyo from Under Milk Wood, celebrating one of Thomas’ best known works through a mix of storytelling and music.

Matthews is a musician, author and broadcaster who hosts and programmes award-winning radio shows across BBC 6, 2 and 4. A love of Thomas has infused her career; she composed music for Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas and among her books is Out of Chaos Come Bliss, a collection of Thomas’ poetry compiled and with notes by Matthews as well as a retelling of Under Milk Wood, illustrated by Kate Evans. Ghosh is a British-Asian clarinettist, bandleader and composer. Twice awarded Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards (UK), Ghosh leads his own ensembles, touring nationally and internationally.