Arts & Business News - Central

Google shows the way - Connecting Science, the Arts and Maths - Arts & Business

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The extraordinarily important role of museums in inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers was spelt out tonight in the Science Museum by a technology thought leader.
Before an influential audience in the Museum’s IMAX, Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt spoke passionately about why science matters. “Science illuminates the world and gives us the building blocks to transform our lives. The fundamental advances in human industry – from building ships to building genomes, from spinning jennies to spinning quarks – have a foundation in science”

Expanding on why he had chosen to make his follow up to last year’s MacTaggart Lecture at the Science Museum in London, Schmidt believes that “Museums do more than entertain and teach, they also open peoples eyes to career opportunities. The Museum we’re in today is a great illustration… It is a place to cherish, but more importantly a place to inspire”

“This is a remarkable venue, and I say that as someone who has visited a lot of museums”

“It is full of memories of so many inventions - indeed, so many British inventions…Today nearly 3 million people pass through its doors each year, two-thirds in groups with children.”

When it comes to computer literacy, he listed a range of initiatives that have emerged since his MacTaggart lecture, including a report produced by NESTA and the Science Museum on the remarkable legacy of the BBC Micro project’s legacy and lessons for today.

Mr Schmidt touched on two projects opening at the Science Museum which Google are supporting. The first is a new biographical exhibition about Alan Turing’s life and legacy opening on June 20th. The exhibition brings together the most extensive collection of Turing artefacts assembled under one roof, including machines he devised and devices that influenced him and his colleagues. “This will be a fitting tribute to one of computings founding fathers” said Schmidt

The second project is the development of a new exhibition about modern communications. The Gallery opens in 2014 and brings to life moments when the world changed dramatically through the invention of technologies such as the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable; the creation of the first digital electronic computer; the development of mobile communications and the advent of the World Wide Web.

Ian Blatchford said after the speech: “We are delighted that Eric Schmidt decided to make his speech at the Science Museum as it signifies the Museums important role in stimulating public debate around science, innovation and technological change.”

Arts & Business Awards winners announced...fighting back against the recent dip in arts sponsorship - Arts & Business

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:00:00 GMT

Winners of 33rd Arts & Business Awards offer a blueprint to a new generation of engagement

All photos: Amit Lennon

The winners are:

Jaguar Land Rover Arts & Business Corporate Responsibility Award

Winner: JTI (UK) & Ulster Orchestra

The Telegraph Arts & Business Innovation Award Winner
Winner: Bloomberg & Roundhouse

Prudential Arts & Business Volunteering & People Development

Winner: VSM Husqvama Viking Sewing Machines & Craftspace

Classic FM Arts & Business Sponsorship Award
Winner: Sky Arts (part of BSkyB) & The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, The Telegraph Hay Festival, The Independent Bath Literature Festival, Dublin Writers Festival, and Words by the Water, Cumbria

BP Arts & Business Long-Term Partnership Award Winner
Winner: BMW Plant Hams Hall & Lichfield Festival Limited

The Winning Partnerships - full details

Jaguar Land Rover Arts & Business Corporate Responsibility Award

Winner: JTI (UK) & Ulster Orchestra

JTI’s partnership with the Orchestra has helped to deliver new artistic programmes and wider community access to music through Lunchtime Concerts, Community Christmas Concerts and the Move to the Music scheme. Move to the Music has allowed almost 1,000 elderly people living in rural areas the opportunity to attend Ulster Orchestra concerts via a free door-to-door transport and ticket scheme.

The Telegraph Arts & Business Innovation Award Winner
Winner: Bloomberg & Roundhouse

This partnership between Bloomberg and the Roundhouse was initially formed prior to the venue’s reopening in 2006. Keen to support the provision of filming and editing facilities for young people, Bloomberg contributed towards the creation of three purpose-built TV studios and a vocational training programme for 16-25 year olds which has become the cornerstone of the Roundhouse Creative Programme.

Prudential Arts & Business Volunteering & People Development

Winner: VSM Husqvama Viking Sewing Machines & Craftspace

The partnership began in 2006 when VSM sponsored Made In The Middle - Craftspace’s triennial exhibition of the best of Midlands crafts. VSM supported a textile residency, led by an artist and delivered by VSM staff to textile embroidery students from Birmingham City University. This offered VSM the benefits of forming useful links within the community and some valuable PR. VSM wanted to test this as a pilot project out of which they would assess its value to the company.

Sky has a long heritage of support and investment in the arts. One strand of this is their on-going commitment to books. Sky Arts invests in books on screen and produces the UK’s leading and longest running book programme, The Book Show. Sky wanted to connect with this audience on the ground and so have been the broadcast sponsor for the Hay Festival since 2007. The partnership has raised the festival’s profile as well as raising Sky Arts’ profile amongst book fans. That success has meant that in 2010/11 Sky increased their commitment by investing in five leading literature festivals: Cheltenham, Words by the Water in Cumbria, Bath, Dublin Writers’ Festival and Hay

BP Arts & Business Long-Term Partnership Award Winner
Winner: BMW Plant Hams Hall & Lichfield Festival Limited

BMW Plant Hams Hall first became Principal Partner of the Lichfield Festival in 2004. The 2011 Lichfield Festival (3-13 July) saw the eighth consecutive year of this partnership. This partnership is an in-depth and interactive relationship which has had benefits for the community, school groups, festival audiences, festival programming and BMW employees.

Details of Sky Arts Ignition: Doug Aitken Revealed - Arts & Business

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT

World renowned architect David Adjaye to collaborate

Doug Aitken, one of the world’s leading contemporary artists, has revealed that the first Sky Arts Ignition Series commission at Tate Liverpool will be “a fast moving portrait of modern creativity.” It was announced today that the work will be housed on Liverpool’s historic Albert Dock in a structure designed by world renowned British architect David Adjaye OBE. The commission will form part of the seventh Liverpool Biennial.

The Sky Arts Ignition Series launched in 2011, and will enable Sky Arts to back the creation of major new works of art as well as nurture emerging talent. Sky Arts Ignition: Doug Aitken will be the first project in the series, which will see Sky Arts collaborate with six arts organisations over the next three years in the creation of brand new works. For each of the chosen projects, Sky Arts will provide a cash investment of up to £200,000 and work with the arts partners to bring their projects to a wider audience, using Sky’s platform.

Sky Arts Ignition: Doug Aitken will be Aitken’s first public realm installation in the UK, showcasing his pioneering and ambitious approach to public art. The immersive installation will be comprised of a series of filmed conversations between Aitken and some of the world’s most established creative individuals. The project participants, who will be revealed later this summer, are creative visionaries of all ages and backgrounds, working across different art forms. Grounding their filmed thoughts and sound bites are two questions: where does the creative idea start and how is it realised?

Aitken will collaborate with acclaimed British architect David Adjaye on a temporary structure to house the work, which will be located on Liverpool’s Albert Dock. This deliberate separation from the traditional gallery space will create a new creative territory and cultural destination. Sky Arts Ignition: Doug Aitken will be the antithesis of long-winded lectures on the arts and will open the artistic process up to the viewer: looking to the future, while engaging individuals whose legacies have shaped contemporary culture. It will be free admission and will open to the public on 15 September 2012, continuing to 13 January 2013.

Sky Arts has also announced the final three winners of the Sky Arts Ignition Futures Fund. Animator Drew Roper, artist Laurence Payot and theatre director Felix Mortimer will each receive a bursary of £30,000, joining Opera director Daisy Evans and animator Phoebe Boswell, who were announced as the first two winners in November 2011. The Futures Fund is designed to help young talent to bridge the development gap from school or college to becoming a working artist and offers mentoring alongside the bursary.

Orange ends sponsorship of The Women's Prize for Fiction - Arts & Business

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Orange have announced that it is to end its sponsorship of The Women's Prize for fiction. The £30,000 prize recognises English language fiction written by women.

It has sponsored the prize since it was established 17 years ago, and are now keen to focus its brand on the film industry.

Philip Spedding, Director Arts & Business says

"We must highlight that for 17 years the work orange undertook with the Women's Prize for Fiction was unparalleled - fully justifying its supreme success at previous Arts & Business Awards. But like all good things, it is natural that it has come to an end, now it has achieved its objectives.

"Orange has been an exemplary blueprint showing how the right arts partnership can achieve real impact for a consumer brand. Attention will inevitably turn to finding a new sponsor.

"Although we know over the past five years, business support in culture has declined by almost 20% - our awards this evening underline that there are opportunities for growth and for new partnerships to prosper.
Arts & Business is committed to inspiring both the arts and business communities to build future partnerships as strong as the Orange Prize for Fiction has been."

2013 Lever Prize is now Open for Entries - Arts & Business

Mon, 14 May 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Applications for the Lever Prize 2013 are now being accepted. The winner will receive a £10,000 cash prize, a distinctive trophy and the chance to collaborate with the NWBLT member companies throughout the year. The Prize is awarded by NWBLT in collaboration with Arts and Business North West. The closing date for entries is 2nd July 2012 - shortlisted organisations will be notified during August.

The Lever Prize, launched seven years ago, aims to revive the philanthropic traditions of the industrial past, embodied by soap magnate and patron of the arts, Lord Leverhulme. The trophy, based on a bridge at his Rivington Estate, was produced in wood by John Adamson from the Lancashire and Cheshire Woodcarvers.

Each year the Lever is judged by the North West Business Leadership Team, which comprises of around 30 senior representatives of some of the most influential companies in the region, in partnership with Arts & Business North.

The award is not just for arts groups, but buildings, events, festivals, libraries and archives are all eligible. In addition to the cash prize the award opens the door to a yearlong collaboration with the region’s top business leaders.

For more information about entering and to download an application for the 2013 Lever Prize please click on the link below.

Click here for Lever Prize 2013 entry form and time scales

Call for artists... for London Luton Airport’s Gateway Gallery (Deadline 6 June) - Arts & Business

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

London Luton Airport is looking for talented local artists from Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire to display inspirational artwork in their Gateway Gallery in 2012 or 2013. The Gallery, delivered in partnership with Luton Culture and advice from Arts & Business is located in the main terminal building adjacent to the Onward Travel Centre. London Luton Airport is the fifth busiest Airport in the UK and expects to see over 10 million passengers in 2012.

With an average of 25,000 passengers travelling through the Airport every day the Gateway Gallery provides local artists with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their artwork as well as giving Airport passengers greater access to local artistic talent.
The Airport is looking to hear from talented artists who believe they can offer an original, impactful exhibition for the Gallery. This can be in any 2D medium.

For your artwork to be considered please visit and download an application form at www.londonlutoninthecommunity.com.

Applications must be submitted by 12pm 6th of June.

The winning three entries will win free display space for a minimum of two months during a period in 2012 or 2013.

Think!Sponsorship wants to hear from you! (by 16 May 2012) - Arts & Business

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

One of the UK's leading sponsorship intelligence providers, Think!Sponsorship is conducting an industry poll and they need your input!

Their next conference, titled 'Sponsorship Connects' is taking place on the 29 May 2012 at Rich Mix, London, and it focusses on how sponsorship provides a vehicle for meaningful connections and dialogues, and they’re really keen to find out how you communicate with the community you represent or target.

Please take the time to complete this short questionnaire by clicking here: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e5vg67wvh1m6aay4/start

The survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete and a summary of the results and findings will be available once it has closed.

For your time and input Think!Sponsorship will offer you a £75 discount on the cost of a ticket to one of the UK’s largest one-day sponsorship conference, Think!Sponsorship.

Their current ticket price is £330 VAT meaning you could access the event for just £255 VAT.

To take advantage of this offer, simply complete the poll, and then e-mail catherine@thinksponsorship.com to claim your reward!

The industry poll will remain open until the 16 May 2012.

To view full conference or training programme visit www.thinksponsorship.com

Arts & the People Report - Arts & Business

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Colin Tweedy, Vice President, Arts & Business

Having stepped down as Chief Executive of Arts & Business at the merger with Business in the Community, I now have the opportunity to step back and cast a critical eye on aspects of our cultural landscape. My first piece of work in this area is to write a report entitled Arts & the People: the Power of the Arts to Change Lives, which we plan to publish in December this year.

The purpose of the Report is to assess the social and economic impact of the arts on communities. It will review some of the key public and private investments in the arts, assess whether and how they have delivered social and economic benefit and over what timeframe.

The last 20 years has seen a dramatic increase in funding and cultural provision in the UK, from the National Lottery to “Cool Britannia “. But in the teeth of a global recession difficult decisions have to be made. Are they the right decisions? Are we in danger of damaging opportunities for future generations?

As David Marlow put it in the Guardian’s Culture Professionals network blog on May 9th, with the second round of capital funding applications due this summer, in these times of less resource, especially outside of London, why did 47% of the £114m allocated go to eight London projects, three of which are already in receipt of substantial core funding from the Arts Council? Marlow says, “The Midlands has virtually become an ACE investment-free” zone!

The Report will raise the key issues regarding cultural investment that benefit both their immediate consumers and the wider public. It will showcase models of good practice and will offer recommendations for future cultural policy. The remit will attempt to cover all art forms across the United Kingdom.

It will pose and examine the following key questions:

• The last 20 years has seen a dramatic increase in funding and cultural provision. Who has benefitted from these increases?

• How has the social and economic benefit been measured?

• Are we developing new audiences? How do we know? What is the evidence base – scientific or anecdotal?

• Where is new funding, both public and private, going? What is the access criteria and what policies are being implemented to engage the widest number of active
participants?

• What effect have the new buildings had?

• Where are we on the instrumentalism versus the art for art's sake argument?

• Are we planning for the long term?

Our analysis will be based on a literature review, case studies of arts interventions, round-table discussions with arts practitioners, institutions and policy makers, journalists and cultural commentators.

We’ll be gathering your views through a short survey in the next few weeks from the arts and culture community.

Please look out for it and please have your say.

Colin Tweedy

VISUALISE - Arts & Business

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Arts & Business is currently working with Future City and a number of technology artist through a programme called VISUALISE.
We have engaged a number of leading Cambridge technology companies, such as Philips, TTP and ARM, to collaborate with contemporary artists on the creative use of technology in public life.

The VISUALISE public art programme features collaborations with artists Proboscis, Eduardo Kac, and Bettina Furnee on new innovation R D in 2012.
Three commissions have been created funded by ARU public art commission. They will take place between April and October 2012, with a number of events in Cambridge bringing their progress and ideas to the public:

Artists Proboscis are collaborating with Philips to address the issue of motivation in use of personal monitoring technologies. Proboscis are interested in creating a project that stimulates a new and different debate in the health and life-style arena – moving health matters away from the pathologizing language into a language based around wellbeing, quality of life and increased awareness in life-style choices.

Artist Bettina Furnee and Cambridge company Optricks Media will explore the potential of augmented reality games in engaging with a public realm space in the city.

Artist Eduardo Kac is to create a new audio-visual experiment which will be the first in the world using MBed (embedded systems) made by ARM in Cambridge. Kac will collaborate with sound engineer Rob Toulson who is Senior Research Fellow in the CoDE (Cultures of the Digital Economy) research centre at Anglia Ruskin University and test a ‘bio-conductive ink’ invented by Bare Conductive Ink Ltd.

How’s Your Board? Need Some Help? - Arts & Business

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We’ve a long track record of helping your organisation to build capacity and effectiveness of arts boards through matching vacancies with senior business managers who we train in governance and best practice.

Currently looking for opportunities to volunteer at this strategic and senior level are individuals with skills in finance, business development, legal, project management and consultancy. We have one or two people with skills in social media marketing. All have a passion for the arts, some because they just love the art form, others because they believe in the power of the arts to change lives. We’re particularly seeking opportunities in photography, visual arts, heritage, dance and performing arts and two of our current advisors are keen to be involved with organisations working with health or in medical settings.

We’re recruiting from July for the next cohort of our Young Professionals, high flyers who are eager to stay connected with culture whilst offering their skills to Arts Boards.

This service is free to Arts & Business Members. Take a look at your Board – we may be able to help you fill a much needed gap.

Not the Right Time?

Staff volunteering is high on the agenda of many businesses. Perhaps you are not yet ready to recruit a new Board Member, but could really do with some help in designing your marketing strategy, for instance.

We are interested in testing your appetite for individuals from business to help you with specific projects, where they can make best use of their skills in an arts environment. Please get in touch if you are interested in exploring this further.

Contact Tricia Jenkins on tricia.jenkins@artsandbusiness.org.uk and one of the team will be happy to call you with further information.

Installation at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol - Arts & Business

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Fresh Arts is the ongoing arts programme at North Bristol NHS Trust covering services at Frenchay and Southmead Hospitals.

It delivers a thriving programme which includes exhibitions, a staff arts club, environmental projects and an expanding art collection. Its goal is to improve patient wellbeing and the working lives of staff at the hospitals by enhancing patient experience, improving morale, providing opportunities for positive involvement and establishing the Trust at the heart of its local community.

North Bristol NHS Trust believes that arts in health projects are an effective and value for money means of supporting care and wellbeing and supports the Fresh Arts programme by providing funds for the core programme.

The Trust approached Arts & Business to bring a particular space within the hospital to life by providing seating to encourage patients and staff to enter the gravel courtyard in the Phase 1 development at Frenchay and a commissioned sculpture to enhance the space and bring enjoyment to people both in the courtyard and in wards and offices overlooking the courtyard.

Arts & Business proposed two artist form the region to create work in response to the hospitals brief. Enamel artist Janine Partington and Sean Hellman who works in wood.

Janine created 80 pieces of enamelled copper in the shape of different leaves found in the grounds of the hospital. These we then fixed to the wall’s of to give the effect that they had been ‘blown in’, the title of the piece.

Sean Hellman created a sculptured bench from a steel frame and oak. Again a tree found in the grounds of the hospital.

The reaction from the hospital staff and patients was immediate and overwhelmingly positive.

"Thank you for making my first experience of installing an artwork so enjoyable and easy. Thank you for choosing me to do this project.
Please also convey my thanks to Ben and Phil for being so helpful and doing such a good job."
Janine Partington

"I can’t tell you how delighted I am with Janine’s work – her leaves and seed pods look just beautiful scattered across the wall of our gloomy courtyard and singing in different lights."
Ruth Sidgwick, Frenchay Hospital

The Telegraph A&B Innovation shortlist features Louis Vuitton, Bloomberg and brilliant new art - Arts & Business

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The 33rd Arts & Business Awards shortlist is announced today with the A&B Innovation award celebrating the trailblazers bring arts in new ways.

What the judges said

The Shortlist

Bloomberg & Roundhouse

The partnership between Bloomberg and the Roundhouse was initially formed prior to the venue’s reopening in 2006.

Keen to support the provision of filming and editing facilities for young people, Bloomberg contributed towards the creation of three purpose-built TV studios and a vocational training programme for 16-25 year old NEETs1, which has become the cornerstone of the Roundhouse Creative Programme.

Louis Vuitton & South London Gallery

The Louis Vuitton Young Arts Project (LVYAP) is a peer-led programme promoting the active participation of young people from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds in London’s vibrant contemporary visual art scene.

The project was initiated in 2009 as a result of Louis Vuitton (LV) wanting to sponsor a pioneering arts education programme for young Londoners. LV wanted to invest financially but also to work alongside an arts organisation, supporting them with professional guidance and expertise whilst adding a new dimension to their employees’ work.

LV selected the South London Gallery (SLG) as their lead partner, the smallest-scale organisation to pitch, due to the ambitious, long-term nature of their proposal to work in partnership with four of London’s major arts institutions through a peer-led initiative.

The shortlist for the BP Long Term Partnership Award features high finance, knitted engines and literary prizes - Arts & Business

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The 33rd Arts & Business Awards shortlist is announced today with awards partner BP sponsoring the Long Term Partnership award. The BP A&B Long Term Partnership Award celebrates enduring partnerships between culture and commerce. These collaborations allow the arts to programme boldly while providing lasting brand benefit to their business partners.

What the judges said

The Shortlist

BMW Plant Hams Hall & Lichfield Festival Limited (West Midlands)

BMW Plant Hams Hall first became Principal Partner of the Lichfield Festival in 2004. The 2011 Lichfield Festival (3-13 July) saw the eighth consecutive year of this partnership.

This partnership is an in-depth and interactive relationship which has had benefits for the community, school groups, festival audiences, festival programming and BMW employees.

BMW has been highly involved in innovative education projects such as Gamelan music with instruments designed and manufactured from engine parts by BMW employees culminating in a cathedral concert by local school children. On site workshops/performances took place for BMW factory employees.

'Hydrogen Day' a cross-curriculum project for school children, matched Erasmus Darwin's visionary interest in Hydrogen with BMW's Hydrogen fuel innovations. A new dance and song project interpreted "The Elements" performed at BMW's Hams Hall Plant and Lichfield Garrick Theatre.

A project enabling children from Lichfield and North Warwickshire to create silent films and music was also created with performances at BMW Plant and Lichfield Garrick Theatre. One workshop even resulted in the creating of a knitted engine.

Bruntwood & Royal Exchange Theatre (North West)

The Bruntwood Prize is an innovative sponsorship between Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre and property company Bruntwood that has grown to become the UK's largest playwriting competition. Six full productions, 13 prize-winners and well over 5,000 entries have been generated by the Prize to date and £120,000 has been awarded in prize money. Bruntwood award winning work has been staged at the Royal Exchange Theatre as well as the Lyric Hammersmith and Soho Theatre.

Deutsche Bank & Shakespeare's Globe (London)

In 2007 Deutsche Bank entered into a new partnership with Globe Education, the educational arm of Shakespeare's Globe in London, to support a schools learning project. The bank was named as title sponsor for the Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank project, building on an existing relationship through which the bank had funded two years of Word Play schools' educational programmes.

This is Globe Education's flagship project for London schools and one of Deutsche Bank's largest and most ambitious community project commitments in the UK, growing in impact over the past six years. The production's run has increased significantly to accommodate growing demand from schools, rising from three performances in 2007 to 13 in 2012.

Over 14,000 young people attend performances annually from schools across every London borough and for many of these students it is their first experience of live theatre. It is an opportunity for them to see a high quality production no matter what their background, raising educational and personal aspirations. This was a key objective of Deutsche Bank and in 2012 they reaffirmed their desire to continue their involvement for future years.

Classic FM supports the arts sponsorship award. Shortlist features Sky, Siemens, the Science Museum and more... - Arts & Business

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The 33rd Arts & Business Awards shortlist is announced today with the Classic FM Sponsorship award showing enduring ties between business and culture.

What the judge said

The shortlist

Baillie Gifford & The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival

As part of their nationwide sponsorship activity of the arts, Baillie Gifford partnered with The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival to develop a strand of interesting and thought-provoking financial/economic themed events. The 'Money Talks' series was developed and featured for the first time in October 2010, and again in 2011. The 2012 series is under development.

Shell UK Ltd and Siemens plc & Science Museum (London)

Shell and Siemens have separately sponsored major projects, each for three years, at the Science Museum. The two companies agreed to become joint Principal Sponsors of the new climate change project that would result in the atmosphere gallery: exploring climate science. This is a five-year sponsorship: 2010-2015.

It is rare for two major global companies to partner together on a sponsorship in the arts and science world; Shell and Siemens were such a strong combination that the partnership helped the Science Museum to attract other corporate funders in the middle of one of the world's worst recessions.

Sky Arts (part of BSkyB) & Cheltenham Literature Festival, The Telegraph Hay Festival, The Independent Bath Literature Festival, Dublin Writers Festival, Words by the Water, Cumbria

Sky has a long heritage of support and investment in the arts. One strand of this is their on-going commitment to books. Sky Arts invests in books on screen and produces the UK's leading and longest running book programme, The Book Show. Sky wanted to connect with this audience on the ground and so have been the broadcast sponsor for the Hay Festival since 2007. The partnership has raised the festival's profile as well as raising Sky Arts' profile amongst book fans. That success has meant that in 2010/11 Sky increased their commitment by investing in five leading literature festivals: Cheltenham, Words by the Water in Cumbria, Bath, Dublin Writers' Festival and Hay

Prudential A&B Volunteering and People Development shortlist features opera, major festivals and sewing machines - Arts & Business

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The 33rd Arts & Business Awards shortlist, announced today, demonstrates that despite tricky times businesses are still investing in culture to boost their brand and contribute to the community.
The Prudential A&B Volunteering & People Development Award celebrates the unique power of the arts to contribute to staff well being.

What the judges said

The shorlist

Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff (through VSM UK Ltd) & Craftspace Ltd
Our partnership began in 2006 when VSM sponsored Made In The Middle, (Craftspace’s triennial exhibition of the best of Midlands crafts).

VSM supported a textile residency, led by an artist and delivered by VSM staff to textile embroidery students from Birmingham City University. This offered VSM the benefits of forming useful links within the community and some valuable PR. VSM wanted to test this as a pilot project out of which they would assess its value to the company.

QinetiQ & Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival
Developed relations between the Festival and one of the area’s biggest employers in the area and enhanced the Solstice Park Business Park by creating a piece of public art illustrating the benefits the arts can bring to business and the use of precision engineering.

Investec & The Royal Opera House
Investec have been committed, valued supporters of The Royal Opera House since 2004.

In 2007, recognising ROH as one of the world’s leading cultural institutions, attracting world class talent and delivering world class performance, Caryn Solomon approached the ROH with an idea to create a leadership development programme for Investec, aimed at exploring what it takes to ‘create an environment that enables extraordinary performance’, which represents a core Investec philosophy.

The 33rd Arts & Business Awards shortlist pits blockbuster partnerships against small budget collaborations with huge impact - Arts & Business

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The 33rd Arts & Business Awards shortlist is announced today pitting blockbuster partnerships against small budget collaborations with huge impact.

The 33rd Arts & Business Awards shortlist, announced today, demonstrates that despite tricky times businesses are still investing in culture to boost their brand and contribute to the community. These awards celebrate the most inspiring partnerships between culture and commerce that bring brand benefit, support for the arts and more diverse culture to the public.

BP A&B Long-term partnership

BMW Plant Hams Hall & Lichfield Festival Limited (West Midlands)

Bruntwood & Royal Exchange Theatre (North West)

Deutsche Bank & Shakespeare’s Globe (London)

Classic FM A&B Sponsorship Award

Baillie Gifford & The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival

Shell UK Ltd and Siemens plc & Science Museum (London)

Sky Arts (part of BSkyB) & Cheltenham Literature Festival, The Telegraph Hay Festival, The Independent Bath Literature Festival, Dublin Writers Festival, Words by the Water, Cumbria

Jaguar Land Rover A&B Corporate Responsibility Award

The Co-operative Group & The Co-operative British Youth Film Academy (Manchester)

Irwin Mitchell Solicitors & West Yorkshire Playhouse (Yorkshire)

JTI (UK) & Ulster Orchestra (Northern Ireland)

Northumbrian Water Group & Metal Culture Ltd. CoExist Arts Ltd. (East)

Prudential A&B Volunteering & People Development

Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff (through VSM UK Ltd) & Craftspace Ltd

Investec & The Royal Opera House

QinetiQ & Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival

The Telegraph A&B Innovation Award

Bloomberg & Roundhouse

Louis Vuitton & South London Gallery

Major partners

Media partners

Event partners:

Jaguar Land Rover Corporate Responsibility Award shortlist features ‘Relaxed Performances’ bringing theatre to those with learning difficulties - Arts & Business

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The 33rd Arts & Business Awards shortlist is announced today. Award partners Jaguar Land Rover sponsor the Corporate Responsibility Award featuring a diverse shortlist demonstrating the huge benefit brought to communities when business and arts work together.

What the judges said

The shortlist

The Co-operative Group & The Co-operative British Youth Film Academy (Manchester)

The Co-operative British Youth Film Academy (BYFA) is the UK's only co-operatively-run film academy.

Unique in the UK, the partnership was established to provide a solid link between the commercial film and TV industry and all branches of media education, to enable young people (14-25) to progress into professional film and television work.

Irwin Mitchell Solicitors & West Yorkshire Playhouse (Yorkshire)

Irwin Mitchell Solicitors have brought beneficiaries from charities they work with to performances at WYP Since 2005.

In January 2010 Irwin Mitchell Solicitors sponsored the first ever Relaxed Performance - created for young people with learning disabilities and their families/ carers who find it difficult, due to the nature of their disability, to attend as part of the usual, formal theatre audience. Relaxed Performances include extra dedicated staff to assist with seating and access issues, free carers' tickets, extra lighting during the performance, a more relaxed attitude to noise, freedom move around, to leave the auditorium (and return) at any point and extra wheelchair spaces.

Consultation with local groups and specialist schools highlighted a need for 'relaxed' performances to encourage young people with learning disabilities and their families to attend theatre performances who may otherwise feel out of place and uncomfortable.

The January 2010 pilot was the first time that any UK theatre has offered this kind of performance for a mainstream production.

JTI (UK) & Ulster Orchestra (Northern Ireland)

JTI (Japan Tobacco International) and Ulster Orchestra are just about to embark on the fourth year of their partnership. Gallaher Ltd (factory based in Ballymena) was a major supporter of the Ulster Orchestra throughout the 1980's and 1990's. When JTI acquired Gallaher Group PLC in 2007, JTI decided to renew the previous links with the Ulster Orchestra as part of its new approach to Corporate Philanthropy and support for local communities. A 3-year partnership commenced in 2008 and thanks to a newly agreed 3-year deal the partnership will now continue until at least 2013.

The Ulster Orchestra's partnership with JTI has clear benefits to both the business and the arts organisation and is working successfully due to the way in which both parties are able to identify and synergise their priorities. The activity generated by the partnership has benefited both organisations and has benefited the local community greatly by allowing the Ulster Orchestra to improve its offering and offer improved access across targeted sections of the community. The activity also allows JTI to meet key CSR objectives.

JTI's partnership with the Orchestra has helped to deliver new artistic programmes and wider community access to concerts through Lunchtime Concerts, Community Christmas Concerts and the Move to the Music scheme. Move to the Music has allowed almost 1,000 elderly people living in rural areas the opportunity to attend Ulster Orchestra concerts via a free door-to-door transport and ticket scheme.

Northumbrian Water Group & Metal Culture Ltd. CoExist Arts Ltd. (East)

NWG have undertaken four major art projects to enhance their programme of water efficiency activity with customers.

Helping everyone to view water from a different perspective.

The projects were developed with arts organisations and were designed to raise awareness in our communities of the precious nature of water through non-traditional means - the arts.

Arts & Business honours North West Cultural Champions for giving time and money to the arts - Arts & Business

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

On Friday 27th April at a celebratory ceremony at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, Arts & Business honoured 25 Cultural Champions from the North West.

Arts & Business Cultural Champions is an annual reception honouring exceptional individuals who make a significant contribution to the arts through volunteering, business advice or philanthropic giving. As the Cultural Champions are selected by the arts and cultural organisations, it is their chance to say thank you for the support.

This year's North West Cultural Champions are:

Bill Green nominated by Z-Arts

Charlotte Scott nominated by Old Laundry Theatre

Roger Glossop nominated by Old Laundry Theatre

Will Lyons nominated by Liverpool Biennial

Helen Fowler nominated by Liverpool Biennial

Jim Rooney nominated by Liverpool Biennial

Patrick Lawless nominated by NOISE Festival

Nigel Hirst nominated by Manchester Camerata

Adrian Slatcher nominated by Contact Theatre

Howard Rifkin nominated by Chinese Arts Centre & The Asia Triennial
Manchester

Martyn Torevell nominated by Manchester City Galleries

Jack Livingstone nominated by Manchester City Galleries

Sir John Zochonis nominated by Manchester City Galleries

Sarah Brookes nominated by Greater Manchester Arts Centre

Phil Shilson nominated by Greater Manchester Arts Centre

Philip Shapiro nominated by Greater Manchester Arts Centre

Jeurgen Maier nominated by the Hallé

Brandon Leigh nominated by the Hallé

Phil Jones nominated by the Hallé

Graham Southall nominated by 24:7 Theatre

John Sutcliffe nominated by 24:7 Theatre

Geoff Clifton nominated by Chester Performs

Alan Torevell nominated by Chetham’s School of Music

Barbara Sinclair nominated by Pagoda Arts

Geoffrey Piper nominated by Arts & Business on behalf of the cultural sector for the Lever Prize

At the reception, guests were treated to a recital by Chetham’s students before the Cultural Champions collected a certificate in recognition of their support.

The honoured included Bill Green, Director of branding company, theplanoffice, who joined Zion Arts Centre as a Trustee in 2010 and has since created a new brand, including logo, brand guidelines, new templates and stationery worth thousands of pounds. Geoff Clifton, nominated by Chester Performs, who is Chair of their board and has being instrumental in the development of the organisation since its inception in August 2005.

Geoff plays a key role championing arts and culture in Chester, a city with no professional arts venue. Without his ongoing support, it is unlikely that Chester would have the development of a new professional theatre on the horizon. And, Wealth Manager, Alan Torevell, who has supported Chetham’s School of Music for over 15 years and created initiatives such as The Humphrey Chetham Club and an annual award for musical presentation for students at the school as well as giving generous financial support.

Memorable evening at Jaguar Land Rover Cultural Champions for Arts & Business - Arts & Business

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

On Thursday 29th March the Jaguar Cars Visitor Centre in Castle Bromwich hosted the Jaguar Land Rover Cultural Champions for Arts & Business 2012 event. Cultural Champions is an initiative pioneered by Arts & Business in 2009 as a way of honouring those individuals who make great contributions to arts and heritage organisations, whether it be through volunteering, business advice or philanthropic generosity.

Organised by Arts & Business, the event recognised this year’s 23 Cultural Champions who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to enrich their organisation. Those honoured included Lee Humphreys of JCDecaux, who has been actively involved in bringing EC-Arts’ high profile 48-Sheet project, which involves turning Birmingham’s billboards into works of art, to fruition and can presently be seen all over the city.

The 2012 Midlands Cultural Champions

Janeene Streather for her contribution to 3D Derby Deaf Drama Group

Marcus Wilkins for his contribution to Aedas Presents

Kathryn Key for her contribution to Bewdley Festival

Josiah Swingler for his contribution to Bewdley Festival

Carole Swingler for her contribution to Bewdley Festival

Robert Arthur Davies for his contribution to Bewdley Festival

Nilima Devi for her contribution to Centre for Indian Classical Dance (CICD)

Mike Harris for his contribution to Craftspace

Lee Humphreys for his contribution to EC-Arts

David Owen for his contribution to Ikon Gallery

Peter Baker for his contribution to Leicester International Music Festival

Adrian Nicholls for his contribution to Leicester Peoples Photographic Gallery

Phil Andre for his contribution to Leicester Peoples Photographic Gallery

Pauline Round for her contribution to Lichfield Festival Ltd

Viv Astling OBE for his contribution to mac Birmingham

John Stormont for his contribution to Performances Birmingham ltd

Janette Rawlinson for her contribution to Performances Birmingham ltd

Ivan Flack for his contribution to Philharmonia Orchestra

David Burbidge OBE for his contribution to Royal Shakespeare Company

Carole Manship for her contribution to The Producers Forum

Neville Topping for his contribution to TROVE

Sheila Shreeve for her contribution to Walsall Museum

Richard Bourne for his contribution to Weston Park Foundation

The event was hosted by ITV’s Bob Warman, and over 200 guests were also treated to a spectacular performance from international dance group Scarabeus who donned stilts for a comically quirky dance routine as ‘The Blue Creatures’. There was also a surprise performance from renowned opera singer Ronald Samm, who appeared courtesy of the Birmingham Opera Company. Samm was not announced but emerged from the back of the auditorium singing O Sole Mio and closed with Nessun Dorma to rapturous applause.

With thanks to

Resonse to Harriet Harman's piece on the DCMS (19 April 2012) - Arts & Business

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

There has been much rumour about the future of the DCMS, culminating in an article by the Shadow Secretary for Culture in the Evening Standard on April 19th 2012. Here is our view on whether the DCMS should stay or go:

Every major country in the world has a Ministry of Culture. Each part of the UK now has separate culture ministries; to abolish the largest, that in England, would be extraordinary. A renaissance in the arts has been enjoyed in the UK in the last 10 years. It was the last Conservative PM, John Mayor that made Culture a Cabinet responsibility; it should not be his successor that takes it away.

It is to a central department that we all look for co-ordination and stategy. The present DCMS brings together many factions that compete for the limelight and funding. It has always been the Department that has led on sponsorship and philanthropy, as Arts & Business, with whom they have worked closely in the past, can testify.

In these difficult times government should show leadership and vision. This is what the DCMS is giving - to cast it aside would create division and confusion.

We need that voice at the Cabinet table.

Philip Spedding Director, and Colin Tweedy, Vice-President, Arts & Business

Watch Philip Spedding on BBC News discuss the Government's tax relief plans - Arts & Business

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Philip Spedding, Director of Arts & Business, on BBC News with Huw Edwards from Monday 16 April 2012. Philip explains what the proposed changes on tax relief included in the budget might mean for arts philanthropy.

Awards update... welcoming Jaguar Land Rover, Telegraph Media Group, new event sponsors and a thank you to our judges! - Arts & Business

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Two new partners join the line-up for these awards. Plus, we have new additions to our events partners.

We're pleased to announce Jaguar Land Rover as the corporate responsibility award category sponsors and the Telegraph comes on board as Media partners.

They join Prudential, BP, Classic FM and Deutsche Bank.

Major partners

Media partners

Event partners:

Arts & Business Response to Budget, March 2012 - Arts & Business

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The main area of growth in our recent headlines figures for private investment in culture was philanthropy. At a time when the whole funding ecology of the arts is delicately poised, we need to ensure that nothing can hamper future growth. There are specific aspects of the new budget that may encourage growth, though any reduction on incentives to give could result in potential casualties.

Philip Spedding, Director, Arts & Business comments:

"In the Government driven debate to encourage the development of cultural philanthropy in this country, much has been made of the 'American model'. In the ensuing debate some have inaccurately argued that we need to adopt the American system of tax relief on philanthropy. In fact, cash donations in the UK could be given just as tax efficiently as in the US. Even less well documented was how the UK system was better than the US one in not having any limits on the allowable deductions.

For the Government to remove that advantage is a matter of some concern for three reasons. First, because it might well directly affect the thinking of donors contemplating making leadership gifts. Second, because it sends out a signal that this government does not always wish to encourage large donations and this could well affect all potential donors. Third, and possibly the most worrying, is that it breaks the basic tenet in the UK that you should not pay tax on money you have donated towards the greater good. This is a central philosophy to how the tax treatment should treat philanthropy and breaking it is a matter of grave concern to all."

The Charities Aid Foundation has warned that major donors could be discouraged after this week’s budget announcement which puts a cap on tax relief according to the BBC. DCMS say the budget will boost the creative industries here. The Stage reports on tax breaks for TV drama production. If you really want to see the entire raft of budget documents then look no further than here!

Arts & Business Appoints Philip Spedding as Director - Arts & Business

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce that Philip Spedding is the new Director of Arts & Business. He will lead our campaign to ensure that:

• the alliance between Arts & Business and Business in the Community goes from strength to strength

• our focus is on becoming business led, business funded, and a business movement

• we establish compelling arts campaigns to unite and inspire businesses

• to create closer ties between business and the arts

The role of Director replaces the role of Chief Executive. Our previous CEO, Colin Tweedy, has become a Vice-President of Arts & Business.

Philip has advised businesses ranging from American Express in New York to Deutsche Bank in London and Samsung in Seoul and he has helped arts organisations across the UK. He is on the management committee of the Charity Tax Group and has advised the Treasury, amongst others, on tax efficient giving.

After gaining a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia, Canada, Philip returned to England to work in the arts. His fundraising experience includes work at the Almeida Theatre (focusing on Individual Giving, Galas and Foundations) and at the Young Vic Theatre (Lottery grants and community fundraising initiatives).

Philip joined Arts & Business initially as the Arts advisor in the London region. He has led Arts & Business’ activity on individual giving to the arts and its international connections. He has lectured on the development of arts and private sector partnerships both across the UK and internationally in countries as wide ranging as Albania, Russia, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan.

Philip Spedding is available for interview, please contact: Jonathan Tuchner, 07970 224471 jonathan.tuchner@artsandbusiness.org.uk

Photo: Rodrigo Orrantia

South West Cultural Champions: Celebrating those who give to the arts at a reception in Bath - Arts & Business

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

All photos: Graham Burke Photography

On Friday 2nd March 2012 over fifty guests packed into the Clore Education suite at The Holburne Museum in Bath to witness and celebrate the creation of 16 new cultural champions. Guests were welcomed by a rousing speech from Xa Sturges, Director of the museum, followed by an introduction to the cultural champions initiative by Gill Bloomfield, Director of Business Consultancy at Arts & Business, with a speech and presentations then being made by Don Foster MP.

Each recipient was greeted by rapturous applause when the stepped forward to receive their certificates. With the loudest cheers going for Mr Brian Roper MBE, Chairman of Roper Rhodes Ltd, for his support over a number of year to The Holburne Museum and Adrian Mantle, a Bristol fireman, for his support of the Tobacco Factory Theatre.

The full lists of recipients are:

Gordon Mitchell Create Gloucestershire

Catherine Johnson Myrtle Theatre Company

Vanessa Stevenson  Bristol Old Vic

Tony Greenfield New Devon Opera

Julian Thomas Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory

Penny Horne  Somerset Art Works

Chris Luffingham Studio Upstairs

Gitte Dawson Sustrans Ltd

Lady Evelyn Strasburger Bath Festivals

Isabel Aimee The Art Tree

Brian Roper MBE The Holburne Museum

Adrian Mantle  Tobacco Factory Theatre

Dr. John Savage CBE Bristol Cultural Development Partnership

Andrew Brownsword Bath Preservation Trust

Phyllis Dickinson  Thelma Hulbert Gallery

Andrew Fletcher Theatre Royal Bath and the egg

Arts & Business believe that it is essential that we celebrate the work of people like these, who play a vital role supporting the cultural sector across the country.

For this reason we created our Cultural Champions initiative to publicly acknowledge the tremendous value such people bring to the arts and to encourage others to get involved. We hold a number of local prestigious events each year, with a Government Minister or VIP as guest of honour, to celebrate our Cultural Champions.

These events provide an opportunity to thank those who are making the most difference to the arts, and highlight their stories to inspire others.

New Figures for Private Investment in Culture reveal contrasting fortunes for the arts world - Arts & Business

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Arts & Business figures show slight overall growth in private sector investment in culture to £686m

• Business falls for the fourth year in a row to £134.2m

• Growth as Individual Giving climbs to £382.2m

• Trusts and Foundations increase to £170.3m

• New figures almost hit record high of 2007/08

• Additional falls in business support offset by growth in Trust and Foundations

• North’s share rises over the last three years whilst the South’s (excluding London) declined

• London captures 81% of all individual giving

• Heritage and museums bring in just over half of all private sector support

Arts & Business’s new figures reveal that in 2010/11, private investment in culture stood at £686 million, a 4% increase from the previous year. Since Arts & Business first started capturing this data in 1976, private investment in the arts has been following a general upward trend, which has been interrupted in recent years with decreases from various sources of investment.

• The overall private investment increase of 4% (not allowing for inflation) includes a 10% increase of trusts and foundations funding, a 6% increase of individual philanthropy, and a 7% decrease of business investment.

• The rise in Individual Philanthropy follows a decline in the previous two years, and is in line with its relatively fast-paced growth since 2001. The 6% increase brings the levels of arts philanthropy to £382.2 million, which is higher than at any point in the past.

• Business investment has fallen 7% to £134.2m. Although businesses are still committed to working with the arts, they are not hardwired to do so. Corporate money is a discretionary spend; particularly in hard times. As a result, business investment in 2010/11 is now lower than it was in 2004/05.

• Funding from trusts and foundations increased in 10/11 by 10%, and is higher than business investment for the second year in a row, thereby helping the overall moderate private investment increase. Funding from this source now accounts for 25% of the total private investment received in the sector and now stands at £170.2 million.

Philip Spedding is available for interview, please contact: Jonathan Tuchner, 07970 224471 jonathan.tuchner@artsandbusiness.org.uk

Tate Liverpool selected as first partner in Sky Arts Ignition Series - Arts & Business

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Award winning artist Doug Aitken commissioned to create installation on Albert Dock

Sky Arts will partner with Tate Liverpool on a brand new artwork for Liverpool Biennial, opening in September 2012. The commission will be the first project in the Sky Arts Ignition Series, a new programme which will see Sky Arts collaborate with six arts organisations over the next three years in the creation of brand new works.

Doug Aitken is one of the world’s most established and innovative contemporary artists. Aitken's body of work ranges from photography, sculpture and architectural interventions to films, sound, moving image pieces and installations.

His work has been featured in exhibitions worldwide, in institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art and The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, the Vienna Secession, the Serpentine Gallery, London and the Centre Pompidou, Paris. He participated in the Whitney Biennial in 1997 and 2000 and won the International Prize at the Venice Biennale in 1999. His innovative outdoor projects have included Sleepwalkers at MoMA in 2007, which transformed an entire block of Manhattan into an expansive cinematic experience; his permanent Sonic Pavilion 2009 in the hills of Brazil; large-scale film and architecture installation Frontier 2009 on Rome's Isola Tiberina; and his recent immersive installation Black Mirror, performed by actress Chloe Sevigny, rock band No Age, dancers and gospel singers on a moving barge off the island of Hydra, Greece in 2011.

The Sky Arts Ignition Series launched in 2011, and will enable Sky Arts to back the creation of major new works of art as well as nurture emerging talent. For each of the chosen projects, Sky Arts will provide a cash investment of up to £200,000 and work with the arts partners to bring their projects to a wider audience, using Sky’s platform. In conjunction, The Futures Fund is designed to help young talent to bridge the development gap from school or college to becoming a working artist. The fund will support five individuals with a bursary of £30,000 each, and opera director Daisy Evans and animator Phoebe Boswell have been selected as the first two recipients for 2012.

Sky Arts is also supporting young creative talent on air, with the SKY ARTS IGNITION STINGS – ten idents that have been created by young people exclusively for Sky Arts in collaboration with Sky Creative Agency.

The Sky Arts and Tate Liverpool commission will be Aitken’s first public realm installation in the UK. The installation will form part of the seventh Liverpool Biennial. It will be free admission and will open to the public on 15 September 2012, continuing to 13 January 2013.

Tate Liverpool’s project was selected from the first round of applications to the Sky Arts Ignition Series, which was shortlisted and selected in consultation with Melvyn Bragg, Mariella Frostrup, Sandi Toksvig and Tim Marlow.

“We were overwhelmed with the high calibre of entries for the Sky Arts Ignition Series,” comments James Hunt, Director of Sky Arts. “We are thrilled to be kicking off with such strong partners as Tate Liverpool and Doug Aitken. Doug, with his history of groundbreaking and innovative pieces, is the perfect collaborative partner for this project and we look forward to developing the work further.”

Sook-Kyung Lee, Exhibitions and Displays Curator, Tate Liverpool said: “Doug Aitken is one of the most innovative artists working across film, installation and new media today, stretching and erasing perceived boundaries between different artistic media. His previous installations, which have transformed public spaces around the world from New York to Hydra Island, Greece, show that we can expect an installation that is significant and compelling. Affecting a larger audience is a great concern for the artist, and Tate Liverpool’s partnership with Sky Arts will allow him to reach out in new ways.”

The Series complements Sky Arts’ existing support of book festivals around the country, broadcasting live from Hay Festival, Cheltenham Literary Festival, Bath Literature Festival and Brighton Literature Festival, and comes as a natural evolution of Sky’s longstanding support for the arts.

Applications for the second round of the Sky Arts Ignition Series are open at sky.com/skyartsignition. Deadline: 30 March 2012

Sky Arts: New Look, New Faces, New Home and an Even Bigger Contribution to the Arts - Arts & Business

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Sky Arts is to become even bigger and bolder with a range of ground breaking new programmes, innovations and projects for 2012. Supported by a trebling of the channel’s budget, Sky Arts is set to inspire and engage with even more customers, whether on-screen through ambitious new programming, or on the ground through its support of arts projects and emerging British artists.

Supported by a new look and brand identity, a higher profile position on the Sky channel guide and the channel’s launch on Sky Go, highlights for customers this year include:

Getting even bigger and bolder on screen

As part of Sky’s commitment to increase its annual investment in home-grown programming to £600 million by 2014, Sky Arts will see its programming budget increase three-fold. Thanks to this investment, Sky Arts will grow the breadth of its content, to help it reach an even wider audience. Forthcoming highlights include:

• Playhouse Presents…Emma Thompson, David Tennant, Sheila Hancock, Stephen Fry, Richard E. Grant and Sir Tom Jones - in his very first acting role - are just a few of the household names in a spectacular line-up of brand new plays

• Sir Michael Parkinson returns to British TV with a brand new format for Sky Arts

• Sky Arts brings The South Bank Show back to screens in 2012, hosted, edited and produced by Melvyn Bragg

• Flagship Sky Arts series such as The Book Show, In Confidence and Tim Marlow On…return for new runs in 2012

Supporting arts on the ground across the UK and Ireland

Throughout 2012 Sky Arts will continue its commitment to supporting the arts across the UK and Ireland by encouraging active participation in the arts. This will include showcasing, creating and investing directly in the arts, with specific projects such as:

• The Sky Arts Ignition Series , a new scheme enabling Sky Arts to back the creation of major new works of art as well as nurture emerging talent. Sky Arts will collaborate with six arts organisations over the next three years in the creation of brand new works.

• The launch of the first project in the Sky Arts Ignition Series will take place in September at the Liverpool Biennial, in partnership with Tate Liverpool and globally acclaimed contemporary artist Doug Aitken.

• Meanwhile, later this year, the first winners of the Sky Arts Ignitition Futures Fund, a project which sees Sky investing directly in up-and-coming artists, will launch their new projects. The Fund is designed to help young talent to bridge the development gap from school or college to becoming a working artist.

Making Sky Arts even easier to find and watch

With a new on-air look and feel, the Sky Arts channels will move up Sky’s Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) so that they are even more accessible, both to the more than 3 million viewers who already tune into Sky Arts each month, as well as those Sky homes who will discover Sky Arts in months ahead. The changes include:

• Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 1 HD moving to channel number 129, with Sky Arts 2 and Sky Arts 2 HD moving to channel number 130.

• Arts fans can also now enjoy their favourite programmes on the go with Sky Arts 1 now available through Sky Go, for viewing on 3G and WiFi viewing on tablets and smartphones.

Jeremy Darroch, Sky’s Chief Executive, comments: “At Sky, we’re committed to providing our customers with the very best entertainment available anywhere. Sky Arts is already a major success story, reaching around 3 million viewers each month. We believe Sky Arts has a very bright future, and by increasing our investment on- and off-screen, we can make it even bigger and better.”

James Hunt, Director of Sky Arts, adds: “I’ve always said I’ve got the best job in TV – and our plans for 2012 only confirm this for me. It’s hard to know what to be most excited by – the thrilling talent we now have coming to the channel, the raft of fantastic ideas we have for programmes or the enormously exciting work that’s happening off air. We’re delighted to be able to offer our customers this kind of content, and the unique opportunity to experience what we do off screen as well as on. Needless to say, we’re also thrilled that, in our new home, it’s even easier for them to find us, and to find more of what they love.”

Fantastic arts and business collaborations at the 33rd Arts & Business Awards - Arts & Business

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Nominations have now closed!

This year's categories:

• A&B Corporate Responsibility Award

• A&B Innovation Award

• BP A&B Long-term Partnership Award

• A&B Sponsorship Award

• Prudential A&B Volunteering and People Development Award

Past winners include, Sky Arts, HSBC, Ekspan, Travelex, Siemens PLC and Classic FM, who have all been recognised for their innovative cultural programmes. Programmes that support local communities and brought growth in their business through by developing staff or increasing their profile.

The shortlist and winners will be businesses who the judges believe invest in partnerships with cultural organisations in valuable and impactful ways. We are highlighting the benefits the partnerships bring through corporate responsibility, innovation, sponsorship, staff retention and training and long-term investment.

The winners will be announced at an invitation only event mid-May

Shortlist late April / early May 2012

Winners announced at invitation only ceremony at Central St Martin's, Kings Cross, London on Tuesday 22 May 2012

Sponsors:

Media partner:

Judging day hosts:

Plus one! Google searches out culture and joins Arts & Business as newest Principal Member - Arts & Business

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

People are consuming and connecting with culture online like never before. That is why we are delighted that Google (recently voted the number 1 brand in the UK) has become our most recent Principal Member.

Google has recently announced a number of partnershipswith cultural bodies, in particular with Bletchley Park and the Science Museum. Google executive Simon Meacham has been supporting Bletchley Park's fundraising efforts and last year helped the Trust to purchase Alan Turing's papers. Peter Barron, head of external relations for Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said: "I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that without Alan Turing, Google in the form we know it would not exist.”

Google and the Science Museum have also announced that the Museum will use a gift from Google to fund an exhibition in 2012 marking the centenary of Alan Turing’s birth and a new permanent display, Making Modern Communications, that will explore the history of information and communication technologies and is scheduled to open in Summer 2014.

Google has also been at the forefront of increasing awareness of the possibilities of digital marketing for arts and heritage bodies. The Let’s Get Real campaign in conjunction with Culture 24 was the start of an undertaking to bring the arts and the internet closer together. As part of Arts & Business’ joint work Google will be hosting a special day linking macro digital themes alongside practical issues around Adwords, Places, G and Google Grants - all looking to build audiences and funding streams for our arts partners.