Monday, 15 April 2024
Museum workers in Liverpool will take part in 30 days of strikes over the summer as part of an ongoing dispute over pay.
The BBC reports that walkouts by members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will affect National Museums Liverpool (NML) sites from next month.
A total of 56 days of action have already taken place in a dispute over a cost-of-living payment.
The PCS union says... read more
Friday, 12 April 2024
University museums and collections from 21 higher education institutes will receive a share of £14m of Higher Education Museums, Galleries, and Collections funding each year until 2029/2030.
The funding from Research England - part of United Kingdom Research and Innovation - has been raised from £11.7m and will go to 40 higher education museums, galleries, and collections, compared to 33 in... read more
Friday, 12 April 2024
Bolton Octagon has announced that it will offer £4 tickets to local residents on Universal Credit, Pension Credit or living in low-income households who want to attend the theatre.
Launching this month, the scheme will see 1,000 tickets each year made available at £4, in addition to the venue's existing offer of £15 tickets on 10% of seats for Octagon shows.
“Our audiences tell us what fantastic... read more
Thursday, 11 April 2024
Income generated from the use of recorded music in public places topped £283.5m last year, up 4% from 2022 - the highest level ever recorded by music licensing body PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited).
PPL said the increase was driven by an uplift in income from using recorded music in public places such as shops, bars, nightclubs, offices, and factories, which was up 11% to over £111m in 2023... read more
Thursday, 11 April 2024
Several art groups are among 28 community projects to share in more than £480,000 of government funding as part of the Windrush Day Grant Scheme.
Administered by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Community, the fund, established six years ago, supports community-led arts, educational, and sporting events across England that highlight the legacy of the Windrush generation.
Funded... read more
Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Funding cuts are destroying Britain’s “top-notch” classical music organisations, according to the new chief conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Antonio Pappano.
Speaking at the launch of LSO’s new season, Pappano said: “Do you want to see them die little by little? Look at the struggles, look at the ENO, the WNO. These places are in trouble, and it is not acceptable.”
He said that... read more
Orchestras are not social workers, says maestro (The Times)
Wednesday, 10 April 2024
A 19th-Century Hampshire windmill that houses a display of historic farming artefacts has closed following the withdrawal of council funding from its operator.
Eastleigh Borough Council terminated its funding agreement with Hampshire Culture Trust (HCT) in February last year.
The trust then requested that Hampshire County Council (HCC) allow it to end operations at the Grade II-listed Bursledon... read more
Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Art therapy is associated with positive outcomes for children and adolescents in a hospital-based mental health unit, a new study published in the Journal of Mental Health has found.
Researchers, led by Sarah Versitano, examined more than six years of data from a child and adolescent mental health hospital ward in Australia to understand if the use of restrictive practices, such as seclusion or... read more
Lost for words? Research shows art therapy brings benefits for mental health (The Conversation)
Wednesday, 10 April 2024
An exhibit at a Tasmanian museum must allow men admission following a court ruling in a gender discrimination case.
The Ladies Lounge at Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) has been open since 2020 and houses some of the museum's most acclaimed works.
Playing on the concept of Australian pubs, which were historically male-only spaces, the exhibit only offers women admittance.
After being... read more
Tuesday, 09 April 2024
A music initiative designed to "empower and celebrate" grassroots music communities has launched.
Studio Monkey Shoulder, established by Monkey Shoulder Whisky, aims to recognise and support a community organisation to turn a passion project into reality, via a £10,000 investment.
The UK-based community, collective or music organisation which receives the investment will have the opportunity to... read more
Tuesday, 09 April 2024
Plans to switch library provision in Birmingham to a mixture of council and community-run hubs to save money have been put out for consultation.
Launching the exercise, Birmingham City Council said that, based on current information on community interest and co-location opportunities, it estimates this combination of provision could allow for 25 building-based library services.
"For more than a... read more
Monday, 08 April 2024
Two of Belfast’s biggest outdoor music events generated £30.8m for Northern Ireland's economy, a study has found.
According to an independent report, the 2023 editions of Belsonic Festival at Ormeau Park and Emerge Music Festival in Boucher Fields, also created nearly 6,000 paid employment opportunities.
Northern Ireland's Economy Minister Conor Murphy said: "Events such as Belsonic and Emerge... read more
Monday, 08 April 2024
A museum in Wales has launched a public appeal to help it remain open in the face of soaring energy bills.
Llandudno Museum says its costs have quadrupled, and the grant funding it receives does not cover the rise.
"It is definitely a threat because at the moment our energy bills are in the region of £35,000 a year, which is astronomic," Director Dawn Lancaster told ITV News
"We can't turn... read more
Monday, 08 April 2024
A group of 250 community volunteers has taken over a Worcestershire theatre after its operator collapsed in 2020.
In the intervening years, the Artrix in Bromsgrove became a Covid vaccination centre and then the temporary home of the Solihull Core Theatre. However, it is now run by Bromsgrove Community Arts Group, a charitable incorporated organisation created specifically to manage the theatre.... read more
Thursday, 04 April 2024
An initiative which financially supports UK-based artists and companies taking work to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has been extended by two years as a result of £1m capital funding to the Fringe Society from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the funding would "protect this talent pipeline and nurture the next generation of British artists [by... read more