Public art by popular demand

Photo of public art project outside London Bridge Station - painted bollards
21 Mar 2019

A recent survey found that four in five Londoners would contribute at least £2 towards public art in their local area. Marine Tanguy and Vishal Kumar explore the potential role of citizens in new commissions.

South West lost out on grants for artists

Photo of Bristol
19 Mar 2019

London bore the brunt of cuts to Arts Council England’s open access ‘Grants for the Arts’ scheme, while an associated funding redistribution favoured the South East. 

Race to the bottom

People standing next to a street billboard at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
18 Mar 2019

As low- or no-pay practices continue to dominate the arts and cultural sector, some enlightened employers are starting to reap the benefits of offering a fairer deal to all staff. Jonathan Knott reflects on the findings of the ArtsPay 2018 survey – and the efforts of those challenging the status quo.

Freedom to struggle

Photo of statue
18 Mar 2019

Who’d be a freelancer in the arts in 2019? Christy Romer sheds light on the human cost of being self employed in the cultural sector.

Businesses and councils at odds over tourist tax

Photo of Fiona Hyslop
15 Mar 2019

Scotland’s Culture and Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop has said local authorities will not be able to impose a levy on overnight visitors until 2021 at the earliest.

Big vision

Photo of Bill & Melinda Gates
07 Mar 2019

How can the ‘fix-it style' philanthropy of the mega-wealthy US tech entrepreneurs be applied to the arts in the UK? Michelle Wright shares her thoughts.

Starting from scratch

The apartment in the Scratch Hub
07 Mar 2019

Liz Moreton explains why Battersea Arts Centre has taken the unusual step of opening up a new space for start-up businesses.

An unexpected gift

Photo of four people helping pack mailouts
28 Feb 2019

A welcome surprise of five-year funding provided the opportunity for Cardiff's Sherman Theatre to diversify its audiences, boost volunteering and develop a relationship with a time credit network. Julia Barry tells the story.

Arts attendance in Northern Ireland falls by a quarter as cuts bite

A man playing a guitar on stage
08 Feb 2019

Annually Funded Organisations are suffering “damage to long-term sustainability”, having slashed marketing budgets in the face of core funding cuts of almost 40% over three years.

Mayor launches trust to support affordable artist workspaces

A man wearing gloves working with tools at a table
08 Feb 2019

The Creative Land Trust, backed by seed funding of £4m from City Hall and £2m from Arts Council England, will seek additional finance from property developers and ask London councils to safeguard affordable workspaces.

Heritage lottery funding to be further devolved

Photo of Bodiam castle
01 Feb 2019

Around 80% of the funder’s budget will be decided by English regions, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, a new strategic plan reveals.

Local authority culture funding down £400m since 2011

Photo of art in rural England
01 Feb 2019

Councils warn cuts will continue if no extra resources are provided in the Spending Review to deal with the increasing demand for adult social care.

How did we get here?

Two girls sitting at a desk drawing
31 Jan 2019

The over-hyping of projects, initiatives and schemes really grates at a time when creative education in schools is being systematically sidelined. We need to realise what we are losing before it's too late, says Pauline Tambling.

Arts Council issues no-deal Brexit guidance for arts organisations

Photo of explosive art
23 Jan 2019

A new document draws together relevant Government policies on topics including touring to EU countries, moving goods across borders, and adapting to a new intellectual property landscape.

Five English areas share £20m Cultural Development Fund

A row of black sculptures on a grass lawn
18 Jan 2019

Projects in Wakefield and the Thames Estuary have landed more than £4m each to boost the local creative industries, through a DCMS fund set up as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

Arts Council of Northern Ireland could re-introduce multi-year funding

Women dancing on a stage
17 Jan 2019

The funder has also set out plans to create a consultative assembly of arts professionals, after hearing calls to communicate more effectively with the sector.

Major funders seek to reduce ‘burdensome’ reporting requirements

Photo of large industrial weight
11 Jan 2019

A group of funders including the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation are to test a set of key principles to make grant reporting a more “meaningful and mutually beneficial experience”.

Drawing people in

Photo of actress looking down from balcony
03 Jan 2019

Bristol Old Vic, England’s oldest theatre, is now also open as a visitor attraction and heritage destination. Emma Stenning explains why - and how - the venue embarked on this new venture.

Looking beyond the obvious

03 Jan 2019

It is right to celebrate those local authorities committed to funding culture, but long-term sustainability may depend on developing entirely new approaches, argues Gary Topp.

Slashing local arts budgets leads to additional financial loss, analysis suggests

Photo of Bath
21 Dec 2018

Arts organisations in Bath have consistently leveraged three times as much financial support from other sources as they have been granted by the local council, new data reveals.

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