Cross artform

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has opened a funding programme that aims to give arts organisations the skills to create digital art.

The Organisations Digital Evolution Awards offers grants of up to £10,000 for those making digital art for the first time, or working with digital or immersive technology they have not previously used.

The scheme will support a range of digital activity including: app development, virtual or augmented reality works, 3D rendering and printing, and the translation of digital data into artworks.

Collaborative applications from organisations working together in cross-discipline projects are encouraged. Funded by the National Lottery, the total fund is worth £40,000.

Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “This programme reflects the Arts Council’s commitment to encouraging innovative practices that cross artform boundaries and build digital capabilities within the Northern Ireland arts sector.”   

The scheme has opened to online applications and closes at midday on Monday 14 November.

An official probe into the value for money provided by the £120m Unboxed festival will be conducted by the National Audit Office (NAO).

In a letter published today the Comptroller and Auditor General of the NAO, Gareth Davies, said he expects to produce a report on the costs and benefits, management and planning of the project by the end of the year.

The move follows a critical report on the government-funded festival by the DCMS Select Committee which concluded that the investment was "an irresponsible use of public money" given the government’s own admission that it does not know what it is for.

It was reported last month that visitor numbers for four of the 10 events of the festival have been 238,000, compared with a "stretch target" of 66 million.

Chair of the DCMS Select Committee Julian Knight said: “That such an exorbitant amount of public cash has been spent on a so-called celebration of creativity that has barely failed to register in the public consciousness raises serious red flags about how the project has been managed from conception through to delivery. 

"The NAO’s investigation will bring welcome and thorough scrutiny and help get to the bottom of how so much tax-payer money could be frittered away for so little return.”

DCMS has said that it "[does] not agree with the select committee's views", adding that more than four million people have engaged in Unboxed programming so far, with numbers set to rise further.

Two arts commentators have published a booklet calling for Arts Council England (ACE) to be abolished, claiming its 'left-wing, woke agenda' is failing to support 'art of real consequence'.

The Telegraph reports that artist and art historian Alexander Adams and David Lee, editor of The Jackdaw magazine, call the funding body’s priorities "political, not artistic" and “hostile to the taste and values of the majority population”.

“Good artists have given up patience because they have been shut out of the system for not conforming to ACE’s left-wing agenda. So, ACE has become an obstacle to the arts in this country," Adams told the newspaper. 

In response, ACE said: “The public want high-quality, world-leading art and we want to ensure that people across the country, wherever they live, have the opportunity to see and engage with brilliant work, from fantastic opera and ballet to fascinating museum collections and world-leading theatre productions."

Creative Scotland has warned that a combination of rising costs, falling income and the impact of Brexit means it is likely to have to cut the funding it provides to arts and culture organisations.

The Edinburgh Evening News reports that the quango, which funds venues, arts organisations, events and festivals, has said that maintaining standstill funding is “increasingly unviable” because of soaring additional costs.

Instead, it said it may have to cut back the number of organisations it provides long-term funding to in the future.

In a submission to Holyrood’s culture committee, which is taking evidence on how the Scottish cultural sector is currently funded, Creative Scotland said: “At the time of writing, there is no certainty as regards the Scottish Government budgets that will be allocated to Creative Scotland. The indications are that significant cuts are likely.

"We anticipate we may have to fund fewer organisations on a multi-year basis, but aim to fund them at a more sustainable level."

The UK government is to invest a £60m underspend from the Birmingham 2022 budget to increase access to culture and sport across the West Midlands.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will work with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Birmingham City Council to build on the success of the Commonwealth Games and help more people engage with culture and sport in the region.

The Games were accompanied by a six-month Birmingham 2022 Festival which included visual art, theatre, performance and community events.

The £60m will support ambitions for future major events.

Funding will also be allocated to boost inward business investment and tourism in the West Midlands.

Wales’ arts community has made an online resource to support NHS and care home staff this winter.

Cultural Cwtsh features short, accessible videos from 50 professional artists across Wales showcasing a range of cultural activities including poetry, juggling, beatboxing, dancing and photography.

The website was created by Arts Council of Wales (ACW) with funding support from the Welsh Government as part of an ongoing programme of partnership works highlighting the proven well-being benefits of the arts.

ACW Programme Manager for Arts, Health and Wellbeing Sally Lewis said she hopes people working in healthcare will enjoy discovering their own creativity through the resource.

“The Cultural Cwtsh is a direct response to the significant challenges and pressures healthcare staff continue to face. 

“[It] aims to use creativity to boost staff wellbeing by providing comfort, fun, distraction, solace, relaxation, stimulation, an outlet for expression as well as opportunities for people to learn a new skill.”