Thursday, 11 April 2024
Several art groups are among 28 community projects to share in more than £480,000 of government funding as part of the Windrush Day Grant Scheme.
Administered by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Community, the fund, established six years ago, supports community-led arts, educational, and sporting events across England that highlight the legacy of the Windrush generation.
Funded... read more
Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Funding cuts are destroying Britain’s “top-notch” classical music organisations, according to the new chief conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Antonio Pappano.
Speaking at the launch of LSO’s new season, Pappano said: “Do you want to see them die little by little? Look at the struggles, look at the ENO, the WNO. These places are in trouble, and it is not acceptable.”
He said that... read more
Orchestras are not social workers, says maestro (The Times)
Wednesday, 10 April 2024
A 19th-Century Hampshire windmill that houses a display of historic farming artefacts has closed following the withdrawal of council funding from its operator.
Eastleigh Borough Council terminated its funding agreement with Hampshire Culture Trust (HCT) in February last year.
The trust then requested that Hampshire County Council (HCC) allow it to end operations at the Grade II-listed Bursledon... read more
Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Art therapy is associated with positive outcomes for children and adolescents in a hospital-based mental health unit, a new study published in the Journal of Mental Health has found.
Researchers, led by Sarah Versitano, examined more than six years of data from a child and adolescent mental health hospital ward in Australia to understand if the use of restrictive practices, such as seclusion or... read more
Lost for words? Research shows art therapy brings benefits for mental health (The Conversation)
Wednesday, 10 April 2024
An exhibit at a Tasmanian museum must allow men admission following a court ruling in a gender discrimination case.
The Ladies Lounge at Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) has been open since 2020 and houses some of the museum's most acclaimed works.
Playing on the concept of Australian pubs, which were historically male-only spaces, the exhibit only offers women admittance.
After being... read more
Tuesday, 09 April 2024
A music initiative designed to "empower and celebrate" grassroots music communities has launched.
Studio Monkey Shoulder, established by Monkey Shoulder Whisky, aims to recognise and support a community organisation to turn a passion project into reality, via a £10,000 investment.
The UK-based community, collective or music organisation which receives the investment will have the opportunity to... read more
Tuesday, 09 April 2024
Plans to switch library provision in Birmingham to a mixture of council and community-run hubs to save money have been put out for consultation.
Launching the exercise, Birmingham City Council said that, based on current information on community interest and co-location opportunities, it estimates this combination of provision could allow for 25 building-based library services.
"For more than a... read more
Monday, 08 April 2024
Two of Belfast’s biggest outdoor music events generated £30.8m for Northern Ireland's economy, a study has found.
According to an independent report, the 2023 editions of Belsonic Festival at Ormeau Park and Emerge Music Festival in Boucher Fields, also created nearly 6,000 paid employment opportunities.
Northern Ireland's Economy Minister Conor Murphy said: "Events such as Belsonic and Emerge... read more
Monday, 08 April 2024
A museum in Wales has launched a public appeal to help it remain open in the face of soaring energy bills.
Llandudno Museum says its costs have quadrupled, and the grant funding it receives does not cover the rise.
"It is definitely a threat because at the moment our energy bills are in the region of £35,000 a year, which is astronomic," Director Dawn Lancaster told ITV News
"We can't turn... read more
Monday, 08 April 2024
A group of 250 community volunteers has taken over a Worcestershire theatre after its operator collapsed in 2020.
In the intervening years, the Artrix in Bromsgrove became a Covid vaccination centre and then the temporary home of the Solihull Core Theatre. However, it is now run by Bromsgrove Community Arts Group, a charitable incorporated organisation created specifically to manage the theatre.... read more
Thursday, 04 April 2024
An initiative which financially supports UK-based artists and companies taking work to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has been extended by two years as a result of £1m capital funding to the Fringe Society from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the funding would "protect this talent pipeline and nurture the next generation of British artists [by... read more
Thursday, 04 April 2024
The Irish Arts Council and Arts Council Northern Ireland have announced a one-off €400,000 (£342,500) award for “an exceptional theatre production” in the Irish language, the single largest grant from either funding body.
The successful applicant will work closely with an evaluator which will assess the scheme's outcomes to "refine the approach in the long term".
Applications will open on 7 May... read more
Thursday, 04 April 2024
Theatres Trust has announced the second round of grant recipients for its Resilient Theatres: Resilient Communities programme.
The grants, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust and the Swire Charitable Trust, can be used to help restore, reopen or revitalise venues on the Theatres at Risk Register, published by Theatres Trust.
Seven venues will share the £57,850 fund,... read more
Thursday, 04 April 2024
A Reading theatre will benefit from a £13.7m upgrade after the project's plans were given the green light.
The Hexagon Theatre will get a new 300-capacity studio auditorium and rehearsal space, with work on the site set to begin as early as this summer.
The BBC reports that the project can proceed after Reading Borough Council secured £19.1m of government Levelling Up funding to upgrade The... read more
Wednesday, 03 April 2024
Museums across Liverpool are expected to stay closed after the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) rejected a pay offer from National Museums Liverpool (NML).
In a post, Laura Pye, Director of National Museums Liverpool, said that "with a heavy heart", NML's five venues will remain mostly closed until at least 14 April, when the current strike period is due to end.
More than 200 NML staff... read more
Update on National Museums Liverpool strike action (National Museums Liverpool)