Yorkshire takes a stand on the arts

Nicholas Serota is right ( A blitzkrieg on the arts , 5 October). A war on the arts is coming and we must all stand together. What Mr Serota makes very clear is the interconnectivity of the arts and culture sector: the reinvention of Salford, the success of shows like Enron. Here in Yorkshire we have five large producing theatres, two international dance companies, we are home to the north's most prolific opera company and the outstanding Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the list could go on, with numerous other galleries, theatre companies, museums, musicians, poets and writers choosing to make Yorkshire their home. We all stand together to create a strong and vibrant arts scene for the people of Yorkshire and those who visit. Arts and culture enriches our cities, informs our people and makes lives better. If our coalition government wants to be "realistically optimistic", then it needs to recognise that we as an industry are thought-provoking, challenging, encouraging, entertaining, a force for transformation and, perhaps most of all, … for optimism. Ian Brown West Yorkshire Playhouse Sheena Wrigley West Yorkshire Playhouse Dan Bates Sheffield Theatres Mark Skipper Northern Ballet Sharon Watson Phoenix Dance Theatre Lesley Jackson Phoenix Dance Theatre Dawn Walton Eclipse Theatre • There is an alternative to arts cuts: reintroduce modest admission charges for galleries and museums, with exemptions for UB40 holders, senior citizens, students etc. No other country requires its taxpayers to fund free admission for wealthy foreign tourists. Derek Robinson Matlock, Derbyshire