Collaboration

The legacy of the competition goes beyond the title, those who missed out say.

Local authorities

Wales

Placemaking

Regeneration

Scheme takes aim at declining theatre commissions

14 Mar 2022

Fifteen plays will be commissioned under a new scheme to address a "devastating" decline in opportunities during the pandemic.

The Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), HighTide Theatre, UK Theatre and the Independent Theatre Council have partnered on the New Play Commission Scheme, securing £50,000 in funding. There is a £5,000 award for the best play by an unpublished writer.

A survey of UK Theatre members revealed new commissions had declined by a third since 2019/20, while a poll of WGGB members indiciated three quarters of playwrights had lost income during Covid-19. Half believed they would not be working in theatre in two years' time.

HighTide Artistic Director Suba Das said the commissions not only offer "a lifeline to both writers and companies across the UK but helps ensure new writing forms part of how we all move forwards as citizens and communities".

The scheme will launch in April.

Museums uninterested in Saudi culture pact

14 Mar 2022

A recent pact between culture ministers in the UK and Saudi Arabia has sparked little interest among major museums.

A memorandum of understanding signed last month was light on detail, but involves plans for collaborations in film and the museums and heritage sectors.

The British Council says it is working with the Saudi ministry of culture on new artist residencies.

But the Tate, British Museum and V&A are not involved in any collaborations.

The Art Newspaper suggests Saudi Arabia's blighted human rights record might be dissuading British institutions.

Arts Quarter proposed for London's West End

10 Mar 2022

Major institutions would act as gateways to a "gallery without walls" under a £1bn plan to support the area's economic recovery.

Bluecoat recognised for dementia arts project

09 Mar 2022

Liverpool arts centre Bluecoat has been recognised for a partnership that delivered arts sessions via video call during the lockdowns.

Bluecoat and Belong, a dementia care provider, won the Creative Arts Award at the Third Sector Care Awards 2022. Their lauded project enhanced participant's cognitive capacity and increased their sense of community.

Where the Arts Belong has run since 2019, but participation was widened during the pandemic. Artists worked with residents of Belong villages to explore storytelling, sculpture, dance and sound.

"It really is a win for all our customers and Bluecoat’s commissioned artists," Belong Interim Chief Executive Stacey McCann said.

A Where the Arts Belong exhibition will open at Bluecoat later this month.

Partnership pursues artists' innovation network

08 Mar 2022

A cross-cultural network for artists' archives will be pursued under a new international partnership.

UK charity Art360 Foundation and US non-profit, the Hauser & Wirth Institute, plan to develop the Expanded Archives Network, building on a professional network established by Art360 in 2019.

The partners say it will platform independent artists and preserve and present their archives for a wider audience. Membership of the network will be free.

Ellie Porter, Head of Programme at Art360, said much of the work to preserve cultural heritage remains invisible despite its "urgency and value".

Hauser & Wirth Executive Director Lisa Darns added: "Through supporting and connecting archivists globally, we hope to help elevate the status of this vital and progressive work in the broader art world."

Trafalgar acquires more pantos

02 Mar 2022

Trafalgar Entertainment has extended its pantomime offer further in a new deal with Imagine Theatre.

The panto producer will provide popular shows like Cinderella and Aladdin in five of Trafalgar's regional venues this Christmas: The Swan in High Wycombe, the Lyceum Theatre in Crewe, Swindon's Wyvern Theatre, the White Rock Theatre, Hastings, and Beck Theatre in Hayes.

"We’re absolutely delighted to be working with the teams at Trafalgar Entertainment and these five fantastic venues... We can guarantee that through this exciting new partnership our audiences can look forward to the very best in family entertainment this Christmas," Imagine's Managing Director Steve Boden said.

Trafalgar says it will continue its association with Crossroads Pantomimes to stage shows in Cardiff, Southend, Dartford and Bromley.

BBC to air Sunday night performances

02 Mar 2022

The BBC will air new plays, concerts and book readings on Sunday nights as part of a programming shift.

Sunday Night Performances on BBC Four will "cement its status as the home of performance", the broadcaster says.

A Welsh comedy from Theatr Clywd, Nitin Sawhney's piece for Coventry City of Culture, and performances from the Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare's Globe are among the programmes scheduled from April.

An eight-part series for BBC Two and iPlayer, The Art That Made Us, will explore significant UK artworks in partnership with a nationwide "festival".

Museums, galleries, libraries and archives will hold events inspired by the objects as their stories are told on television next month.

UNBOXED launches first event

02 Mar 2022

UNBOXED, the 2022 festival of creativity and innovation, has launched its first event in Scotland.

About Us, a multimedia projection and performance artwork celebrating "our place in the universe and the connections between us", is the first of 10 creative projects commissioned for the festival.

Lead creative partner 59 Productions is presenting About Us in Paisley before moving on to Derry, Caenarfon, Luton and Hull. Alongside the nighttime shows, daytime installations and workshops will extend the project's reach to children and young people.

Nine more commissions will be experienced across 80 sites and through digital and broadcast media throughout 2022.

Cultural democracy is key to audience engagement

01 Mar 2022

Creating trust, promoting equity and putting cultural democracy at the heart of the vision for Coventry 2021 has been key to its success, says Kate Danielson.

Cultural commissioning

Avoiding the pitfalls of partnership

22 Feb 2022

Sometimes it seems like successful artist/academic partnerships all come down to agreement over who’s paying for the tea and biscuits, writes Glenda Cooper.

Research

Cross artform

My Gurus: Storytellers show people they are not alone

22 Feb 2022

Arts People

This year, the Bush Theatre celebrates 50 years of discovering and developing new writing. Its Artistic Director, Lynette Linton, reflects on the people who influenced her creative journey.

Theatre

Touring exhibitions need local focus

21 Feb 2022

Amid Covid, Brexit and climate change, new touring models that prioritise collaboration with communities and other institutions provide a way forward, funders say.

More manifestation, less manifesto

16 Feb 2022

Promises are powerful formulations reflecting genuine intentions. But, Richard Watts argues, they must be accompanied by concrete actions.

Cross artform

Leadership

Tate’s 'backward step'

La Jornada Food Pantry at the Queens Museum

16 Feb 2022

Opinion

Tate Exchange – the only dedicated community co-creation programme in a major museum – is to be discontinued. Stella Toonen thinks it’s a step backwards for a sector that had begun to let new voices in.

Value co-creation key to levelling up

14 Feb 2022

A 'simple but radical' approach to co-creating arts offers a way to move from project to programme to true partnership, academics say.

Culture offers 'clear opportunities' to reinvent high streets

10 Feb 2022

ACE says there is "more to be done on both sides" to bolster culture's role in town centres.

Council culture funding worth £43 per person

09 Feb 2022

Local authority spending has nearly halved over the past decade and could fall further still. Is Levelling Up the solution?

Local authorities

Arts funding

Building on the positives

Grand Union’s The Growing project documentary

09 Feb 2022

Audiences have had almost 24 months of remote engagement with culture. It’s now time to share evidence, learning, success and failure for the post-pandemic landscape, argues Fiona Morris.

UK and Saudi Arabia sign cultural MOU

09 Feb 2022