Madam, - When we speak of making the arts more accessible I think we are putting the cart before the horse ("Report reveals gulf in arts access", The Irish Times, November 2nd. We need to educate people to be able to appreciate the arts as art rather than for their entertainment value.
Even then, some people won't "get it". As for the reference by the National Economic and Social Forum to social cohesion, this must be incidental rather than the raison d'être of the arts.
There are organisations such as The British Council (I declare an interest, but don't claim to represent its view) which, year after year, strive to promote a cutting-edge arts programme but which can never hope to achieve mass participation. In a physical sense it is accessible to everyone, but in an aesthetic sense to only a very small number of people.
Organisations of this kind are often criticised for being concerned only with the social and professional profile of an elite audience and the number of favourable column inches they receive in your esteemed paper. This, in my opinion, underestimates their contribution to the arts on the cerebral and aesthetic levels.
So please let's raise the level of discernment rather than dumbing down the quality of the product. - Yours, etc,
TOM FARRELL, Hawthorn Park, Swords, Co Dublin.