Wednesday, 02 June 2021
The contest will continue into 2029 and beyond, with £40,000 grants to develop longlisted applications regardless of whether they win or lose.
UK City of Culture will become a permanent, "regular event in the country's cultural calendar" and a catalyst for 'levelling up' areas outside of London, it has been announced.
Groups of towns are now eligible to bid for the 2025 title, which opened for applications last weekend. The showcase is expected to supercharge economic growth and cultural participation in the winning place, continuing a... read more
Thursday, 17 June 2021
Companies that Arts Council England have finally paid emergency grants to are now left with little time to use them: "They've put companies in danger more than they've helped."
Photo:
Alex Brenner
Events support companies remain unsure of their obligations around using grants they've received months late.
Payments are "trickling through" but many companies in the live arts supply chain are still waiting for Culture Recovery Fund grants expected in April.
ArtsProfessional understands... read more
Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Support for maintaining current arts education funding spans the political spectrum, placing pressure on the Government to abandon plans for a 50% cut.
Photo:
Julio Albarrán
Most people support continued funding for arts courses in higher education, a new poll says, against plans to halve their funding.
The 1,700-person YouGov survey found 57% think it's important to maintain funding for creative and performing arts courses versus 31% who don't. 70% said it's important... read more
Tuesday, 15 June 2021
More than 60 arts professionals are included in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list, the most ethnically diverse to date.
Leaders in dance have featured prominently in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, as figures across arts, music, drama and literature are also celebrated.
Arlene Philips has been made a Dame for her services to dance and charity, alongside sculptor Phyllida Barlow, pianist Imogen Cooper and The Great... read more
Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Pleas for further income support during the four week wait are unlikely to be heard but an insurance scheme may finally come to fruition.
Photo:
RMV/Rex/Shutterstock
Further support is needed if the arts sector is to survive the four week delay to fully reopening, the Government has been warned.
Industry organisations were dismayed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement on Monday (June 14) that postponed stage 4 of the roadmap until July 19, citing a... read more
Friday, 11 June 2021
Companies are yet to receive Culture Recovery Fund grants that need to be used by the end of the month. Some fear the money may never arrive.
Photo:
Greg Kunit
Events support companies yet to receive their Culture Recovery Fund grants have slammed the delays and a lack of communication from funders as "unacceptable".
Round two CRF grants are meant to cover costs for the three months from April, but two weeks out from the end of that period, many... read more
Thursday, 10 June 2021
The conservatoire is the fourth in two weeks to face allegations of historic staff misconduct. What's driving the rise in disclosure?
Photo:
Google Maps
ArtsEd has stood down its Principal and launched an external investigation into serious misconduct against students.
Chris Hocking "has agreed that it is appropriate for him to temporarily stand down", a statement released by the school says. While ArtsEd has not disclosed the nature of the... read more
Wednesday, 09 June 2021
Official employment statistics show the cultural sector remains in crisis, with declining job opportunities and regional imbalances.
Photo:
Marko Milivojevic
The cultural workforce in some of England's regions may be at risk due to increased numbers of freelancers.
Annual employment data newly released by DCMS shows an upward trend in self-employment in the cultural sector, from 48.9% of jobs in 2018/19 to 50% in the 2019/20 year.
Places where the... read more
Tuesday, 08 June 2021
A lack of infrastructure and interaction with audiences are pressing issues for artists streaming live - but monetisation remains the most major concern.
Photo:
Sebastiaan ter Burg
Almost two thirds of performers livestreaming their work expect to continue post-pandemic, new research indicates.
A study by Essex University Professors Melissa Tyler and Philip Hancock found about half of South East England performers surveyed had adapted to working online during lockdown - and... read more
Monday, 07 June 2021
The National Lottery Heritage Fund says its speedy funding response to Covid-19 saved jobs and facilitated social distancing. But funding priorities may change as demand outstrips supply.
Emergency funding saved more than 2,400 full time jobs and 1,470 volunteer roles in the heritage sector, a new report estimates.
Three-quarters of Heritage Emergency Fund grantees used some of their award to cover staff costs, with nearly half using it to bring staff back from furlough as visitor... read more
Friday, 04 June 2021
Many of the UK's highest-funded arts organisations promised change after George Floyd's death. While governance and programming has evolved, change in the ethnic diversity of their workforces is slow.
Photo:
Tim Dennell
Black, Asian and ethnically diverse workers remain underrepresented at the top levels of the arts industry despite organisations' commitments to anti-racism and the Black Lives Matter movement.
One year on from George Floyd's death, new surveys - one from UK Music and another from Inc Arts - update... read more
Friday, 04 June 2021
The movement is part of a sea change in representation in theatre: "It's comparable to non-disabled people playing disabled characters, or even white people putting on blackface."
Photo:
Ted Eytan
Twenty theatres have vowed to never cast a cisgendered actor in a transgender role or endorse a production that does.
Big names such as the Royal Court Theatre, Royal Exchange, Leeds Playhouse, Northern Stage and HOME in Manchester have signed a trans casting statement developed by Milk Presents,... read more