Digital

A UK-wide Museum Data Service is to be established to pool records on millions of objects so they can be shared for research and public use.

The initiative, a three-way partnership between Art UK, Collections Trust and the University of Leicester is scheduled to launch in autumn 2023.

Art UK, which already brings more than 300,000 artworks, from 3,400 collections, to an online audience of more than 4.5 million people each year, said the new data service will allow it to scale up its operation adding millions more artworks over time.

The work, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, will also involve the creation of a new state-of-the-art e-commerce platform which it is hoped will support Art UK collection partners to substantially grow commercial income from their image assets.

Andrew Ellis, Director of Art UK, said: “The benefits to our audiences and participating collections will be significant in terms of the growth in artworks joining Art UK and the growth in commercial income. 

"But the real excitement here is to be working with Collections Trust and the University of Leicester on such a transformational initiative for the wider sector, one that will do so much to reduce silos and grow knowledge sharing”.

A series of online roundtable discussions will be held over the coming year as part of a new Creative Health Review designed to highlight the potential for creative health to tackle pressing issues in health and social care.

The National Centre for Creative Health and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing, which are holding the review jointly, hope the findings will aid policymakers in addressing problems including health inequalities and the additional challenges posed by the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The roundtables, which will be open to a public audience, will present “evidence and examples of the powerful influence creative health can have on our health and wellbeing, and how it can be used across key policy areas”.

The information shared will be compiled by 16 commissioners tasked with developing a set of recommendations designed to guide policymakers in informing and encouraging the development of a cross-governmental strategy on creative health.

Themes earmarked for exploration during the series of roundtables include mental health and wellbeing across the life course, health inequalities, social care, end-of-life care, education and training, cost-effectiveness, evidencing value for money and funding models, and leadership and strategy.
 

The Royal Opera House has announced a new online subscription service offering works from its archives, behind the scenes features, and talks for a monthly or annual fee.

The move to offer a permanent streaming service follows a programme of nine live-streamed concerts and 38 productions from its archives which ran during the pandemic. 

The organisation said subscribers, who will be asked to pay £9.99 a month or £99 a year, will have access to an extensive catalogue of full-length performances spanning two decades.

There will also be more than 85 behind-the-scenes features, trailers, talks and insights. Brand-new titles will be made available monthly, along with behind-the-scenes content. 

During the pandemic, content in the Royal Opera House's #OurHouseToYourHouse programme was viewed more than 15 million times in 183 countries, broadcast in partnership with the BBC, Sky Arts, Marquee TV and Netflix. 

A new network for creative businesses in South London has launched to boost growth and innovation in the area.

The Creative Industries Network is a partnership between Kingston University and Business, Innovation and Growth South London.

It will offer a range of services to businesses, including mentoring, peer-to-peer learning and access to creative business opportunities.

A workshop series will tackle topics such as digital transformation, business resilience, bid writing, and skills and talent development.

The new initiative is led by Professor Maria Chatzichristodoulou, Associate Dean of Research, Business & Innovation at Kingston University.

She said: “We are building a dynamic network of businesses, practitioners and researchers from across the creative sector in South London.

“We aim to bring the sector together to address common challenges, and share opportunities and best practice.”

The network, which covers Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Sutton, is open to organisations operating within the performing arts, visual arts, music, museums and heritage, crafts, design, literature, film, TV and arts and culture management.

An online launch event is planned for 3 October.