Majority of freelancers getting less work post-pandemic
Freelancers in the creative and cultural industries have experienced a drop in work since the Covid pandemic, the findings of a ne…
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New model for Scottish artists
Shân Edwards is the founder and director of the Scottish charity Outer Spaces, helping to forge new ways for artists to make work…
The audience legacy of Covid
Although the pandemic brought better insight, the picture is complicated by the effects of the poly-crisis. The Audience Agency’…
Is culture still bad for you?
In 2020, ‘Culture is bad for you’ was published. As its second edition is about to be released, one of its authors, Dave O’B…
DCMS pledges to keep Tate afloat as it attempts to cut costs
Tate has been told it will be given central government support to stay afloat as it attempts to move to a financially sustainable…
Live events reinsurance scheme ‘limited by late introduction’
The former Conservative government’s live events reinsurance scheme had limited impact on stimulating additional activity, accor…
Covid five years on: No return to ‘normal’
Oily Cart has over 40 years’ experience creating immersive sensory shows – in-person, responsive and close-up. When the pandemic…
The lessons we learned from Covid – then forgot
In the first of our series reflecting on the pandemic five years on, Splitpixel’s Lauren James is sad that some of the lessons l…
ACE yet to recoup £1.3m of withdrawn Covid-era grants
Arts Council England (ACE) is yet to recover £1.3m provided to arts and culture organisations through Culture Recovery Fund grant…
Council grants 10-year extension on Covid loan for performing arts company
A Blackpool performing arts organisation has had a Covid-era loan from the city’s council extended to support its recovery. Blac…
DCMS faces questions on Covid loan book ‘conflict of interest’
Senior civil servants have faced scrutiny from MPs over whether the management of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Co…
Soft power: The role of culture in a hyper-globalised world
The new Soft Power Council has been set up in response to a volatile world at a time when democracy is in peril. So, writes Meliss…
ACE revokes Sacha Lord Covid grant over ‘unintended oversights’
A Covid-era grant of more than £400,000 has been withdrawn by Arts Council England (ACE) following concerns raised last year over…
Performing artists and precarity: The true impact of Covid
A new book examining what the pandemic meant for freelance performers has been published. Mimi Doulton thinks its an invaluable re…
British Council ‘at risk of disappearing’ over government Covid loan
The British Council is in danger of disappearing within a decade due to ongoing financial challenges, the organisation’s chief exe…
DCMS expects to lose over £25m in Covid loan repayments
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will not recover between £24.9m and £28.7m in repayments from Covid-era suppo…
ACE investigating further allegations of Covid fraud
New figures from ACE showing an increase in Culture Recovery Fund fraud investigations as government begins search for Commissione…
Arts leaders spend less time in post as jobs become ‘joyless’
At a time of increased financial and societal pressure, leaders of more than 200 performing arts companies have stepped down from…
National Audit Office to scrutinise Covid loans
A probe into Covid loans provided to both the arts and sports sectors will be conducted by the National Audit Office (NAO). A stat…
Museum and gallery visits hit four-year high
Visitor numbers across the 30 museums and art galleries sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, show year-on-yea…
Culture Recovery Fund: ACE investigating four cases of possible fraud
Emergence of ongoing investigations coincides with fresh scrutiny of a £480,000 grant administered by ACE in 2021 to a…
New beginnings for post-pandemic theatre workers
Covid has affected the UK theatre industry at all levels, with wide ranging impacts on the workforce, livelihoods, working practic…
Government urged to develop live performance ‘crisis plan’
Performing arts sector remains at threat from future global shocks unless action on resilience planning is taken by both central a…
Theatre workshop warns of skills shortages
TR2, the workshop base for Theatre Royal Plymouth, is struggling to find staff to construct sets because of a skills shortage. The…
