Collaboration

Manchester Museum has announced a large-scale repatriation of artefacts from its collection.

The programme will see 174 cultural heritage items from its collection returned to the Aboriginal Anindilyakwa community of Australia’s Northern Territory.

Three women from the Aboriginal Anindilyakwa community have travelled to Manchester to receive the articles. Manchester Museum hopes that the repatriation process will help Anindilyakwa descendants connect with their heritage.

The artefacts include boomerangs, Ajamurnda (bark baskets), Enungkuwa (fishing spears), Errumungkwa (armbands), and a group of dolls made from shells.

The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and New Earth Theatre have announced an associateship that will see the organisations work together to promote equity, diversity and inclusion.

The formalised associateship will solidify the close working relationship between the two organisations, which has previously seen delivery of the New Earth Performer’s Academy and Academy Plus London. 

Together, they aim to inspire and expand the platforms available for East and South East Asian (ESEA) theatre artists, actors, writing, directors, makers and practitioners.

Current plans include the development of events focused on the work of ESEA artists, the exploration of research and fellowship opportunities, and the delivery of masterclasses, workshops, guest lectures and other teaching opportunities for ESEA artists.

“This associateship marks a key moment for the company as we seek to reimagine how theatre companies can continue to grow and thrive in these relentlessly challenging times,” said Kumiko Mendl, Artistic Director of New Earth Theatre.

“By working together with a world class drama school we can begin to create new pathways of learning and sharing, of knowledge exchange that will in turn inform the work of our company and of ESEA artists. 

“The opportunities that this associateship presents are rich and varied and I look forward to embracing them in our shared goal of supporting and empowering ESEA artists and practitioners of the future.”   

Hull’s Streetlife Museum has opened a new gallery celebrating local Gypsy and Traveller heritage.

Funded by Arts Council England, the display has been created alongside members of the local Gypsy and Traveller communities, and support from York Travellers Trust.

Robin Diaper, Curator at Hull Maritime Yorkshire, which has led on the project, said it has been “a great opportunity to bring a previously hidden history into our galleries”. 

“Once we started looking and learning from our partners we found that connections to Gypsy and Traveller history ran deep in Hull and surrounding regions,” he said. 

“With the strong connection to horses as well, the upstairs galleries at Streetlife were the natural home for this project. 

“We’re extremely grateful to all contributors and their generosity in sharing this heritage.”

Violet Cannon, Chief Executive of York Travellers Trust said: “I’m so pleased to have been involved in this work, where the Museum has been so receptive to our thoughts and ideas.

“We have been allowed the freedom to create something that we can be proud of. I am especially proud that this will be a permanent display.”

The second round of the Four Nations International Fund has been confirmed, with applications due to open in September.

The fund is designed to support innovative models of international cultural exchange. It is open to people working in the arts and creative industries in the UK who wish to collaborate with their counterparts in Europe and beyond.

A total budget of £240,000 has been allocated for this round. Applicants can request up to £7,500 for in-person, digital or hybrid activity, including exchanges, residencies, partnership development, co-creation and networking.

The fund is backed by co-investment from Arts Council England, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Arts Council Wales/Wales Arts International and Creative Scotland. 

The first round of the fund supported 38 projects involving 82 British creatives working with 48 international partners based in more than 24 countries. The artist-led proposals that received funding addressed key issues facing society, including injustice, gender identity and environmental sustainability.

“The development of art and culture thrives on international collaboration and exchange,” said Dana MacLeod, Executive Director of Arts, Communities and Inclusion at Creative Scotland.

“Artists and creative practitioners derive inspiration, opportunities to grow and develop practice through the sharing of ideas and explore new ways of working, as well as reaching new audiences.”

She said that the maximum funding amount available had been increased in this round “to encourage fair remunerations for artists and professionals involved in these projects, to better enable more sustainable approaches to international travel and collaboration, and to generally reflect the increased costs of working internationally”.

In light of the impacts of Brexit and the pandemic, as well as the climate emergency, she said that by working together the arts councils and agencies “can more effectively help address challenges for artists and creative practitioners across the UK and enable them to connect with their international counterparts”.

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra has announced the launch of a new partnership with the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, using music to improve the health and wellbeing of patients.

The partnership is supported by the Walton Centre Charity and the Foyle Foundation. 

The two organisations will work together to use participatory music sessions and performances to help patients with neurological and neurosurgical conditions, as well as benefitting their families and carers and staff at the Walton Centre.

A team of 10 experienced musicians and more than 25 visiting musicians from Liverpool Philharmonic will deliver music-making activities across the centre, including on wards and in staff areas. 

The Walton Centre is the fourth NHS Trust to join Liverpool Philharmonic’s Music and Health programme, after Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust and Improving Me, a consortium of 27 NHS organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside supporting women's health and maternity services.

The programme has worked with more than 17,000 people since its launch in 2008, using music to support wellbeing and build confidence. 

“It is fantastic that NHS Trusts in the region are increasingly recognising the positive impact music and professional musicians can have on people’s health and wellbeing, and enhancing health services,” said Peter Garden, Executive Director of Performance and Learning at Liverpool Philharmonic.

Jan Ross, Chief Executive at The Walton Centre said that “the lift that the music performances will be able to give to our patients and staff will be of immense benefit to both their physical and mental wellbeing”.
 

A festival in Lancashire is pairing artists with local manufacturers through its annual residency programme.

The Blackburn-based National Festival of Making, which became an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation in the 2023-26 round, is working with five local manufacturers.

These include suppliers of workwear and jeans, a cardboard box maker, and a company that specialises in garage doors and roller shutters.

Pairings for the Art in Manufacturing programme, now in its fifth year, include Ibukun Baldwin with clothes maker Cookson & Clegg, Stephanie Jefferies and Sarah Marsh with textile manufacturer Herbert Parkinson, and sculptor Steve Anwar with garage door specialists SWS UK.

Programme curator and festival co-director Elena Jackson said: “2023’s commissioned artists have hugely ambitious practices with individual focus on audience experience, access and imagination.

“We can’t wait to see the ideas that have been crafted by artists emerging from these residencies – ideas that will be at the heart of a packed programme of thought-provoking exhibitions, workshops and interventions for our audiences to experience.”

This year’s festival takes place 8-9 July.