Mentoring charity and support network Arts Emergency has devised an installation that will tour cultural institutions and raise awareness of the barriers to joining the arts.
A "Break in case of arts emergency" box featuring statistics on the state of the UK creative workforce has been placed outside venues around the UK. It forms a call to those working in the arts to help open the doors for marginalised young people and highlight the impact that losing a generation of young talent would have on UK culture.
Statistics featured include that just 16% of people in the creative industries are from a working-class background and that only 2.7% of people working in museums, galleries and libraries are black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background.
The box will also display examples of creative work from members of Arts Emergency's Young People group Jannell Adufo, Maïs Bouteldja, Helen Hale, Gwent Odai and Sam Oddie. The accompanying text calls for viewers to help "break the glass" by joining the Network.
Today (13 October) at the Museum of London, young people unveiled some of their work, which will go on to tour several venues chosen to symbolise the UK arts industry across London. It will then arrive at the World Museum, Liverpool in time for National Museums Liverpool's official 2022 launch event.
Organisations supporting the campaign include The British Film Institute (BFI), University of the Arts London and photographer Rankin. The activation is also being supported and shared by LinkedIn.
Creative organisations will be using their social media to call on their teams and followers to join the Arts Emergency network as volunteers or donors to help to #breaktheglass, asking users to tag people who helped them make their breakthrough with the hashtag #mybreakthrough, and sign up to share their time or make a regular monetary donation.
The campaign was created pro bono by creative agency FCB Inferno.
The launch campaign includes press ads and a series of short social documentaries, with creative names including poet Raymond Antrobus and artist Mark Leckey sharing how they broke into their professions and encouraging audiences to help more young people find their way into the arts.
Arts Emergency's youth collective is also launching a podcast, Crash Culture, in which it interviews people, including writer Kit de Waal and researcher activist Rianna Walcott, about social justice and the cultural industries.
Katy Wright, managing director of FCB Inferno, said: "An overwhelming amount of our entire cultural diet is served up by people who have never experienced economic hardship, never been on the receiving end of prejudice, and have never had the luxury of considering creativity as a career choice.
"For these young people to follow their passions and navigate their way into the creative and cultural sectors is a tough road. But, if someone can open the door and show them the way in, it could mean a breakthrough that changes their lives forever."