Fringe operator 'at risk' after Coventry Culture Trust collapse

A woman and a boy attending a Coventry City of Culture event
06 Mar 2023

One of the main venue operators for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has said its future is at risk following the collapse of Coventry City of Culture Trust.

Greater Manchester Culture Fund delivers £13m

06 Mar 2023

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has shared more than £13m across 40 local arts and culture organisation in the latest round of its culture fund.

This year’s Culture Fund grants are the first to be awarded since the local authority agreed a new, three-year approach to cultural investment, focused on the role arts, culture and creativity can play in economic prosperity and the health and wellbeing of people.

“I’m pleased to see that this year’s cohort – which includes music festivals, museums, and community spaces – captures that breadth and depth of cultural excellence in Greater Manchester,” Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said.

“[Culture and creativity] help shape communities and provide an outlet for us to express our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, which is why the Culture Fund is putting a new focus on organisations and projects concerned with physical and mental health and wellbeing.”

A number of organisations are receiving funding for the first time, including Headspace Bolton, an arts group run by and for people with lived experience of neurodiversity and Portraits of Recovery, a visual arts company in Oldham working with people affected by addiction to drugs and alcohol.

GMCA says it has now increased cultural investment by 40% since 2017.

Upon announcing this year’s funding recipients, GMCA also said it is working with Oldham Council, Arts Council England and Oldham Coliseum to “develop and secure provision in the borough, and funds have been ringfenced to ensure continued high-quality cultural activity in Oldham”.

Labour backs 'cultural corridor' across North

Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell speaking at the Creative Coalition Festival
03 Mar 2023

Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell sets out Labour's vision for the creative industries, pledging to devolve powers to local areas to drive growth and support a 'cultural corridor' across the North.

Frazer: Creative industries 'key priority' for government

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer delivering her speech at the Creative Coalition Festival
02 Mar 2023

In her first major speech to the sector, new Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer speaks of the importance of the arts and outlines her ambitions in the role.

Why understanding the value of culture matters

28 Feb 2023

In the face of multiple crises, Matthew McCallum and Ben Walmsley argue that now is the time to make the case for culture as a public good.

How to get ahead in arts management

Orchestra on stage
28 Feb 2023

If you don’t have industry connections, trying to break into the sector can be overwhelming. So, courses that provide work experience are in high demand. Meet Karen Pimbley (course leader) and Annabel Atkins (student). 

Top DCMS civil servant role to be shared

Ruth Hannant (left) and Polly Payne (right)
27 Feb 2023

Former DCMS Directors General jointly take on top civil service role in the department on an interim basis.

Sector training opportunities ‘falling short’, says study

a Black woman with short black hair wearing a grey t-shirt takes a photo with an industrial camera. she is stood in front of a photographer's umbrella with a computer to her left
23 Feb 2023

New report says the sector must invest in its workforce if the UK is to remain a leader in the creative industries.

Bullying bosses, broken boards and a crisis of accountability

The contour of an individual who appears to be a woman, standing in the darkness with a spotlight positioned behind her, creating a shadow that outlines her figure like a silhouette.
23 Feb 2023

Melissa Nisbett, Ben Walmsley and Emma McDowell have been conducting research on abusive leadership in the arts. Their findings will set alarm bells ringing across the sector.

The challenges of research collaboration

The performance piece 'Alice' presented by Jasmin Vardimon Company features a cluster of individuals positioned with their heads stacked on top of one another, tilting towards the right. The group is clad in black attire, except for the person positioned at the forefront, who wears a red outfit. Together, their bodies form a visual representation of a centipede.
22 Feb 2023

Rosy Greenlees and Suzie Leighton have been reflecting on the challenges of knowledge exchange between the arts and higher education sectors. Here they explore the mutual benefits of co-curated collaborations and what support leaders in the field require.

Creative Scotland seeks to address freelancer pay 'anomalies'

21 Feb 2023

Creative Scotland is seeking to address the inconsistency in rates of pay for freelancers across its funding programmes.

Although it does not set rates of pay itself, Scotland's arts funding body said it wants to ensure that industry-standard rates are equitably and consistently applied.

Alastair Evans, Interim Director, Strategy at Creative Scotland said: “Creative Scotland is committed, through any activities we support, to ensure that artists and professionals working in the creative sector are paid fairly with appropriate terms and conditions and employment opportunities.”

Research to identify key priorities for change is being carried out by consultancy practice Culture Radar and Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University.

They are currently seeking 'sector representatives' who have either made or been included in Creative Scotland funding applications, to contribute online to rates of pay consultations between 27 February - 2 March 2023. 

Evans added: “We encourage as many people as possible working across the industry to contribute to this important piece of work.

“This research will help to create the conditions for more meaningful and sustainable opportunities to work across, and progress through, the sector.”

Scottish Government U-turns on funding cut to Creative Scotland

Deputy First Minister of Scotland John Swinney announces yesterday's Budget
21 Feb 2023

Proposals to cut Creative Scotland’s budget by more than 10% are reversed.

Applications to Arts Council Wales' funding programme open

20 Feb 2023

Arts Council Wales (ACW) has opened applications to its next multi-year funding programme.

The Investment Review 2023 marks the first opportunity for arts organisations in Wales to apply for multi-year funding since ACW’s last portfolio was announced in 2015.

It centres on six principles – creativity, widening engagement, Welsh language, climate justice, nurturing talent and transformation - that organisations must demonstrate their commitment to when they apply.

In December, Arts Professional published a guide for arts organisations considering applying for the programme. 

ACW has said any enquiries relating to the application process outside of technical issues must take place before 3 March. 

Applications close on 31 March.

'Emergency' campaign against Scottish arts cuts launched

16 Feb 2023

A new 'emergency' public campaign is calling on the Scottish Government to abandon its proposed £7m cut to Creative Scotland's funding.

Campaign for the Arts described the 10% cut in the 2023-24 Budget – which will be voted on at Holyrood on 21 February – as a “short-sighted move that will cause long-lasting and potentially irreversible damage”.

Jack Gamble, Director of Campaign for the Arts, said the resignation of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon should prompt a rethink: “We’re entering a period of change at Holyrood, and it should extend to a rethink about the Budget on Tuesday.

“Especially in this economic climate, the implications are devastating for cultural organisations and the communities they serve.”

Creative Scotland has projected that up to half of its regularly funded organisations could lose funding if the cuts go ahead.

Culture Counts, a network of arts, heritage and creative industries organisations in Scotland, is backing the campaign.

Joseph Peach, Advocacy Manager of Culture Counts, said: “The survival of many organisations and culture workers is at high risk – and the Scottish Government’s plan to enact this funding approach risks their long-term future.”

A petition has been launched, calling on Deputy First Minister John Swinney and Culture Secretary Angus Robertson to stop the cuts.

London's Vault Festival looking for a new home

16 Feb 2023

London's Vault Festival is looking for a new home after being told by its venue of 11 years that it will no longer host the event from 2024.

The festival of live performance has taken place at The Vaults, a theatre and creative space beneath London Waterloo station, since 2012.

Vault Creative Arts, the not-for-profit charity that runs the festival, said it has presented "over 3,000 bold and brilliant shows to more than 400,000 audience members" during that time.

The festival returned in January of this year for the first time since the pandemic, and continues until 19 March. This year's scheduled performances are not affected by the venue's decision.

Festival director and co-founder Andy George said the news was a "devastating blow" that comes "after three of the harshest and hardest years of the festival’s life".

He added: "As we’ve battled to survive through cancellations, postponements and a pandemic, it’s become extremely clear that the creative industry needs Vault Festival to thrive and the artists we champion need Vault Festival to springboard their careers."

The festival is now calling on individuals or organisations with access to "large (20,000+ sq ft) spaces or multi- space venues in the wider London area" to come forward. It has posted a call to action on its website.

Journey to IPSO status

Person wearing fishnet gloves. We can see the individuals side profile. Their fists are clenched and they're holding them towards their face. They have their eyes close and head down. They're wearing bold makeup and large hoop earrings.
15 Feb 2023

In April, The Space will formally join ACE’s National Portfolio as an IPSO (or Investment Principles Support Organisation). Fiona Morris explains what this will mean for the organisation over the next three years.

City of Culture runners-up publish bid details

15 Feb 2023

Southampton publishes full bid from its UK City of Culture campaign ahead of plans to deliver re-packaged elements across the city.

My Gurus: Mesmerised by the 'whys'

Aliyah Hasinah is taking a picture in a round mirror.
15 Feb 2023

In 2020, Aliyah Hasinah founded Black Curatorial with the aim of enabling Black people to play, experiment and strengthen their practice as curators and creatives in safe and challenging lab spaces.

Government rejects calls for ACE funding shake-up

landscape view of Houses of Parliament next to Big Ben and Westminster Bridge
15 Feb 2023

Calls to change arts funding systems to differentiate between local and national institutions risks creating division in the sector, government argues.

The making of future leaders

'Leadership' concept: lots of people in the bottom half of the image. Sun is shining to create many shadows. They are all following one person who is slightly ahead.
13 Feb 2023

Leadership in the arts has always been a vital component of the creative process. But, as Sean Hanly says, the key to successful leadership is laying the foundations for future leaders.

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