Thursday, 21 October 2021
Once derided as the Festival of Brexit, the eight-month mega event will "prove the naysayers wrong".
Next year's cultural mega event will showcase the best in cross-sector innovation - and provide critical opportunities for creative work.
Festival UK* 2022 unveiled its new name - UNBOXED 2022 - and further details of its £120m programme on Thursday (October 21).
Hundreds of creatives are already working on the commissions, with hundreds more jobs to be created over the coming months.
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Tuesday, 19 October 2021
Venues that fail to comply face a maximum £10,000 fine but enforcement depends on overextended local authorities and underserved security services.
Scottish venues that fail to verify vaccine passports face fines of up to £10,000.
The Scottish Government said on Monday (October 18) a two-week "grace period" for venues to get to grips with the new system has now expired and enforcement will apply.
However, the likelihood of venues receiving... read more
Thursday, 14 October 2021
Councils call for an extra £400,000 funding for arts and culture as venues in smaller authorities face life-threatening cuts.
Photo:
Save the Thameside Complex
The future of councils' culture services hinges on the upcoming spending review, professionals say, amid calls for £400,000 funding boost.
The Local Government Association (LGA) says local and combined authorities need greater revenue funding to apply the cultural sector's innovativeness to a wider... read more
Monday, 11 October 2021
The challenge now for some of the latecomers will be completing years' worth of planning in weeks.
Photo:
Graham Whitmore
UK City of Culture 2025 has catapulted culture into the political ambitions of places nationwide, regardless of their chances to win the title.
A longlist of eight places - Bradford, Cornwall, County Durham, Derby, Southampton, Stirling, Wrexham, and a coalition of Armagh City, Banbridge and... read more
Wednesday, 20 October 2021
The £186m arts complex continues to make a “strong strategic case” with a revised business case and new training programme.
Photo:
Pawel Paniczko
Manchester’s flagship arts venue The Factory won’t open until 2023 due to delays caused by Covid-19.
Arts Council England (ACE) awarded Manchester City Council £21m of Culture Recovery Fund money in December, over a fifth of the funder’s £120m Capital Kickstart Fund for infrastructure projects.
But... read more
Tuesday, 19 October 2021
The museum has relied on a technicality to sidestep its own standards for corporate partnerships.
Photo:
Science Museum Group
The Science Museum has struck yet another sponsorship deal with a fossil fuel funded company, turning controversy into "a crisis of credibility".
Climate change activists have hammered the institution, which announced Tuesday (October 19) that Adani Green Energy, a subsidiary of Indian energy... read more
Thursday, 14 October 2021
The trend has raised fears about diminishing access for disabled audiences - but research suggests they too are starting to switch off.
Photo:
Mel O'Callaghan - Cranbourne
Theatres that pivoted to online productions during the pandemic are turning away from digital because there is no money in it.
New research out of the University of Kent found most online producing theatres have returned to live performances only, finding little financial incentive to continue.
The... read more
Wednesday, 13 October 2021
Eight school networks will develop creativity to inspire long term curriculum change – but not necessarily in arts subjects.
Photo:
Taylor Wilcox
Arts Council England (ACE) has pledged £2.78m for a pilot to develop creative thinking across the national curriculum.
Eight schools selected as Creativity Collaboration network leaders will in turn work with at least eight other local schools to share learning and creative practices in primary and... read more
Monday, 11 October 2021
It is the first time a performing arts organisation has achieved the designation, opening opportunities to investigate issues of importance to the sector.
Photo:
Rob Freeman / RSC
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has become an Independent Research Organisation, the first performing arts organisation to achieve the status.
Usually the purview of universities, the title means RSC can bid for research grants to further its teaching activities and expand recent research into... read more
Thursday, 07 October 2021
Nadine Dorries courted controversy by saying you have to come from privilege to make it in the arts. Is she right?
Photo:
Jake Johnstone / DCMS
Newly-minted Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has echoed concerns that careers in the arts are the preserve of the privileged.
Speaking at a Conservative Party conference this week, Dorries said "posh" actors had an advantage over those from the working classes.
"If you want to do well as an... read more
Thursday, 07 October 2021
Organisations are finding themselves in bidding wars over a shrinking pool of quality candidates. Is this the start of a talent drain?
Arts organisations are struggling to recruit post-pandemic amid a resurgence in job opportunities.
High competition within and beyond the sector has created a seller's market for job seekers and some companies are finding themselves in bidding wars to secure candidates.
But as the sector charts an... read more
Wednesday, 06 October 2021
The pilot responds to the UK's withdrawal from Creative Europe and prioritises European partners but is "not in the same ball park" as the EU scheme.
Photo:
Aleks Slota
A pilot scheme for international creative collaborations is not a replacement for Creative Europe, its funders say.
The Four Nations International Fund encourages creative projects involving at least two UK nations and another partner "in Europe and beyond", although partnerships with European... read more