Major shake-up for BBC arts

BBC concert orchestra on stage
01 Apr 2021

BBC cuts prompt an internal restructuring that will link classical music with arts and factual programming and remove a layer of experienced management.

Manchester culture worth £292m pre-pandemic

30 Mar 2021

Manchester City Council is urgently refreshing its culture rescue plan as annual analysis shows arts organisations' value to the city - and their immense vulnerability from April.

Scottish organisations strive to stay in Creative Europe

12 Feb 2021

Leaving the influential programme in a time of crisis would be "a travesty" - and unnecessary for devolved nations, campaigners say.

Medway eyes international recognition with new cultural strategy

25 Jan 2021

The "ambitious and forward-thinking" document will be the cornerstone of a bid for UK City of Culture 2025.

Why ‘who you know’ doesn’t fit the bill

Empty gallery
19 Jan 2021

Supporting creative practitioners with opportunities at this time is vital, but do so wisely, says Guy Armitage. Running an open call may feel daunting, but it could allow you to side-step biases, put diversity at the heart of new projects and keep your audiences engaged.

Scotland faces slow return to pre-Covid audiences

18 Jan 2021

A recent Creative Scotland survey suggests audiences are unlikely to return to pre-Covid levels until the population has been vaccinated. 

Crisis made us more relevant

Parent and child reading from a large book, severval feet tall, light up at night, about William Shakespeare
12 Jan 2021

When decisions about programming are made in hours rather than months, organisations hone in on their core purpose. Festivals will move ahead again by reinvigorating the relationship between artists and audiences, says Sharon Canavar.

Orchestral music's popularity grew in lockdown

07 Jan 2021

Movie scores and video game soundtracks are broadening the genre's appeal, attracting a new generation of fans who are more likely to donate.

Circus seizes the zeitgeist

Man riding a bike across a fire wire balancing with a pole
06 Jan 2021

The pandemic presents a unique set of challenges. But turning obstacles into opportunities is what circus does best, write Billy Alwen and Geraldine Giddings.

Talk if you want to thrive

06 Jan 2021

In a time of great uncertainty, understanding audience attitudes and behaviours make the future a little more predictable, writes Maurane Ramon.

Convince them you’re Covid-safe

People walking around a gallery
08 Dec 2020

Audiences are ready to return but they need reassurance to take the first step. A new digital toolkit will help bridge the gap, says Katy Raines.

Testing isn't enough to bring audiences back, survey suggests

03 Dec 2020

Mandatory masks, social distancing and temperature tests make audiences feel more comfortable returning to venues - and on-the-spot testing won't change that.

Five things we’ve learnt from lockdown

Woman taking a photo of an art installing depicting a rainbow
03 Dec 2020

National and international research has examined the pandemic’s impact on fundraising, marketing and audience development strategies, but what do the findings mean for the arts, culture and heritage in 2021? Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy looks to the challenges that now lie ahead. 

Museum visitors fall from post-Covid peak

06 Oct 2020

National Museums Liverpool and the V&A consult on redundancies amid a month-long decline in visitor numbers for England's major museums.

No growth in arts engagement over 15 years

30 Sep 2020

The proportion of adults taking part in the arts is the same as it was in 2005. ACE says there is still progress to be found in the figures.

Audiences will pay for 'live digital' events, survey suggests

22 Sep 2020

70% of audiences say they are willing to pay for digital events as full capacity shows remain on ice. But the shift towards user-pays models "will be a challenge," experts warn.

Community: the beating heart of a new arts landscape

Image of a shop front with a sale banner and promotional theatre performance poster
09 Sep 2020

Could an Ambassadors Scheme offer a way of better connecting theatres with their local communities? Hardish Virk has seen positive results in South Asian communities.

Rising to the challenge of reopening

Mother and daughter looking at a window display at Hertford Theatre
09 Sep 2020

Adopting a creative approach to tackle opening in a Covid-safe environment could give venues the edge and help them come out the other side. David Dunstan shares some successful strategies.

Covid-19 spawns 'digital only' audiences

02 Sep 2020

Survey data that suggests a third of digital arts audiences only engage online raises new possibilities for the post-Covid cultural sector.

How to get audiences to pay more for streamed content

US troops performing on an outdoor stage at an undisclosed location
22 Jul 2020

What would happen if an audience was allowed to make a reservation for a small fee, enjoy the experience, and then pay afterwards, when the emotional value is highest? Kahlil Ashanti tried it out – and was very glad he did.

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