Supporting artists

Arts Council of Northern Ireland has named 292 artists awarded funding from a £1.04m National Lottery fund as part of its Support for Individual Artists Programme.

The scheme provides artists working across all disciplines with grants of up to £6,000 to develop new creative projects, purchase equipment, and support international performance opportunities and residencies.

Recipients include a horror music composer, aerial circus performer, prosthetic make-up artist and prop-maker.

“Individual artists are at the very heart of the creative sector in Northern Ireland, enriching our communities and bringing our theatres, music venues and galleries to life,” said Gilly Campbell, joint Director of Arts Development, Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

“Thanks to National Lottery players and money raised for good causes, funding from the Arts Council’s Support for Individual Artists Programme will provide artists, working across all areas of the arts, with the vital investment they need to embark on new projects, develop their ideas and find new and engaging ways to present their art.”
 

A new skills training programme to support creatives looking to break into behind-the-camera roles on scripted film and high-end TV productions made in the West of England will launch later this month.

Bristol City Council’s Film Services will run the initiative after it secured almost £300,000 from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, led by Metro Mayor Dan Norris.

Delivered by The Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol UNESCO City of Film and Bristol Film Office - the three departments that make up Bristol City Council’s Film Services - the year-long programme will be open to regional participants from backgrounds currently underrepresented in the industry. 

Tailored training will prepare trainees for entry-level crew positions, with the aim of strengthening the pipeline of diverse local crew talent.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris, who leads the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, said: “The West of England is fast becoming the Hollywood of the UK. 

"Only recently, huge names like Disney+ have checked into The Bottle Yard Studios’ new state-of-the-art and West of England Mayoral Authority-funded TBY2 facility - that's a massive vote of confidence in our world-leading creative industries. 

"But to keep up the pace, we need to tap into the extraordinary wealth of creative talent we have in the West. That means supporting them with world-class training to create that new home-grown creative generation for the sector.

A partnership between two organisations based in Manchester is offering hundreds of paid gigs to young emerging artists.

Live music marketplace GigPig and arts organisation Reform Radio are collaborating to help artists launch their professional careers.

Reform Radio says it will use its platform to engage young adults looking for new opportunities, working creatively with them over a sustained period to develop new skills for employment.

The station supported 316 young people last year and has a community of more than 500 artists working with the organisation at any one time.

Meanwhile GigPig, which already offers artists a free platform to find, play and get paid for gigs, will match artists up with Manchester venues each month. 

Reform Radio’s Station Manager Robin Guérard said: “The ultimate goal is to enable the city’s venues to discover new artists, in turn giving young artists a platform to establish themselves as professional artists; from where they can build their profile and connections to secure repeat work.”

“I truly believe that with more partnerships like this, we will improve the industry for all new and existing professional artists.”

Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) distributed more than £2.6m in Artist's Resale Right (ARR) royalties from July to September this year.

The figure brings DACS’ total royalties paid to artists and estates so far this year to almost £7.5m.

Median ARR payment in the third quarter was £280, with more than 60% of royalties under £500.

Of the 862 artists and artists’ estates receiving royalties during the third quarter of the year, 53 artists were paid ARR for the first time.

Since the right to ARR became law in 2006, DACS has now paid out almost £123m to 6,079 artists and estates.

DACS Chief Executive Christian Zimmermann commented “ARR is more than just a royalty payment”.

“For many artists and estates, it is an enduring connection between artists and the evolving ownership of their works; simultaneously creating a robust and transparent provenance trail, adding depth to the stories behind each work.”