Posh luvvie projects look for an alternative to public subsidy

APPARENTLY, Kent is a desert. The county fondly known as the Garden of England should be rechristened the Gobi of England. "Artistically speaking, of course," said the eminent barrister John Macdonald QC, who is also chairman of Kent Opera.

Kent Opera has something of a chequered past. Its Arts Council grant was abolished a few years ago, whereupon, after a huge outcry, it abolished itself. Now it plans to ascend from the ashes, an oasis in the desert that is Kent.

"Our next production is Monteverdi's Orfeo," announced Mr Macdonald, at a champagne-fuelled press conference in his elegant Lincoln's Inn chambers. "But as we return from the underworld, we will not be looking back to see whether our former funding bodies will be following us." He paused, to enable our rather slower minds to get the joke. "We are not afraid of helping ourselves."

Kent Opera, like so many other arts bodies across the country, has realised it is pointless bleating for subsidy. During the Tory years, when they weren't chanting "Thatcher! Out!", arts companies were forever banging on about more subsidy. However, as soon as Thatcher and her gang were indeed ousted, everything all went quiet on the funding appeal front. For arts people knew that although Conservatives weren't exactly spendthrifts, they were more likely to wave through dough for posh luvvie projects than Labour, historically nervous of arts subsidy.

The Government is thrilled to support schemes such as Arts For Everyone, which extends that magical concept of "access". But money for excellence might also mean - dare I say it - elitism? Forget it. High culture is simply not welcome on the grant application form.

So, Kent Opera has dumped the begging bowl and come up with a sort of Blairist stakeholding number. You, the opera buff, donate pounds 100. In return you get one free ticket and the sneaky gratification that you are helping the highly un-PC art form of opera. It is rather like sponsoring an elephant at London Zoo, except you get a selection of arias rather than a waving trunk.

The war artist John Keane has had the same idea. I received a letter from him the other day asking for pounds 100 to help with his commercial rates bill; in return you receive a limited-edition print. Keane has written to 60 art lovers and had cheques from more than half, including people like Harold Pinter.

What inspired self-help this is, one thinks. Except that you can only pull this stunt once. Keane's rates will go on and on, but how much wall space has Pinter got? He may be a fan, but does he want a Keane artwork every year for the next decade?

And exclusive private support has its own artistic thorns. Kent Opera may well build up a brigade of opera lovers thirsting for decent shows outside London. However, in return, the company formerly headed by that iconoclast Michael Tippett may have to put on productions that sponsors will want to use their freebies on.

And because people are happiest with familiarity, traditional operas will always have the edge. But endless productions of Figaro or La Traviata will not turn Kent into the artistic hotbed it has the potential to become.