Thursday, 04 April 2024
An initiative which financially supports UK-based artists and companies taking work to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has been extended by two years as a result of £1m capital funding to the Fringe Society from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the funding would "protect this talent pipeline and nurture the next generation of British artists [by... read more
Thursday, 04 April 2024
The Irish Arts Council and Arts Council Northern Ireland have announced a one-off €400,000 (£342,500) award for “an exceptional theatre production” in the Irish language, the single largest grant from either funding body.
The successful applicant will work closely with an evaluator which will assess the scheme's outcomes to "refine the approach in the long term".
Applications will open on 7 May... read more
Thursday, 04 April 2024
Theatres Trust has announced the second round of grant recipients for its Resilient Theatres: Resilient Communities programme.
The grants, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust and the Swire Charitable Trust, can be used to help restore, reopen or revitalise venues on the Theatres at Risk Register, published by Theatres Trust.
Seven venues will share the £57,850 fund,... read more
Thursday, 04 April 2024
A Reading theatre will benefit from a £13.7m upgrade after the project's plans were given the green light.
The Hexagon Theatre will get a new 300-capacity studio auditorium and rehearsal space, with work on the site set to begin as early as this summer.
The BBC reports that the project can proceed after Reading Borough Council secured £19.1m of government Levelling Up funding to upgrade The... read more
Wednesday, 03 April 2024
Museums across Liverpool are expected to stay closed after the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) rejected a pay offer from National Museums Liverpool (NML).
In a post, Laura Pye, Director of National Museums Liverpool, said that "with a heavy heart", NML's five venues will remain mostly closed until at least 14 April, when the current strike period is due to end.
More than 200 NML staff... read more
Update on National Museums Liverpool strike action (National Museums Liverpool)
Wednesday, 03 April 2024
York Museums Trust (YMT) has revealed it lost £400,000 in revenue because one of its sites was closed for three months following the discovery of reinforced autoclaved concrete (RAAC).
The Castle Museum, housed in the former York County Gaol, was shut between September and December while undergoing remedial works to deal with RAAC from a roof installed in the 1980s.
In a report due to be... read more
Wednesday, 03 April 2024
UK artists will earn new royalties when their work is resold in Australia as part of a free trade agreement between the UK and Australia, the government has said.
The Department for Trade and Industry says rules introduced last week mean UK artists can claim resale royalties each time their art - including paintings, sculptures, prints and photographs - is resold in the Australian professional... read more
Tuesday, 02 April 2024
Sunderland Music Arts and Culture Trust has received more than £300,000 for a music initiative designed to provide people from diverse backgrounds with full access to educational and cultural events.
A total of £300,000 has been provided for the Sunderland Music City project from a social investment fund for the North East of England established by Northstar Ventures and £37,500 from the County... read more
Tuesday, 02 April 2024
Two literary festivals in Glasgow have been cancelled after a funding application to Creative Scotland was unsuccessful.
Glasgow Life, the charity that runs the Aye Write and Wee Write festivals, said the events will not take place this year after it failed to secure financial support from the public body.
"While bids from events for funding support continue to exceed monies available—especially... read more
Thursday, 28 March 2024
English Heritage and the Trussell Trust have announced a new initiative to provide free days out for people who access food banks.
Following a successful pilot scheme last summer, people on the lowest incomes will be able to receive a voucher for a free visit to their local English Heritage site alongside their emergency food parcel.
More than 100 food bank centres in the Trussell Trust network... read more
Wednesday, 27 March 2024
A UK-wide campaign designed to highlight the impact culture and heritage organisations make within their communities in the run-up to the next general election will launch in May.
Established by the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation, the 'Culture Makes…' campaign intends to make the case for culture and as a human right "which urgently needs investment".
More than 40 organisations including... read more
Wednesday, 27 March 2024
The inaugural arts-focused campaign run by match-funding platform Big Give has raised £2.8m.
Operating in partnership with New Philanthropy for Arts & Culture (NPAC), the campaign ran for a week before closing on Tuesday (26 March).
A total of 239 arts organisations were selected to take part in the campaign. Big Give and NPAC have said they focused on ensuring that funds and support are... read more
Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Creative Scotland has deferred decision-making for its Open Fund for Individuals by up to four weeks while conducting an internal review to identify areas for improvement in its awarding process.
The move follows public and political fallout after its decision to award £85,000 to a controversial film featuring actors in “non-simulated” sex scenes.
Scottish Parliament has launched a separate... read more
Tuesday, 26 March 2024
The British Museum is suing a former curator of Greek and Roman Art, alleging that they stole or damaged more than 2,000, mainly unregistered, artefacts from its collection.
The museum’s lawyer, Daniel Burgess, said Higgs, who was fired in 2023, “abused his position of trust” and took the items, including ancient gems and gold jewellery, over a 10-year period, according to the Associated Press.... read more
Tuesday, 26 March 2024
Several arts leaders representing Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio Organisations have faced criticism after The Guardian revealed they hold membership to the exclusive, all-male Garrick Club.
Alex Beard, the Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, which receives ACE’s largest individual investment of over £22m per year, has been named a member, as has the Chair at English National... read more