Arts funding

Work on a major £29m upgrade to a theatre in Somerset to "help attract bigger shows" will begin next year, it has been announced.

South Somerset District Council said the redevelopment of the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil, Somerset, will start in January 2023 and take around a year.

The work will include expansion of the main auditorium capacity from 622 to 900 and construction of a fly tower so shows involving wire work can take place,

Two smaller cinema or studio spaces, a dance studio and a community studio are also part of the plans. Overall the work will cost £29m, with £10m coming from central government grants.

The Yeovil Amateur Operatics Society and other amateur groups who use the Octagon will be relocated to the Westlands entertainment venue while work takes place.

Councillor Mike Best, portfolio holder for health and well-being, said: "I fully understand through my theatre background the limitations of the Westlands facility.

"But at least we are fortunate to be able to... offer that, rather than societies having to cancel shows for an extended piece of time."

"Hopefully when the Octagon is redeveloped, the year it will have taken will have all been worthwhile."

More than £750,000 of funding will be provided to help local libraries and museums develop their facilities and services, the Welsh Government has announced.

The funding, which will be delivered as part of the Transformation Capital Grant Scheme, will support Wales’ local libraries and museums to "develop and revitalise" their facilities.

There will be a particular focus on widening access, partnership working, decarbonisation, and developing sustainable services.

The fund will be used to refurbish and modernise six libraries: Penygroes Library, Dyffryn Ogwen Library in Gwynedd, Rhymney Library in Caerphilly, Pencoed Library in Bridgend, Port Talbot Library and Barry Library.

Funding will also be provided towards and Newport Museum and Art Gallery’s decarbonisation project, and to enable Monmouthshire County Council to ensure the preservation of, and future access to, their collections through work at the Shire Hall.

Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden said: “The Welsh Government remains committed to supporting these important services that fulfil a valuable role at the heart of community life. 

"This fund will widen access for our communities, promote cultural engagement, provide learning opportunities and support community cohesion, sustainability and prosperity.

“I encourage everyone to see what their local museum, archive or library has to offer.”

DCMS is reopening the Cultural Investment Fund with £128m available across three funding streams.

This latest round is made up of a £30.8m Cultural Development Fund, £20.5m Libraries Improvement Fund and a £60.3m Museum Estate and Development Fund.

It follows a previous round in March, when 63 organisations shared £48.1m.

First launched in 2019, the fund aims to improve accessibility of the arts and safeguard the future of locally-led cultural projects, museums and public libraries in England.

DCMS says support will be targeted to areas which have historically lower levels of cultural investment.

Organisations are now being encouraged to submit expressions of interest for the appropriate strand at Arts Council England’s website.

Jerwood Arts will close its long-running exhibitions and events programme at the end of the year so it can redirect funding.

For the last 18 years, the organisation has funded three annual exhibitions of work by early-career artists at the Jerwood Space in London that then tour the UK. 

To date, the programme has shown works by more than 1,700 artists, curators and writers, commissioned more than 250 new works, and exhibited work in 75 galleries.

Artists supported by the programme have been included in major exhibition and art fairs and include the Array Collective, winners of last year’s Turner Prize.

The closure is part of a “refocused strategy” that Jerwood Arts says will support a greater number of artists and curators. 

£1m will be disbursed over three years from 2023 to support early-career artists, curators, galleries and visual arts organisations. It will include 18-month-long residencies for six early-career visual artists.

“The importance of independent funding to support artistic development and freedom of expression feels as urgent as ever,” said Director Lilli Geissendorfer, promising the refocused funding would increase opportunities for artists and curators “at a pivotal moment in their careers”.

A series of events celebrating the 18-year history of the exhibitions and events programme will be held at Jerwood Space towards the end of the year.