LETTER:Reforming force

From Ms Irene Macdonald

Sir: Like Sir Kenneth Robinson (letter, 28 March), I am puzzled by Michael Daley's attack on Sir Roy Shaw. Although I worked at the Arts Council during Sir Roy's tenure as secretary-general, I was unaware of any determination on his part to create a safe career structure for administrators. I do think that as chair of the union group I might have noticed this.

Roy Shaw was a reforming force at the Arts Council but to the good. He challenged lazy thinking about artistic judgements, tried to introduce intellectual rigour and, in the process, unsettled some vested interests. I hope he will be remembered particularly for introducing the concept of education, the lasting effects of which can now be seen in the practices of many arts organisations throughout Britain.

Yours sincerely,

IRENE MACDONALD

Marham, Norfolk

28 February