A national initiative to make musical instruments more easily affordable for families and those on lower incomes has been launched by Arts Council England in partnership with the Music Industries Association. The Take it away scheme allows individuals to apply for a loan of up to £2,000 for the purchase of any kind of musical instrument, and pay it back, interest free, in nine monthly instalments. The Musical Instrument Finance Company (MIFCO) is the credit provider, and around 100 musical instrument retail outlets are offering the scheme to customers.
w: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/takeitaway
The Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, Orkney, has re-opened following a £4.5m building project. The paintings and sculpture that form the basis of the Collection were formerly housed in two historic buildings. The new building expands the gallery, allowing for a new programme of acquisitions and exhibitions whilst also offering views of the harbour and the sea throughout.
A draft strategy on Arts in Health and Well-being has been published by the Arts Council of Wales for public consultation. The strategy has been developed with a steering group of representatives from health, education, local government, the arts and Welsh Assembly Government, chaired by Professor Stephen Tomlinson CBE. Comments are invited on the direction and content of the strategy.
w: http://www.artswales.org.uk/publication.asp?id=576
The Arena and Convention Centre (ACC) in Liverpool is set to be the first entirely eco-friendly live performance venue in the UK. It will consist of a 10,600-seat concert arena, convention centre and exhibition space. All the venues power will derive from sustainable sources including five wind turbines and roofs designed to collect rainwater. The construction has cost £146m, but running costs will be considerably lower than for a non-green venue. The ACC will open in January 2008.
The Campaign for Drawing is inviting organisers to register events to become part of the programme for the eighth Big Draw, a national celebration of drawing, due to take place throughout October. This year the Campaign is also running a new Professional Development Programme to encourage the use of drawing as a means of learning and interpretation, and to provide support for education staff in museums and galleries, for schools for artists, and for those concerned with event programming. Registration of events is free of charge.
w: http://www.thebigdraw.org
A report identifying the most important drivers of demand for culture among Black and minority ethnic communities, disabled people and lower socio-economic groups has been published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Culture on Demand: Ways to engage a broader audience proposes practical ways to build a broader audience and complements the information emerging from analysis of the Taking Part survey (see AP issue 146). The new publication will inform forthcoming policy decisions, the development of objectives and how the DCMS relates to the wider cultural sector.
w: http://www.culture.gov.uk/nr/rdonlyres/9c6750da-8c19-4254-91b7-0f0fca786750/ 0/cultureondemand.pdf
An Assistant Director Placement Programme, designed to support the creative development of new theatre directors, has been launched by the Federation of Scottish Theatres in association with the Scottish Arts Council and the Fenton Arts Trust. The programme focuses on the professional creative development of individual artists by supporting an attachment to an established Scottish theatre company, and aims to redress the limited opportunities available for the development of the director as a creative artist. Joint proposals are being sought from potential assistant directors and host companies for placements lasting for between three and twelve weeks. The next two deadlines for applications are 16 July and 22 October.
w: http://www.scottishtheatres.com/placement.php
The European Commission has adopted a policy statement on the role of culture in a collective world. It proposes the first-ever European strategy for culture, highlighting the central role of culture in the process of European integration and proposes a cultural agenda for Europe. The new policy stance, entitled A European agenda for culture in a globalising world, is complemented by a working paper, which describes the many ways in which the European Union supports culture.
w: http://www.europa.eu
A new consortium committed to professional development for disabled people in the arts and the full inclusion of disabled people in all aspects of the arts has been granted £60,000 from the Cultural Leadership Programme to research and deliver leadership development through Action Learning Sets, downloadable toolkits, seminars, and other methods. The initiative, DALI (Disability Arts Leadership Intelligence) Hub, is led by Full Circle Arts, and the funding will enable five disabled women to develop creative ways of addressing professional development.
e: chris@fullcirclearts.co.uk; moyajh@supanet.com; t: 0161 279 7878
Youngchoirs, the charity which runs choral singing activities for children and young people, is to close this month. The decision was made by its board, who felt that the nature of national arts funding made it impossible for the charity to continue in the current economic climate. The employees are now setting up a new organisation, SingUK, which will continue the mission of providing high quality activities focussing on children, but with a remit that also includes community groups and older people.
Eleven new works of art have been commissioned by the Liverpool Culture Company as part of the Liverpool 08 celebrations. The Liverpool Commissions cover a diverse range of artforms including dance, music, theatre, film, festival, and the visual arts and represent the variety of small- to mid-scale artists and organisations working in Liverpool. One hundred and fifty proposals were submitted for the commissions, worth £500,000 in total. Projects include a residency by visual artist Phil Collins, Momentum Dances Dreams, and First Take a documentary series of films by High Hopes. All of the works will be created in Liverpool with the aim of showcasing talent and leading to possible future international partnerships and artistic collaborations.
Whos who in culture
Following recent political reshuffles and appointments, heres ArtsProfessionals update on the political leadership in UK culture.
James Purnell is the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. He was previously minister of state for pensions at the Department for Work and Pensions. He succeeds Tessa Jowell, who has been appointed Minister for the Olympics and London. Margaret Hodge is now Minister of State for Culture, replacing David Lammy who is now Minister for Skills in the new Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
The Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is now Jeremy Hunt, replacing Hugo Swire. Tobias Ellwood has been promoted to Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, where he serves alongside Ed Vaizey.
For the Liberal Democrats, Dan Rogerson has replaced Paul Holmes as Shadow Minister for the Arts, Culture and Heritage. Don Foster remains as the Parliamentary shadow ministerial team leader.
In Wales the Minister for Education, Culture and the Welsh Language was Carwyn Jones, with Janet Ryder as Plaid Cymrus Shadow Spokesperson.
At the Scottish Executive, the Scottish National Partys (SNP) Linda Fabiani is now Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture. Stewart Maxwell, formerly the SNPs culture spokesman, is now Minister for Communities & Sport.
For the Northern Ireland Executive, Edwin Poots of the Democratic Unionist Party is Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure.