Visual arts

Auction house Christie's is to fund a scholarship scheme helping students who are the first to go to university in their family attend Manchester School of Art.

Christie's will fund five scholarships for students studying Fine Art or Art History and Curating at the Manchester School of Art, as part of a drive to increase diversity and social mobility in the arts.

It will also provide expert guest lectures and host visits from Manchester School of Art students at its London headquarters. 

Professor Martyn Evans, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Arts and Humanities at Manchester Metropolitan and Director of Manchester School of Art said: “We are proud to be one of the most diverse universities in the UK, but recognise there is much more to do to widen access to higher education, not least in the arts subjects.

“Christie’s generosity and the expertise of their staff will unlock exceptional opportunities for our students.”

Toby Monk, Director of Recruitment at Christie’s, said that the company “is committed to supporting continuing education in the arts and specifically to opening opportunities for those from more diverse backgrounds to follow their passion and the potential of a career as a result.”

Plans to introduce a new text and data mining exception to copyright laws are “deeply concerning” the Design and Artist Copyright Society (DACS) has said.

Data and text mining, the process of extracting useful information and knowledge from data or images, is already exempt from copyright laws if it is done on a non-commercial basis. But an exception proposed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will extend to commercial activities.

DACS said the move would drastically weaken copyright protections for copyright holders in the UK. The society said that is it supportive of the aim to develop AI-technologies, but added that it is vital that "our copyright framework is upheld in doing so”.

DACS provided evidence to the UK Intellectual Property Office consultation on Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property in January this year, which the society said clearly demonstrated the value of copyright licensing to visual artists, as well as a willingness to collaborate on developing new business models that support AI and machine learning.

It said that licensing copyright-protected works is “a vital revenue source for visual artists at all stages of their careers”.

The new development, which would apply to both commercial and non-commercial uses, “would set a concerning precedent for how copyright policy is developed, undermining not only the UK’s ‘gold standard’ copyright framework but many viable and valuable existing business models”, it added.

The CEO of DACS, Gilane Tawadros, said the rationale behind this change was to support the development of AI-driven technologies, however the reality is that it will have far-reaching detrimental consequences to UK creative workers and visual artists.

“We hope that the Department and the Intellectual Property Office will listen to our concerns and evidence and look again at how the policy objectives can be better met without undermining creators’ rights.”

Freelands Foundation has awarded £608,000 in the form of seven new grants to small and medium-sized Black-led visual arts organisations in Bristol, Leicester and London.

The Space to Dream fund will allow the selected organisations to work with artists, curators and local communities as part of the foundation’s £3m commitment to address racial inequality in the visual arts.

The seven organisations were selected by the foundation’s Diversity Action Group.

They are 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning in Brixton, the Arab British Centre in Central London, Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham, Cubitt Artists in Islington, June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive in Peckham, Rising Arts in Bristol and Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage in Leicester. 

Each organisation will use the fund to invest in a different aspect of programming or outreach,

Rising Arts plans to use the grant to expand its youth-led programme, using mentoring, young trustees, networks and collaborative commissions to embed diverse voices into the cultural sector.

“This funding will allow us to put resources into the recommendations that came directly from people of colour in our community,” said Euella Jackson and Jess Bunyan, Co-Directors.

“We will celebrate the legacy of the work that has come before and build on this towards a future sector where young people of colour can truly thrive.” 

The Bernie Grant Arts Centre will use the grant to develop a visual arts programme shaped by international guest curators, bringing world-class programming to local community groups.

Hannah-Azieb Pool, Artistic Director and CEO, said the grant “will make it possible for us to commission ground-breaking new work by Black artists and allow us to create a bold, ambitious new home for Black visual arts”.

Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage will use the award to explore African diasporic identities across the Midlands through a documentary photography project marking the 60th anniversary of independence for many African and Caribbean nations.

A decommissioned oil rig will be transformed into an interactive art installation as part of a project to change perceptions about sustainability.

The 450-tonne structure, which spent the last three decades in the North Sea, has been delivered to Weston-super-Mare beach ahead of being lifted onto a base at the Tropicana arts and music venue in the town in the coming days.

Once the "See Monster" project is completed, the 35-metre high platform will feature a waterfall and seated amphitheatre along with a 6,000 piece art installation to give it "scales", and will be covered in grass, plants and trees.

The installation will be open for two months from August to October, before the artworks are installed around the town and rig itself deconstructed and recycled. 

The National Police Coordination Centre has warned museums and galleries to tighten security after climate activists from the group Just Stop Oil glued themselves to paintings.

During a series of protests at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow and Courtauld Gallery and the National Gallery in London, protesters used superglue to attach themselves to the frames of well-known historic landscape paintings.

Police warned that the group is “highly likely to continue targeting high-value artworks in order to generate further international news coverage for their campaign messaging”, adding there is a possibility of the actions “continuing daily”. 

The first protest took place on 29 June, when two activists attached themselves to the frame of My Heart’s in the Highlands (1860), by Horatio McCulloch, which was on display at Kelvingrove.

On 30 June, two protestors glued themselves to the frame of Peach Trees in Blossom (1889), by Vincent van Gogh, at the Courtauld Gallery. The artwork has been removed from display until the frame can be treated.

And on 4 July, two protestors glued themselves to the frame of The Hay Wain (1821), by John Constable, as well as covering the surface with sheets of paper showing a polluted modern landscape. Some damage to the frame and painting were both successfully repaired.

One of the protesters said that “the disruption will end when the UK government makes a meaningful statement that it will end new oil and gas licenses.”

The BFI Short Form Animation Fund is investing £1.1 million in 15 new “bold and ambitious” animation projects in its second round of funding.

Ten of the selected projects received up to £120,000 in funding for production and five others were awarded up to £10,000 to support development. 

The charity partnered with StoryFutures Academy, the UK’s National Centre for Immersive Storytelling, to support two immersive virtual or augmented reality projects, using funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

“StoryFutures Academy are thrilled to be working with the BFI to support these two fantastic immersive projects,” said Becky Gregory-Clarke, Head of Immersive at StoryFutures Academy.

“Both pieces will use real-time animation techniques, which is an incredibly important growth area, requiring content-making skills that are highly in demand. We know they both have big ambitions and great teams behind them, so we’re really excited to support and follow them on their journey.”

The BFI uses National Lottery funding to back narrative short form films of up to 15 minutes each. The Short Form Animation Fund, launched in 2019, “was designed to enable our talented UK animators to develop their practice, so it is exciting we are starting to see those films showcased and celebrated at international festivals,” said Natascha Wharton, Head of Editorial at BFI Film Fund.

“With round two, we saw a real breadth of styles and ideas come through in the applications, and we’re delighted to be unveiling such a diverse slate of projects today.”

Each of the ten selected projects, intended for the cinema, digital platforms and VR, will be overseen by a BFI Film Fund executive and supported by an animation consultant.

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has defended the Welsh Government's decision to spend £4.25m on a piece of land for the Green Man festival.

The Welsh Government has previously said that the purchase of Gilestone Farm in Powys was intended to ensure Green Man has a "permanent home" in Wales, but the festival organisers have said they have no plans to move from their current home at the Glanusk Estate near Crickhowell.

The festival is understood to want to use the farm for sustainable farming and local food production but no business plan has yet been submitted to the Welsh Government by the festival's organisers and will not be provided until next month.

Speaking in the Welsh Senedd in response to questioning by Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies, Drakeford said those running the festival believe that they can do more to contribute to the economy of that part of Wales, "building on the success of their business".

"To do that they need more space in which to be able to develop those further possibilities. That's what lies behind the arrangements," he said.

Drakeford said that in the short term the farm will be leased back to the original owner in order that they can complete the bookings that they have in their tourism hospitality business and to make sure that the crops that have been planted are harvested this year.

"From the very beginning, we knew that the businesses plan from those who are responsible for the festival would be delivered to the Welsh Government in June of this year, and that is what we still expect," Drakeford added. 

"We are working with a trusted partner. We are working with a company that the Welsh Government has known and worked alongside over an extended period of time, as it has grown to be the fifth most successful festival of its kind anywhere in the United Kingdom. 

"We hold the land against the business plan and we will continue to scrutinise the business plan to see whether the objectives that the company have discussed with us can be delivered through it."