Newsreel

Children from schools in London, Sheffield, Preston and Cambridge attended the finale of ‘The Great Art Quest’ (pictured), a national visual arts project designed by Children and the Arts. The Quest has been running since September 2008, linking four art galleries with their local primary schools. It has introduced over 1,000 children to the visual arts for the first time. The finale included an exhibition of the work created by all the children from across the UK who have been involved in The Great Art Quest 2008.
w: http://www.childrenandarts.org.uk
 

John Gilhooly, Director of the Wigmore Hall (pictured), has announced the successful completion of the Hall’s £3.1m Lease Appeal. It has secured pledges to repay the £3.1m loan taken out in December 2005 against a 250-year lease. The Hall will no longer have to pay annual rent, allowing saved rental monies to be invested into new artistic programming initiatives. This expansion has already seen a 34% rise in ticket sales for this season.
w: http://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is inviting comment on a new paper designed to help shape policy on how local people can get involved in the planning and delivery of cultural services. The MLA wishes to hear views from people in local government and those who work in the sector. It also welcomes examples of best practice and suggestions on the types of research and evidence needed in order to support this work.
w: http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/policy_development/current_consultations
A new group has been established on the social networking site Facebook, to promote small to mid-scale touring to receiving theatres in the UK. The Touring Theatre Network is building a database of receiving theatres in the UK, which will be made available to production companies. The network also gives production companies the opportunity to advertise their intention to tour.
e: [email protected]
The Creative Apprenticeship scheme, which aims to change the way the creative and cultural industries access talent, was celebrated last week during National Apprenticeship Week. Nearly 60% of employers say that people entering the sector lack the skills needed for the jobs they apply for. The Creative Apprenticeship has been designed with employers to plug this gap.
w: http://www.ccskills.org.uk
Eleven Funding Commissioners, appointed by The National Council for Voluntary Organisations to look at future funding of the voluntary and community sector, have met for the first time and will report back in a year. Widespread consultation with the sector will take place and everyone will be given the opportunity to contribute at a series of regional events or by written submission.
w: http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk
New figures obtained via the Freedom of Information Act by Shadow Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, reveal that the national museums and galleries’ spending on new pieces for their collections fell by more than 70% last year. Details of spending show that investments in new artefacts, artworks and pieces of cultural heritage fell by more than £10m in 2007/8.
A civil liberties group has claimed the support of leading artists and arts professionals in petitioning the Home Office against restrictions on visits by non-EU artists to the UK. The Manifesto Club says that rules recently introduced by the Home Office require visiting artists and academics “to submit to a series of arduous and expensive procedures to get their visa, and then more bureaucratic controls when they are in the UK”. Requirements include supplying biometric data, electronic fingerprint scans and a digital photograph, and proving levels of personal savings. A number of concerts and other events have already been cancelled as a result. Signatories to the petition, which accuses the Government of “[discriminating] against our overseas colleagues on the grounds of their nationality and financial resources”, include artist, Antony Gormley, National Portrait Gallery Director, Sandy Nairne, and National Theatre Director, Nicholas Hytner.
w: http://www.manifestoclub.com/