Cross artform

Creative Scotland has warned that a combination of rising costs, falling income and the impact of Brexit means it is likely to have to cut the funding it provides to arts and culture organisations.

The Edinburgh Evening News reports that the quango, which funds venues, arts organisations, events and festivals, has said that maintaining standstill funding is “increasingly unviable” because of soaring additional costs.

Instead, it said it may have to cut back the number of organisations it provides long-term funding to in the future.

In a submission to Holyrood’s culture committee, which is taking evidence on how the Scottish cultural sector is currently funded, Creative Scotland said: “At the time of writing, there is no certainty as regards the Scottish Government budgets that will be allocated to Creative Scotland. The indications are that significant cuts are likely.

"We anticipate we may have to fund fewer organisations on a multi-year basis, but aim to fund them at a more sustainable level."

The UK government is to invest a £60m underspend from the Birmingham 2022 budget to increase access to culture and sport across the West Midlands.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will work with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Birmingham City Council to build on the success of the Commonwealth Games and help more people engage with culture and sport in the region.

The Games were accompanied by a six-month Birmingham 2022 Festival which included visual art, theatre, performance and community events.

The £60m will support ambitions for future major events.

Funding will also be allocated to boost inward business investment and tourism in the West Midlands.

Wales’ arts community has made an online resource to support NHS and care home staff this winter.

Cultural Cwtsh features short, accessible videos from 50 professional artists across Wales showcasing a range of cultural activities including poetry, juggling, beatboxing, dancing and photography.

The website was created by Arts Council of Wales (ACW) with funding support from the Welsh Government as part of an ongoing programme of partnership works highlighting the proven well-being benefits of the arts.

ACW Programme Manager for Arts, Health and Wellbeing Sally Lewis said she hopes people working in healthcare will enjoy discovering their own creativity through the resource.

“The Cultural Cwtsh is a direct response to the significant challenges and pressures healthcare staff continue to face. 

“[It] aims to use creativity to boost staff wellbeing by providing comfort, fun, distraction, solace, relaxation, stimulation, an outlet for expression as well as opportunities for people to learn a new skill.”

An arts group planning to showcase African talent living in Northern Ireland and aid community cohesion has launched.

The collective, which aims to be a platform for artists, dancers and musicians, is being established by charity Africa House Northern Ireland which represents the interests of African organisations and individuals across the country.

Cuthbert Tura Arutura of Africa House said African artists felt they were unable to make an impact individually and secure work.

“We have seen that African and Irish people have a lot of shared experiences and art is a way to express that,” he said.

“This type of initiative addresses the isolation some arriving in Northern Ireland, and is also another way that people can network.

“It is all about empowerment.”

African and Northern Ireland artists will gather on Wednesday 5 October to mark the forming of the group at the Markets Community Centre in Belfast.

Arts Council England (ACE) will share its funding decisions for the next National Portfolio on Wednesday 26 October.

The funder confirmed the date online this afternoon, ending speculation from prospective portfolio organisations on when the news will be delivered.

Earlier this year, ACE said decisions would be made by 14 October before its online guidance pushed the deadline back to 'late October'.

Now, ACE has confirmed all organisations that made an application to join the portfolio for the next three years will be contacted on October 26, to let them know if they are being awarded funding.

"That offer will be conditional and subject to the negotiation of a satisfactory funding agreement. We’ll also publish the names of the organisations we’ve made an offer to online," guidance on their website states.

Further details of events for Leeds 2023 Year of Culture have been announced, with organisers promising a "three-part epic programme" that will "let culture loose" across the whole city.

A special opening event, The Awakening, will kick things off on 7 January at Headingley Stadium.

Co-directed by Leeds 2023 Creative Director and CEO Kully Thiarai and Alan Lane, it will “celebrate Leeds’ past, present and future” with performances by the singer Corinne Bailey-Rae, Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and the rapper Graft.

Other major projects include Smeaton300, a creative programme inspired by the work of Leeds-born civil engineer John Smeaton. It will feature a mobile observatory designed by artists Heather Peak and Ivan Morison that will tour the city from June.

In October, artist Yinka Shonibare will be unveiling his Hibiscus Rising sculpture, commissioned in partnership with the David Oluwale Memorial Association.

Thiarai said: “In challenging times, the story of our creativity in Leeds can provide much needed comfort, joy and inspiration to ourselves and to the nation.

“It will be a year when we all get to tell our stories, old and new, known and forgotten, in an act of determined collective defiance. And we invite everyone to be a part of it.”