Arts funding

Seventy-one organisations have been awarded a share of £4.2m in the third round of the Culture Recovery Fund in Wales.

It brings the total amount distributed in Wales via the flagship Covid emergency fund to more than £87m, a contribution the Arts Council of Wales (ACW) expects will save up to 1,800 sector jobs.

Awardees include Wales Millennium Centre, which won the largest grant of more than £496,000, several theatres in Cardiff, and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

97% of applicants were successful in this latest round, ACW says.

Local museums in Wales need councils to invest in their culture strategies ahead of this year's election cycle, a manifesto says.

The Museums Association and the Federation for Museums and Art Galleries in Wales are calling for policies to develop museums' digital capacity, diversify the workforce and its skills, attract donors, and catalyse new economic initiatives, for example in tourism.

Local authority investment in museums has declined by nearly a third in the past decade, the manifesto says.

It adds that museums have supported the Welsh Government's priorities over the past four years, crucially providing 'Cynefin', or a sense of place, throughout the pandemic in spite of their lengthy closures.

"In 2022, we are asking politicians to imagine what could be achieved with an ambitious new investment to secure the cultural and creative future of the nation."

A science festival has ended its association with energy company BP after fielding years of criticism.

New Scientist Live, due to take place in Manchester this weekend, has shifted its approach after dropping BP as a sponsor and speaker at an online event in September.

Several scientists withdrew from the event in protest at the time, though the festival has faced pressure over the controversial alliance since 2019.

Activist group Culture Unstained welcomed the change of policy, while Dr Emma Garnett, who pulled out of the event last year, applauded the festival's courage.

"I understand it is difficult for organisations to turn away funding. However, it is vital organisations refuse fossil fuel sponsorship because these companies are polluting our discussions as well as our planet.

"I think the evidence is incredibly clear: how far we succeed in limiting climate change depends on dismantling fossil fuel industry influence in our politics and culture."

A 30 year sponsorship deal between BP and the National Gallery will end in December, the parties say.

In a press release on Tuesday (February 22), they confirmed that BP's support of the Portrait Award will not be renewed. It said the decision was made "together", offering no insight into whether pressure to end oil company sponsorship of the arts convinced either partner that time was up.

"The BP of today is a very different company from when we first started our partnership with the National Portrait Gallery," the company's UK boss Louise Kingham said, noting a need to find "new ways to best use our talent, experience, and resources".

Lobby groups Culture Unstained and BP or not BP? claim its clear the partnership had become too controversial.

"This is clearly a vote of no confidence in BP’s business. The company spent 30 years painting a picture of itself as a responsible philanthropist but it is rapidly running out of places to clean up its toxic image," Culture Unstained Co-Director Jess Worth said.

Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, expressed gratitude for the long-running support.

"Its funding for the award has fostered creativity, encouraged portrait painting for over 30 years and given a platform to artists from around the world, as well as providing inspiration and enjoyment for audiences across the UK."

It's estimated the sponsorship enabled six million free visits and contributed to the career development of more than 1,500 portrait artists.

The last Portrait Award was in 2020. It was not staged this year or last because the gallery is closed for redevelopment.