Manchester Museum reopening delayed

21 Feb 2022

Manchester Museum's reopening has been delayed due to "the challenges of the pandemic".

Initially slated for the end of 2022, delays in the construction supply chain mean the institution now plans to reopen to the public in February 2023 following an "ambitious and complex" £15m transformation project.

The building will be 25% larger once construction completes, and include four new galleries: a South Asia gallery, the Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery, a "Belonging Gallery" and an exhibition hall hosting Egyptian mummies.

The South Asia gallery will be the first of its kind in the UK, created in partnership with the British Museum.

"Our team and partners have never lost faith in our vision for a reimagined Manchester Museum that is more caring, inclusive and imaginative," Director Esme Ward said.

Scotland gives £16m for cultural recovery

21 Feb 2022

The Scottish Government is giving £16m to Scotland’s culture and events sector.

Delivered through the Omicron business support fund, the money is earmarked for cultural organisations, events, museums and freelancers to recover from the economic impact of recent restrictions.

£12m goes to Creative Scotland to develop a hardship fund for creative freelancers, a recovery fund for cultural organisations, and support for Edinburgh Festivals in their 75th years.

The £8m fund for freelancers will be split into two £4m rounds, the first opening February 23 and the second on March 2.

Creative Scotland CEO Iain Munro asks people to fully consider their needs before applying: “Funds are finite, and we expect a high level of demand, therefore we will trust that those who request these funds are in need of emergency funding at this time.”

EventScotland and the Museums Recovery Fund will each receive £2m.

Culture Minister Neil Gray says the funding reflects the Government’s support for these industries.

"As we embark on our recovery, cultural activity has a pivotal role to play in reinvigorating our economy and communities as well as promoting individual wellbeing."

 

Theatre Artists Fund gives £1.67m

21 Feb 2022

1,670 emergency grants have been handed out in latest round of the Theatre Artists Fund.

Beneficiaries received £1000 each from the fund, which supported freelance theatre workers affected by Covid cases and show cancellations through the winter.

The fund has raised £9.8m across seven funding streams since  July 2020.

The release comes as the fund, established by Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre, works towards a pilot programme for providing employment pathways in at-risk professions. 

Tate’s 'backward step'

La Jornada Food Pantry at the Queens Museum
16 Feb 2022

Tate Exchange – the only dedicated community co-creation programme in a major museum – is to be discontinued. Stella Toonen thinks it’s a step backwards for a sector that had begun to let new voices in. 

Mission should inform everything

image outside building of Farnham Maltings
16 Feb 2022

Being purpose driven and mission driven through the pandemic set Farnham Maltings up for success long into the future, just when they needed it most, as Paul Fadden reports.

Employment in culture outstrips pre-pandemic levels

14 Feb 2022

Employment in the cultural industries has continued to grow despite the pandemic, official figures suggest

New data from DCMS covering the period October 2020 to September 2021 records an estimated 696,000 people working in culture - 8,000 people more than the same period across 2019 and 2020, and 20,000 more than before the pandemic.

The figures appear to illustrate the success of furlough and the failure of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme in supporting the sector: what was a 50-50 split in employed and self-employed cultural workers is now 54% in favour of the employed.

There are also about 10,000 more culture professionals in working in London than in 2019/20.

Despite the advent of Brexit at the end of 2020, there are still as many EU nationals working in the sector.

Wales to withdraw Covid pass from venues

14 Feb 2022

The Welsh Government is set to reduce its Covid restrictions further.

From Friday (February 18), a Covid pass will no longer be required to enter nightclubs, cinemas and theatres. Mandatory face mask wearing will be dropped 10 days later on February 28.

Night Time Industries Associations (NTIA) CEO Michael Kill welcomed the announcement, saying many businesses think restrictions have gone on for too long.

“The further relaxation of restrictions will see businesses finally able to plan for the future with some level of certainty."

Calls to stop vaccinations at Bedworth venue

10 Feb 2022

A campaign is under way to bring live shows back to Bedworth's Civic Hall.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council recently decided to extend the venue's status as a vaccination centre until March 2023.

Civic Hall hasn't hosted any shows since it became a test centre towards the start of the pandemic. It is now the borough’s biggest vaccination hub.

An online petition, with more than 500 signatures, says its continued closure as an arts venue is “culturally and socially damaging”.

“The Civic Hall is the heart of the borough and this extension is nonsensical since the current vaccine capacity could easily be covered in a building a quarter of the size,” it adds.

Building on the positives

Grand Union’s The Growing project documentary
09 Feb 2022

Audiences have had almost 24 months of remote engagement with culture. It’s now time to share evidence, learning, success and failure for the post-pandemic landscape, argues Fiona Morris.

A flexible marketing model

actors perform in a production of Wuthering Heights
09 Feb 2022

The nature of arts marketing has shifted over recent years with knock-on effects on relationships with producers. Howard Buckley assesses the opportunities of this new way of working. 

Nightlife business costs grow by a quarter

08 Feb 2022

Nightlife businesses have experienced a 26% rise in their operating costs in the past year.

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) survey reveals the ongoing effects of the pandemic, with businesses on average operating at 68.9% of their pre-pandemic trading levels.

Further cost increases are expected in April, with national living wage, national insurance, VAT and business rates all scheduled to rise.

NTIA CEO Michael Kill said many businesses will be forced to pass cost increases on to customers or risk going bust.

“These statistics show just how bleak things remain for our sector.

“I would now, even at this late stage, urge the Chancellor to postpone all the tax increases to give some perfectly viable night time economy businesses a fighting chance of survival.”
 

10 million creative jobs lost worldwide

08 Feb 2022

"What was already a precarious situation for many artists has become unsustainable," UNESCO boss says, mooting labour law changes to protect the sector.

Edinburgh commits to £4.7m culture funding

07 Feb 2022

Edinburgh has committed to £4.7m of culture funding for 2022/23, £2m of it for Edinburgh International Festival.

Recognising the difficulties posed by Covid-19, the City of Edinburgh Council has extended its three-year funding agreement to four years. 

The Edinburgh Multicultural Festival, launched three years ago, has been added to the council's list of strategic partners, putting it on a more stable footing. It will receive £43,000. 

The agreement also includes support for the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (£100,000), Imaginate children's festival (£100,000), Edinburgh International Book Festival (£50,000), and Edinburgh Art Festival (£20,000).

Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener, said cultural organisations responded to the pandemic "with determination and innovation" and reaffirmed the council's commitment to supporting the sector.

 

Local authority theatres 'at risk' amid Covid cost pressures

03 Feb 2022

A record number of venues have been added to the Theatres at Risk register, half of them council owned. 

Creative teachers offer the most industry experience

Children and Teachers look at an Abstract Painting
02 Feb 2022

A new report recommends long term funding to allow more schools to embed opportunities to work with industry partners.

Culture in crisis

visitors to a museum during the pandemic wearing facemasks
02 Feb 2022

Ben Walmsley reports on the key findings from a 15-month research project into the effects of the pandemic on the cultural sector.

£10m jobs and skills fund in Northern Ireland

02 Feb 2022

Northern Ireland’s creative industries are set to benefit from a share of a £10m jobs and skills fund.

The Covid Recovery Programme Employment & Skills Initiative will support community services, including arts, heritage and creative industries, in their recovery from Covid-19.

The three-year commitment is the first multi-year investment into these industries' recovery in Northern Ireland and a direct response to the Culture, Arts and Heritage Recovery Taskforce Report commissioned by Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey.

Hargey said the initiative will fund new entry level jobs and increase the capacity of existing staff.

“This should bolster organisations to better survive and thrive post pandemic,and therefore help stabilise these sectors to continue to deliver their services for the public good.”

New entrants eligible in latest Wales CRF

01 Feb 2022

The third round of Wales' Cultural Recovery Fund (CRF) is open, with organisations that have not previously received support eligible to apply.

£15.4m is available in total, though £2.2m has already been awarded to over 88 applicants.

Businesses must prove their turnover fell by at least 50% during the past three months compared to the same period pre-pandemic.  

The Welsh Government's Cultural Recovery Fund is open to all cultural organisations and is separate to Arts Council of Wales' Cultural Recovery Fund, which is available to only arts organisations. 

The previous two rounds provided £93m to organisations and individuals across Wales' cultural sector.

“We are fully aware that these impacted sectors continue to face new pressures,” Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport Dawn Bowden said.

Applications close February 11.

Digital ‘no substitute’ to traditional libraries

01 Feb 2022

Most adults think digital services are an inadequate replacement for traditional libraries.

More than half (57%) expressed their preference for in-person services in a survey by the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Just under a quarter (22%) agreed an online replacement was adequate.

The number of people using digital library services was up 11% last year on pre-pandemic levels, amounting to one fifth of all library users.

University of Glasgow professor David McMenemy, one of the research leads, said the findings suggest people missed libraries during the lockdowns.

"They are also social spaces at the heart of communities."
 

Digital award winners embrace new audiences

27 Jan 2022

Those who showcased best practice in digital leadership did so by addressing the challenges of the pandemic.

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