Declaration | Article 27: Right to Participate in the Cultural Life

If everyone has a ‘right to participate in the cultural life of the community’, as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, what does that right entail? And on whose terms are we participating? As the recent controversy over Ellie Harrison’s the Glasgow Effect demonstrated, access to the arts is an emotive subject, raising complex questions about class, public funding, poverty, snobbery and political agendas. Are the arts good for our health, and if so how does the right to culture connect to the right to health? Cultural critic Hannah McGill is joined by Mark O’Neill of Glasgow Life (author of a report on cultural attendance and public mental health); Edinburgh festivals veteran Ginnie Atkinson; critic Neil Cooper, and more guests tbc for a lively and provocative discussion. Come and join in!