Kaleido: Disability and Deaf Arts South West (formerly Equata), is relaunching later this month under its new name with a showcase of the disability arts from across the region. Its new strategy is to develop partnerships with the creative industries and educational sectors to secure a strong place for disabled and deaf artists within mainstream arts.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families, working with the DCMS and Arts Council England, is inviting bids from regularly funded arts organisations, local authorities and others for pump-priming funding to develop or extend music activity for young people delivered through partnership working. Up to £1m is available to support up to five projects in 2008/09. The applications deadline is 15 February.
e: catherine.brown@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Equity has launched a nationwide survey to discover members’ views on how the funding system ought to work. The resulting report will be presented to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The survey can be accessed online.
w: http://www.equity.org.uk
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has adopted a new funding approach, consisting of a main fund through which most funding will be channelled, and a number of smaller, more focused funding strands, of which the first three will be Biodiversity, Museum and Heritage Collections, and New Approaches to Learning.
w: http://www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk
A guide to the cultural activity being developed in London to help celebrate the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games has been published by the London Cultural Consortium. The document, ‘London culture and 2012’ is aimed at cultural organisations and practitioners who want to help stage or to be part of the cultural programmes that will run from 2008 to 2012.
w: http://www.london.gov.uk/lcc/publications.jsp
Folly, the digital arts agency and charity based in northwest England, has announced the completion of The Digital Artists Handbook, which introduces artists to different tools, resources and ways of working related to digital art.
w: http://www.digitalartistshandbook.org
A report mapping the opportunities and barriers facing the region’s African, Caribbean and Asian visual arts sector has been published by Arts Council England, West Midlands. ‘The elephant in the room’ covers crafts, photography, digital media, film and fine art. An executive summary is available free of charge.
w: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/publications
UK arts organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland wishing to commission Portuguese artists to collaborate with UK counterparts are invited to apply to the Portuguese Arts Awards. A limited number of awards of up to £7,000 are available for projects from summer 2008 to spring 2009. The deadline for application is 25 April.
e: adam.knights@visitingarts.org.uk