‘Support needed everywhere’: working class arts group expands to northern England | art

‘T“The problem the art world has with class is systemic and the need for support is everywhere,” says Meg Molloy, founder of the Working Arts Club, which aims to help people from working-class backgrounds secure careers in the arts.

Founded in 2024 as an independent initiative in London, it has collaborated with institutions such as the V&A, the Royal Academy, Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Frieze London.

Now the club, which hosts events such as professional meetings, panel discussions and special exhibition tours, is planning to expand across the UK, launching in Manchester on March 24 and then branching out to other cities.

“It is important for the club to expand into the north of England,” says Molloy. “The North has an exceptional arts scene, but the UK arts industry is undeniably London-centric, creating huge financial and logistical barriers for the working class outside the capital.

“When access depends on travel, unpaid or poorly paid internships, and physical presence in the city, working-class people are structurally excluded.”

The Working Arts Club is free to join and has over 1,000 members in London.

Molloy said: “Anyone who is working class and works in the visual arts should feel that the Working Arts Club is there for them wherever they are – from a senior leader in a gallery in London to someone looking for their first job in the industry in Sheffield.”

Evidence shows stark class disparities within the creative sector, with those from low socio-economic backgrounds significantly under-represented. This exists not only among the artists themselves, but also among people working in galleries, museums and other cultural institutions.

According to the latest UK government statistics, the creative industries employ 2.42 million people, 78% of whom are from a “more advantaged socio-economic background”.

Last year, a Guardian analysis found that nearly 30% of artistic directors and other creative leaders were privately educated, compared to a national average of just 7%. More than a third (36%) of organizations’ CEOs or other executives went to private schools.

Molloy works as an artist and gallery consultant, and her career in the arts spans more than a decade. She describes the experience as being “surrounded by people who went to private schools and studied art history – a subject that is barely even available in public education.”

“There’s no diversity of voices or ideas in it, and that creates a bubble,” Molloy says. “It’s exclusionary, it’s unfair, and ultimately it makes the art world less vibrant and harder for the working class to penetrate.”

The Action Arts Club has created a network of job seekers and creative professionals through its newsletter and WhatsApp group, where job vacancies and events are shared.

“Those who are just starting out in the sector can instantly chat with experienced people from larger organisations,” says Kirsty Jukes, communications officer at Manchester Art Gallery, who will lead the club’s north stand. “Having seen first-hand the benefits of the London version, I know it will be a great network here too.”

Amy Gill, 31, a club member and operations manager at the Quentin Blake Illustration Centre, said this made communication “more accessible”.

“I got a free ticket to the Frieze Art Fair, which is incredibly expensive and a huge financial drag. Being able to go and see how this industry works has had a huge impact,” Gill said.

Other members highlight the need for class-level initiatives within the sector. “Working-class-focused networks, clubs and collectives are so important because they create spaces where shared truths don’t need explanation,” says Jennifer Jones, 26, a club member who also founded a working-class artists’ group called Grafters Collective.

“I felt like no one around me understood how hard it was to be in these places and balance everything when you don’t have financial support, you don’t have industry connections, you don’t understand the social rules or how the industry works because you come from outside those circles,” she says.

In addition to the launch event in Manchester, there will be a social event in Liverpool in April. As part of the club’s expansion, Molloy and Jokes hope to partner with galleries, museums and art galleries in the north of England to hold panel discussions and tours for its members.

Molloy says the club is looking for funding to “make the network sustainable and allow it to grow.”