Coventry City of Culture seeks £1m due to 'cashflow issues'

03 Oct 2022

Coventry Council is set to loan £1m to the Trust behind the City of Culture bid so that legacy projects can go ahead. 

Coventry City of Culture Trust (CCCT) has asked the council for the money saying it is facing some short-term cashflow issues, the Coventry Telegraph reports. 

Although Coventry's stint as City of Culture ended in May, the Trust wants to invest more than £5m in creative and cultural programmes in the city until March 2024, but has had to review its budget due to short-term cashflow concerns.

Council officers are recommending the council lends the money on a commercial basis, meaning that it will be repaid in full with interest, so that legacy projects aren't cut short and to avoid damage to the Trust's reputation.

Chinese Arts Now unveils rebrand

30 Sep 2022

An arts organisation dedicated to providing a platform for East and Southeast Asian artists has announced a new name and logo.

Chinese Arts Now is now Kakilang, which means "one of us" in the Chinese dialect of Hokkien.

Kakilang has said it will stage three live productions next year, including a project in partnership with the Barbican in London, with further details to be announced shortly. 

An-Ting Chang, Artistic Director at Kakilang, said: "Our organisation today is a combination of many cultures and identities and the best thing is: this word broadens the people we want to include. 

"Who is our Kakilang? That was the key question when we came up with this name. Our Kakilang is those who come together through art, and who champion diverse voices and communities. 

"There are so many stories we want to tell from our communities. And we want more people to be our Kakilang, joining us through all forms of live arts.” 

National Theatre extends network across England

27 Sep 2022

The National Theatre is extending its Theatre Nation Partnership (TNP) network to include every region in England.

Theatres in Leicester, North Devon, Peterborough, Stoke-on-Trent and Trowbridge are joining the network, taking the total number of TNP partner organisations to 14.

TNP was founded in 2017 in a bid to grow nationwide engagement with theatre and is estimated to have engaged with over 222,000 participants, audiences and artists since its inception.

The National Theatre says its 14 partner organisations will now "engage over half a million people over three years, more than doubling the existing reach of the network."

Plans include taking three productions into schools and showcasing Roy Williams’ Sucker Punch nationally across nine TNP organisations.

TNP has been supported by a £1.25m award from Arts Council England, with the National Theatre tripling this investment through fundraising and commercial activity. Almost 90% of total spend will be aimed at partner areas.

“Theatre Nation Partnerships has shown how effectively a network of theatres can work together to inspire new audiences for theatre, deepen roots within communities and create more opportunities for the next generation to engage in the arts,” National Theatre Director Rufus Norris said.

Arts websites 'reduce anxiety in young people'

27 Sep 2022

Study finds first clear evidence that online engagement with arts and culture has a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing.

Fund for Welsh music organisations reopens

13 Sep 2022

Music organisations working with young people in Wales have been invited to apply for grants in the second round of a fund run Anthem - Music Fund Wales.

The Atsain fund aims to support youth music organisations to address and overcome specific barriers to music for young people in Wales. Eligible organisations can apply for grants of up to £10,000.

The first round of funding awarded a total of £120,000 to 15 organisations last year and created a collaborative network of beneficiaries to facilitate forums for sharing best practice.

“We’re already seeing young people connecting with music in new ways as a result of projects funded by the first round of Atsain,” said Rhian Hutchings, Chief Executive of Anthem.

“Our grantees are working with young people of all ages, helping them to build their confidence, explore their creativity and find pathways to potential future careers.”

Atsain’s Programme Manager Rebecca Rickard said the organisation welcomes “partnerships between organisations that focus on music, but also youth, community, disability, language, poverty, race and more”.

“It is through partnerships that organisations get a better understanding of the barriers young people face, and how to break them down,” she said.

Arts Council NI awards £53k to nine projects

12 Sep 2022

A total of £53,000 has been awarded to nine arts projects as part of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Small Grants funding programme. 

The money will be used to support projects in Armagh, Bangor, Craigavon, Downpatrick and the Fermanagh area.

The Small Grants Programme offers up to £10,000 per applicant to support organisations in Northern Ireland running creative community-based projects, as part of an effort to increase engagement with the arts.

Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said the grants would support nine “fantastic” projects, “creating more opportunities for people to engage with the arts, from grassroots level projects through to professional productions”.

The nine organisations being funded are Armagh Pipers Club, Banbridge Music Society, Shore Collective, Music in Fermanagh, Mid-Armagh Community Network, North Down Community Network, Patrician Youth Centre and Harmony Community Trust.
 

Funding boost for social change arts programme

08 Sep 2022

A programme designed to drive social change through high-quality participatory arts projects has been handed a funding boost.

Cartwheel Arts has been awarded £20,000 from the Garfield and Weston Foundation, allowing it to continue delivering its Art for a Reason programme.

The charity works with people of all ages in neighbourhoods identified as "left-behind places" where residents are at increased risk of unemployment, living in poverty, lower education achievement and aspirations and poor health.

“All the work Cartwheel delivers takes place in areas of high deprivation or with people confronting issues which significantly limit their quality of life,” said Cartwheel Arts Director Hebe Reilly.

The charity hopes to use the funding to deepen engagement and raise the profile of its activities, and broadening awareness that working class people, racially diverse communities are people with disabilities are under-represented in the creative sectors.
 

Arts Council Wales seeks views on future of arts

08 Sep 2022

Arts Council Wales is calling on audiences and people involved with arts and culture to help it shape the future of the arts in the country.

The organisation says it wants to start conversations on issues such as the climate emergency, a bilingual arts sector, equality and diversity, and transformation of the arts in the face of increasing global challenges.

It will be holding a free online festival over three days later this month to gather views. 

The festival, named Imagining our Future: Conversations on the Arts in Wales, will run from September 20 to 22.

Online registration is now open and participants can select the events they want to attend.
 

Ordering off-menu: skills to serve omnivorous audiences

Photo of people eating at restaurant
08 Sep 2022

We need to hone our skills in human-centred design, over and above those in tech or data, to make the most of post-pandemic digital/live appetites, argues Anne Torreggiani.

Classical music concerts scheme expands across England

30 Aug 2022

After ten sold-out events in London, classical music company through the noise has announced the expansion of their of crowdfunded concerts in unconventional venues to Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.

The concerts, called noisenights, are part of a movement to organise performances by classical musicians outside traditional concert halls. The gigs take place in grass-roots music venues, including clubs, pubs and music halls.

Inspired by London’s underground club scene and its successful jazz venues, the concerts offer either an early-evening rush hour-set or a late show in which the classical performance is followed by live jazz, funk and afrobeat acts.

The crowdfunding model used to finance the concerts allows backers to pledge money in return for tickets to their chosen concert and priority booking for future events. Only concerts that prove popular among funders go ahead.

“Following a tough few years, it’s encouraging to see how excited audiences are to support live music,” said through the noise Co-founder and Artistic Director Jack Bazalgette.

“After crowdfunding ten London noisenights in the past year, we’re grateful to our growing base of backers for enabling us to take our model for classical shows to audiences around the country.”

The new series of noisenights will feature Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Abel Selaocoe, Her Ensemble, Alexandra Whittingham, Esther Abrami, Plínio Fernandes, Roberts Balanas and Harry Baker.

BBC Young Musician winning cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason said his upcoming noisenight appearance with spoken word artist Harry Baker “will be a special opportunity to share music we love in a host of new settings around the country”. 

“As performers we respond so much to the space we are in, not just acoustically, but the energy of the room and the people in it,” he said.

Consultants recruited for Somerset culture strategy

22 Aug 2022

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.”

Edinburgh Fringe returns: triumphant or troubled?

Outside the Royal Academy and National Gallery during Fringe
18 Aug 2022

The first full version of the festival following Covid restrictions is in full swing, but concerns about its direction of travel persist.

Repatriation: Museums must be 'transparent' about collections

A room at the British Museum
11 Aug 2022

Fresh guidance on repatriation calls for museums to tell the full stories behind their collections, including items that may have a controversial past.

Brunel Museum to support young women in engineering

10 Aug 2022

The Brunel Museum has announced it will use funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund to create a new programme in support of young women in engineering.

The project, entitled Sophia’s Story, was inspired by Sophia Brunel, the older sister of civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Once described by Lord Armstrong as “Brunel in petticoats”, she was a promising engineer in her own right.

The project is designed to help girls and young women under the age of 15, both within and outside school settings, to engage with engineering. It has three strands, each targeting different age groups.

As part of the programme, the museum will work with students at Bacon’s College in Rotherhithe to develop a film about women in engineering for inclusion in the museum’s permanent exhibition. 

The project is designed to help improve gender representation and access to female role models in engineering careers by delivering sessions tackling gender stereotypes to co-ed schools, with the intention of training boys and young men to recognise and challenge gender bias.

It also aims to encourage young women in the early years of secondary school to consider taking STEM-related GCSEs.

Deprivation gap for arts participation widens

people visit a museum
05 Aug 2022

Government figures suggests the gap in participation in the arts between the most and least deprived people widened as the country emerged from Covid restrictions.

West Yorkshire launches arts, culture and heritage consultation

26 Jul 2022

West Yorkshire Combined Authority is launching a consultation into a new programme to develop arts, culture, heritage and sport in the area.

Locals are being invited to share their opinions and contribute to the final content of the Culture, Heritage and Sport Framework via an online platform.

The draft framework is part of West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin’s Creative New Deal, which aims to ensure the creative industries are included in the area’s post-pandemic recovery strategy. The framework focuses on four central themes - people, place, skills and business - all of which will be supported by the Combined Authority.

“There is no doubt that the arts, culture, heritage and sport bring so much joy to so many people in our region,” Brabin said.

“They improve our mental and physical wellbeing, create jobs, grow our economy, and attract talented people and businesses to our region.”

She praised West Yorkshire’s sculpture and contemporary art, as well as its “thriving and fiercely independent music sector, a rich literary tradition, internationally significant theatre, dance and opera companies, major music and literature festivals, and cutting-edge hubs for the games, screen and events industries.”

“This is served by an eco-system of innovative small and medium enterprises and freelancers,” she added.

Arts programmes should offer a range of creative activities

25 Jul 2022

A study on the impacts of a remote arts programme for older adults during the transition out of lockdown offers three key recommendations for other arts organisations.

Inclusivity drive for independent music venues launches

People at a music venue
19 Jul 2022

Independent music venues will be encouraged to form a national network offering daytime programmes of music-based activities to engage with diverse audiences.

Wrexham to bid again for UK City of Culture 

14 Jul 2022

Wrexham will make another bid for the title of City of Culture in 2029 after recently losing out to Bradford for the 2025 title.

Members of Wrexham Council's executive board approved launching another attempt to win the title at a meeting this week. They also supported a number of other recommendations including inviting the National Eisteddfod to Wrexham in 2025.

Hugh Jones, the arts portfolio holder, said he was confident about the council’s chances of success in 2029.

He said: “If you look at the facts with Bradford and the size of their team, they had eight full time staff and a PR agency that had been working on the project for two and a half years.

“In just over six months, we came so close to winning this and that gives an indication of the achievement that we had in Wrexham.

“Clearly, we want to bid for 2029 and why wouldn’t we because 2025 is probably worth somewhere in the region of £300m."

Short films highlight role of arts in pandemic recovery

14 Jul 2022

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has produced three new short films as part of its Pandemic and Beyond project, each focusing on a different way that arts and humanities research has contributed to Covid-19 response and recovery.

Led by Professor Pascale Aebischer of Exeter University, in partnership with resident filmmaker Benedict Morrison, the films are entitled “Coping Creatively”, “Getting the Message Across” and “Coming Together”. They are available to watch on the project website.

The Pandemic and Beyond project is a virtual hub for researchers, journalists and policymakers that brings together more than 70 different research projects that suggest solutions to urgent problems that have been created or exacerbated by the pandemic.

“Coping Creatively” focused on five AHRC projects that have explored the contribution made by the arts and humanities to helping vulnerable groups and individuals cope during the pandemic, using activities including drawing, theatre and walking.

“Getting the Message Across” focuses on five AHRC projects that have studied the contribution made by the arts and humanities to supporting communication during the pandemic, including the dissemination of public health messaging.

“Coming Together” looks at four AHRC projects that have explored ways in which the arts and humanities adapted to maintain audiences and communities of performers during lockdown, using tools such as outdoor performances, virtual dance technologies, telepresence and poetry.
 

Pages

Subscribe to Engagement