The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is working with the newly established Charity Commission for Northern Ireland to provide information about the changes to Public Benefit status for arts organisations. The information covers an overview of the changes, the implications for arts organisations and details of the Commission’s Public Benefit Test.
http://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk
Museums Galleries Scotland and the Collections Trust have developed a partnership to open up access to museuem and gallery collections. The two organisations will work together to encourage the development of collections and digital content, and will provide free access to collections management standards, guidelines and information on a dedicated website.
http://www.collectionslink.org.uk
The Playhouse theatre in Derry has reopened after a £4.6m restoration and extension. It is one of a handful of commissioning theatres on the island of Ireland, and it also houses a contemporary art gallery and dance studio. The building has just won the British Urban Regeneration Association Award for Best Practice in Regeneration 2009.
http://www.derryplayhouse.co.uk
The ‘Lumiere’ festival in Durham will now become a biennial event, following the success of the inaugural festival this month. It was part of Durham’s bid to become UK Capital of Culture in 2013, and saw many of Durham’s buildings illuminated with light installations.
Seventy-eight per cent of Scots took part in at least one cultural activity in 2007/08, according to the results from the Scottish Household Survey Culture and Sport Module. More than half (53%) of respondents had visited a historic or archaeological site, but only 38% had visited a museum or gallery.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk
Aaron Williamson, an artist who tries to challenge stereotypes of disabled people, has been awarded the £5,000 Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary. The annual bursary is offered to support a disabled artist working in the visual arts, in memory of sculptor Adam Reynolds.
http://www.adamreynoldsbursary.org.uk
Although one in four people in the UK is disabled, only one in 400 people working in the arts are disabled, according to playwright Paddy Masefield, who represents Disability Rights in the Arts. In a speech to the RSA, Masefield said that while there are more than 50 non-disability arts festivals in the UK annually, the last festival of disabled arts was held in 2003.
http://www.thersa.org/events
A new dance programme, Luminous Soul, will provide opportunities for disabled people across Northern Ireland to work with professional disabled tutors from across the UK. It is the first of a series of projects devised by Open Arts, an arts and disability company that promotes the inclusion of disabled people in arts activities.
http://www.openarts.net
The Wellcome Trust has announced a new series of large awards for the arts, aiming to stimulate interest about biomedical science; examine the social, cultural, and ethical impact of biomedical science; and encourage collaborative partnerships in arts, science and/or education practice. The scheme is currently open for applications, with a deadline of 8 January 2010.
http://www.tinyurl.com/3qa33l
The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £4.8m to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG), to “rejuvenate and open up Birmingham History Collections”. BMAG is part of a network of seven museums and galleries across the city, and has more than 500,000 visitors a year.
http://www.bmag.org.uk