Scottish organisations call for Culture Act

09 Dec 2020

An eight-point manifesto asks campaigning parties to commit to a National Arts Force and new Office for Cultural Exchange ahead of the country's election.

Regional venues rail against 'illogical' Tier 3 restrictions

02 Dec 2020

Organisations and local authorities say its unfair and uneconomical to place harsher limits on cultural venues than gyms and hairdressers, as they trumpet their benefits to the nation's health.

Culture-led funding or funding-led culture?

Silhouette of two people watching a live performance
02 Dec 2020

There is a crucial disconnect between how the sector evaluates the impact of culture and using it to influence policy. It’s time to reset the wheel, say Ben Walmsley and Emma McDowell.

Spending Review 2020 offers slim support for the arts

25 Nov 2020

The Government will more than double DCMS' budget but the extra funding all but vanishes in 2022.

'No evidence' of Covid transmission in well-ventilated, socially distanced spaces

24 Nov 2020

The Government has permitted venues to open with up to 50% capacity from early December. What does the science say?

Covid winter plan: indoor performance allowed in England's lower tiers

24 Nov 2020

A new, tougher system of local restrictions will allow theatres and other venues to reopen in theory. But the sector remains on a knife edge.

Fund us like art depends on it

Man working on his sculpture
18 Nov 2020

Susan Jones says freelance artists carry a unique economic burden that has left them vulnerable to the vicissitudes of Covid-19. An answer lies in a funding model that doesn’t take their livelihoods for granted.

Neil Mendoza praises Government's emergency funding response

11 Nov 2020

The Cultural Recovery Commissioner advised organisations to "stop asking for stuff; tell us what you can do to help".

£10.7m arts and culture funding for Wales

10 Nov 2020

New bids for funding won't be accepted as the Welsh Government prioritises existing applications.

EXCLUSIVE: Due diligence checks on emergency grants were automated

05 Nov 2020

New software that assesses thousands of applications at once gave Arts Council England funding applicants a red, amber or green rating based on their risk of fraud or financial failure.

Lottery funds commercial panto company deal

05 Nov 2020

Lottery operator Camelot says money for a seat buying scheme has not been diverted from not-for-profit arts activities. 

Why the feel-good narratives must end

Someone working with clay. Photographed over their left shoulder
05 Nov 2020

The tendency to overstate impacts through uncritical narratives of success risks undermining the credibility of arguments about why state subsidies for art and culture are necessary, say Leila Jancovich and David Stevenson.

The second lockdown: Rehearsals and streamed performances allowed

03 Nov 2020

Venues can open as places of work, Culture Secretary says as income supports are extended.

Busking licences will ruin livelihoods, campaigners say

29 Oct 2020

Plans to restrict busking in London's West End would limit the number of street performers and criminalise shows outside of 25 designated spots.

Refusing to be bowed

Vince Laws, Fit For Work!, comic book page spread, 2020 – Not Going Back To Normal
29 Oct 2020

The Scottish government may have put ‘build back better’ on the back burner, but contemporary art has not. Clare Harris celebrates the determination that characterises Scottish artists as they cling on through the pandemic.

Northern Ireland opens £7.75m emergency fund

28 Oct 2020

The long-awaited grants scheme is focussed on the sector's renewal as much as its immediate survival.

How racist are you?

A Black person covering their each eye with their hands, palms facing towards the camera
22 Oct 2020

Unconsicous bias can leave even well-meaning organisations with blind spots on diversity and inclusion. Roxan Kamali-Sarvestani explains what they can do to avoid this – and how Talawa Theatre Company is supporting them.

Unease grows over Recovery Fund grant allocations

Glitterballs
16 Oct 2020

Large grants to commercial operators, the comments of unsuccessful applicants and the conditions attached to funding awards have all provoked questions about England’s Cultural Recovery grants.

DCMS Committee to investigate streaming

A man singing into a microphone in a studio
15 Oct 2020

A new DCMS Committee Inquiry is set to "shine a torch into the murky corners of the streaming payment model".

Hundreds of arts organisations rejected for emergency funding

13 Oct 2020

Nearly 1,400 arts organisations “woke up to good news” as £257m of Culture Recovery Fund awards were announced, but those who missed out stand a slim chance of survival. 

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