Header image: Rise Associates
Working-class voices could disappear from art entirely, if serious action is not taken.
A Greater Manchester report has discovered that working class voices are severely underrepresented in the arts.
Class Ceiling found the lack of representation is caused by discrimination, lack of connections and little to no paid opportunities.
“The arts world is probably the most egregious example of a sector that is just really blind to class really and it’s shutting out a lot of talent,” Matt Baker, founder of Manchester-based social research company Rise Associates, which managed the survey, explained.
Class is not protected by the Equality Act 2010, showcasing how little has been studied about this exclusion.
“We think that can do a lot of harm, not just to Greater Manchester’s identity, but to the country as a whole,” said Matt.
The report, which was conducted between August and December 2025, found that 51% of working class artists faced bullying or bias based on their social class.
Less than 20% of these individuals felt represented in the art that they practise and less than half earned enough to make a living, many of them needing to take on a second job to survive.
The report also looked at education and how the introduction of the EBacc in 2011 deprioritised art subjects and led to a 42% decline in GCSE arts entries between 2010 and 2024.
Class Ceiling is co-chaired by Chancellor of the University of Manchester and Avis Gilmore, former deputy general secretary of the National Education Union, showing the importance of education in art.
“We thought [the collapse] presented a real existential threat to Manchester because this is a city whose identity is very much based on that kind of vibrant culture, which is pretty much underpinned by working class talent, contributions and all those communities being involved,” Matt said, whose company has conducted many reports on social mobility since its conception in 2017.
While the report highlighted many failures, there have been efforts to highlight the importance of art to Manchester.
For the first time, the BRIT awards, Britain’s biggest night in music, and the MOBO awards, Europe’s biggest celebration of Black music and culture, are to be held in Manchester.
The BRITs ceremony will be later this month with the organisation offering free tickets to young people from deprived communities across Manchester to widen their access to key cultural events.
The MOBO awards will celebrate their 30th anniversary in their ceremony on the 26th of March.
For more information about work on increasing accessibility in the arts in Manchester visit HOME Theatre, Factory International and GRIT Studios.