ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the most contentious issues of our study, including access and exclusion, privilege and participation and the value of contemporary arts beyond a small section of the population. We explore the repeated references to the ‘emperor’s new clothes’ in our data and in media discussions of the contemporary arts, where artists doing simple work are seen as deceptive, trying to convince the arts establishment that their work has more meaning than it truly does, with no one being willing to speak up and say that the work is terrible. We acknowledge the changing arts funding landscape, which puts ever greater emphasis on participatory arts and consider the place of niche, experimental work within that context.
