Rural arts in Northern Ireland get £500k boost

26 Oct 2022

Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) has distributed £500,000 in the latest round of its Rural Engagement Arts Programme (REAP).

The funding has been split between 73 community groups, arts organisations and local authorities in rurally based communities. Funded projects span music, theatre, heritage and the visual arts, supporting different age groups to become engaged in creative activities.

ACNI consulted its Rural Deliberative Forum, a pilot project established in November 2021 designed to give a voice to under-represented groups, and Northern Ireland’s 10 local authorities outside of Belfast when designing the latest REAP round.

The overarching theme of the programme is to tackle isolation and loneliness and promote social inclusion and wellbeing through participation in the arts.

ACNI Chair Liam Hannaway said the effects of the pandemic and resulting lockdowns had been compounded in rural communities.

“The Rural Engagement Arts Programme will increase opportunities for people living in rural communities to engage and participate in meaningful arts activities, enriching their lives for the better,” Hannaway added.

“The Arts Council believes that arts, and coming together as communities, can all make a vital contribution to building wellbeing, confidence and healthy, integrated communities.”

A career dedicated to skills development

Image of Sarah Mair Hughes
26 Oct 2022

Sarah Mair Hughes marks a decade with Cultural & Creative Skills this year, topping off the milestone by winning Social Leader of the Year at the Welsh Women’s Awards. Here she shares the steps on her career path. 

Sunak keeps Donelan as Culture Secretary

26 Oct 2022

Donelan becomes the first DCMS Secretary of State to serve consecutively under two Prime Ministers.

Music and theatre audiences 'slower to return' following pandemic

25 Oct 2022

Post-pandemic audiences for live music and theatre are returning at a slower rate than for cinema and exhibitions, according to new analysis of DCMS data.

The study published by Data Culture Change in partnership with the Campaign for the Arts, covers the nine artforms included in the DCMS Participation Survey of audiences in England, looking at participation data for October 2021 to June 2022.

The data shows a positive upward trajectory for audiences, but the recovery is uneven.

Of the less popular artforms covered in the data, craft exhibitions, live dance and street arts events are recovering at a slower rate than events connected with books and writing.

Campaign for the Arts Director Jack Gamble said: “We all know that the pandemic had a big impact on people’s ability to organise and engage with arts events, but this report shows just how considerable that impact was, and that the ripples are still being felt.

"It’s encouraging to see a trend towards increased participation overall, but it’s a much slower recovery for some artforms, and especially in light of the energy and cost-of-living crisis, we need to ensure that the trend towards recovery can continue.”

ACE 'pauses' NPO announcement

25 Oct 2022

With less than a day to go until arts and culture organisations were due to find out whether they will receive investment as part of the National Portfolio, Arts Council England delays the decision date.

Fund aims to tackle mental health stigma through art

25 Oct 2022

Creatives in Glasgow are being invited to apply to a funding programme aimed at using art to tackle stigma around mental health.

The Anti-Stigma Arts Fund, from mental health charity See Me Scotland, offers grants between £500 and £5,000 and accepts applications from individuals, groups or organisations.

First launched in 2021, the programme is currently funding six ongoing projects including films, a comic book and programme of therapeutic arts.

See Me's Project Officer for Communities and Priority Groups Maeve Grindall said the first round of funding “showed us the power of the arts and how creativity can tackle mental health stigma and discrimination”.

“We’re excited to see what projects and ideas might come from our second year of funding and placing a real emphasis on projects which aim to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination in the communities where it is most prevalent.”

Applications for the second wave of funding are open until 6 November.

Few creatives find freelancing economically viable

freelance arts worker memorise lines
24 Oct 2022

New study suggests almost all performing arts freelancers in and around London have relied on work or income from elsewhere at some point in their careers.

ACE National Portfolio 2023-26: Decision day

21 Oct 2022

With less than a week to go until the details of the new National Portfolio are announced, Arts Professional looks at what organisations can expect on the day and what they need to do next.

Arts audiences turning away due to economic crisis

21 Oct 2022

People expect to attend art and culture events less in future than they did before the pandemic, a study has found.

A survey conducted by sector support organisation The Audience Agency found that large proportions of people say they will reduce spending overall and specifically on entertainment and leisure outside the home - doing less, travelling less and looking for more free options.

Of the 3,557 responses, 74% said the cost of living crisis meant they expect to do fewer paid-for entertainment and leisure activities over the next year. 

Most people expect to attend art forms less in future than they did before the pandemic with 34% of respondents saying they will attend film less than they did before the pandemic, 28% saying they will attend live performances less, and 21% saying they will visit indoor galleries, museums and heritage sites less.

Anne Torreggiani, Chief Executive of The Audience Agency, said the findings confirm the growing impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the sector. 

"It’s shocking to find out that three quarters of the population are predicting that they will have less to spend on arts and culture," she said.

"Keeping abreast of people’s changing priorities and habits are going to play a vital part in the sector’s resilience. We’re here to do that, to help organisations anticipate where the pressure points will be, to offer practical support in navigating them, to suggest how we can help our communities through the crisis."

Cultural industries set to progress net zero targets

A woman dressed in parachute material
20 Oct 2022

New report says the creative industries are well-placed to lead the UK's efforts towards net zero but calls for more government support and research investment.

‘I don’t hate the Arts Council’

LOVE HATE brick wall
20 Oct 2022

Kevin Osborne has made perhaps one of the most public and prolonged critiques of Arts Council England ever. But now he wants to set the record straight – he doesn’t hate ACE.

Creativity in a time of climate emergency

A woman dressed in parachute material
20 Oct 2022

Just a few weeks before the COP27 climate talks in Egypt, no one credible needs convincing of the climate crisis, but the energy crisis is what’s keeping people awake, says Alison Tickell.

The battle for culture

Man sticking his head up from a sewer
19 Oct 2022

Is risk-taking a thing of the past? Is fear of giving offence stifling creativity? David Micklem reflects on the uncomfortable truths of identity politics and its negative impact on the arts.

Government seeks data on impact of energy price hikes

19 Oct 2022

Arts organisations are being invited to give evidence on the impact of rising energy prices in a nationwide government survey.

Run by DCMS and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Energy Bill Relief Scheme survey is expected to help government identify which sectors will require ongoing support with energy costs after the current universal price guarantee ends next March.

To complete the survey, organisations will need data on energy consumption and costs and overall income and expenditure.

The Museums Association (MA) has urged as many museums and galleries as possible to complete the survey.

"We are making a strong case to government for the price cap to continue for our sector after the initial six-month period. It is vital that museums respond to this call for information to provide the evidence of impact," MA Director Sharon Heal said.

The survey is open until Monday 24 October. Arts Council England has published guidance for the survey on its website.

Economic value of culture research gets £3m boost

visitors at a museum exhibition
19 Oct 2022

Funding for further research announced after scoping study finds “significant opportunities” in developing measures to calculate the value of sector and inform future investment.

ACE sets out digital database plan to improve access

The interior of an auditorium
18 Oct 2022

Arts Council England unveils its vision for improving access for D/deaf, disabled and neuro-divergent audiences, saying the current 'patchwork' of existing services across the UK 'cries out' for a more joined-up approach.

Black History Month: The healing power of art

Absalon with British Council colleagues
18 Oct 2022

In his work with the British Council, Skinder Hundal is privileged to meet cultural professionals and creatives from across the globe. Black History Month is an opportunity for him to reflect on the cultural expression of African and indigenous communities.

ACE chooses Bradford to announce National Portfolio

18 Oct 2022

Decisions on which organisations will be chosen for the National Portfolio for the next three years will be announced next week in Bradford, the host of UK City of Culture 2025, Arts Council England (ACE) has revealed.

The announcement will take place at 11am on Wednesday 26 October at a live-streamed press conference with the organisation's Chair Sir Nicholas Serota and Chief Executive Darren Henley.

The pair will announce the organisations that will be funded through its Investment Programme for 2023-26. 

A total of 1,730 applications have been made to the programme, requesting just over £2bn over the three-year investment period.

ACE has said that the record-breaking number of applications is more than double the number of NPOs it currently invests in, making it the most over-subscribed investment round in its history.

Younger arts workers 'priced out of London'

13 Oct 2022

ArtsPay survey findings suggest workers in the capital are not being paid enough to cover the costs of living in London.

Pulse report: ArtsPay 2022

ArtsPay full report image
12 Oct 2022

It's been four years since our last ArtsPay survey to gauge the realities of earnings in the sector - four years of upheaval including Brexit, Covid and the cost-of-living crisis. We hope this latest report, from our editorial partners Baker Richards, together with analysis from the Arts Professional news team, contributes to the understanding of the state of arts pay in 2022.

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