Publicly funded arts bodies that have responded to the pandemic by putting their communities first, despite the hardships they face themselves as institutions, will be highlighted through a new award being made by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in partnership with King’s College London.
The Award for Civic Arts Organisations will make three grants – one of £100k and two of £25k – to arts organisations that have re-conceived their civic purpose despite, or in response to, the Covid-19 challenges, and “boldly reimagined their missions”. This could be, for example, by using the arts and creativity to forge connections and combat loneliness, working with existing networks to deliver arts packs with food parcels, or focusing on digital co-creation. The founders say: “much of this pioneering work is unknown, even within the arts sector itself. This award seeks to change that.”