Cross artform

The diversity body Inc Arts UK has ceased trading after efforts to save it failed.

The charity, founded in 2019 by Amanda Parker has made significant contributions to boosting diversity in the arts in its three years of operation.

Its closure comes three months after Parker stepped down as Chief Executive for personal reasons.

Trustees told The Stage that the organisation had been through “many challenges in recent months” and has appointed legal professionals to oversee its next steps.

“We want to thank colleagues of the Global Majority and allies for their support through this time,” a statement said.

“We are very sorry to our staff, freelance workers and organisations where we could not fulfil our obligations to them.”

Parker said that the closure of the charity was a loss to the sector, adding that "the work Inc Arts did is needed”.

“I’m deeply disappointed that Inc Arts’ leadership has not been able to build on and grow the support, goodwill and dedication to inclusive change that individuals, organisations and funders have expressed to Inc Arts,” she said.

She added that she will continue working to create “inclusive systemic and organisational change” in the arts sector.

Bristol’s first ever East & South East Asian (ESEA) arts and culture festival is taking place this weekend.

MOON FEST will be held at art centre the Arnolfini on September 10, to coincide with ESEA Heritage Month, and will feature music performances, short film screenings, arts and crafts.

It is said to be inspired by traditional ESEA events such as Mid-Autumn Festival, Chuseok, Tsukimi, Tết Trung Thu and Uposatha of Ashvini.

The festival has been created by Monica Wat, founder of Made on the Moon, a production collective that works to support underrepresented groups in music and art.

Wat says she hopes the festival will lead to more ESEA representation.

“That’s the core of it. If we could help ESEA creatives and communities in more ways, that would be amazing. 

“I think cultural appropriation is quite common in the UK so I really wanted to bring MOONFEST to the wider community of Bristol in order to come together and to shine - we are visible, talented and diverse.”

People in Worcester have been invited to give their views on a five-year arts and culture strategy.

A draft strategy put together by Worcester City Council sets out plans to secure and invest funding for the sector and work in partnership with local organisations. The authority is seeking feedback to ensure the blueprint represents the area's "wide variety" of activities.

The council hopes to increase Worcester’s influence within the wider region as a "dynamic, innovative, and distinctive place" and "encourage and empower the sector to deliver ambitious creative projects in and around the city".

It also wants to develop and nurture creative networks in the city and wider region, "bringing together partners to facilitate ideas and developing a community of engaged and active collaborators".

The online consultation closes at 5pm on 30 September.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has pledged £1.2m to enable workspaces in London’s nine Creative Enterprise Zones (CEZ) to become greener and more sustainable.

Local authorities with accredited zones are being invited to apply for grants of up to £200,000 to invest in practical and achievable measures that will improve energy efficiency.

The move comes in attempt to support small creative businesses and organisations that face the pressure of rising energy bills.

Khan said rising energy costs are hitting the arts, cultural and creative industries hard.

“It is vital that [the sector] is supported to become more energy efficient, especially as these businesses are not protected by the energy price cap,” he added.

“This latest investment reaffirms my commitment to placing the environment at the centre of our economic recovery and will help workplaces deal with burden of the cost of living crisis and spiralling energy bills as we build back a fairer, greener city for all.”

To date, the CEZ programme has invested £14m to support London’s artists and creative businesses and has established nearly 1,000 creative training, work placements and jobs across the nine zones.

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) has launched a £40,000 fund to support artists working with digital technology.

The Individual Artists Digital Evolution Awards are open to artists who are making digital art for the first time, or are working with digital or immersive technology they have not previously used. 

The scheme will fund a range of digital practices, including work that involves the creation of a virtual or augmented reality environment; the use of 3D rendering and printing technology; the translation of data into artistic works; and app development for the delivery of artistic content. Individuals can apply for grants up to £10,000. 

Karly Greene, ACNI Director of Strategic Development, said: “The programme will support artists in the creation of art using digital and immersive technologies, and will also help artists develop skills in the use of these technologies.
 
“This programme reflects the Arts Council’s commitment to encouraging innovative practices that cross art form boundaries and build digital capabilities within the Northern Ireland arts sector.”
 
The programme opened for online applications on 30 August and will close on Friday 30 September.

Specialist consultants have been lined up to help develop a five-year cultural strategy for a new unitary council being established in Somerset next year.

Somerset’s five councils – Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, South Somerset district councils, and Somerset County Council – have worked in partnership with Arts Council England to recruit cultural consultants, The Fifth Sector.

Since its foundation in 2011, The Fifth Sector has delivered more than 100 strategic and cultural projects, including cultural strategies and creative investment frameworks for Derby, Liverpool, Manchester, Rushmoor, South Yorkshire and Tees Valley.

Key aims and objectives of the strategy include ensuring that a cultural identity for arts and culture in Somerset is at the heart of the new authority’s strategic plans.

It is also intended that the piece of work will raise awareness and promote the role that culture and creativity can play in enriching communities and improving the quality of life, health, wellbeing and the local economy for Somerset residents.

Federica Smith Roberts, Somerset County Council’s Lead Member for Communities, said: “The Somerset Cultural Strategy will define how, as an organisation, the new Somerset Council will deliver cultural activities to better the lives of residents and enhance our communities.

“I am delighted that work will commence through The Fifth Sector now to create a strategy ready for adoption when the new Council comes into effect in April 2023. 

"Arts and culture are important to help improve the quality of life, health, wellbeing and the local economy for Somerset residents, local businesses and visitors and I look forward to bringing the strategy in front of fellow councillors in 2023.”