Audiences Central News

BRB appoint new Media & PR Manager

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:53:00 GMT

Birmingham Royal Ballet have appointmented Simon Harper as their new Media and Public Relations Manager.

Formerly the Company’s Press and PR Officer, Harper brings a wealth of experience in dance and public relations to the role of Media and PR Manager.

Born in Birmingham and trained in dance at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, he worked as a freelance dancer, including performances in West End productions of Chicago, Grease, Me and My Girl, 42nd Street and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

His career development follows press and public relation roles at Sadler’s Wells in London and Birmingham City Council’s Gallery 37 programme; a creative learning programme for young people.

In September 2009 he embarked on a two year, part-time MPhil research programme in Education Studies (Dance) at the University of Birmingham.

His appointment takes effect from Monday 9 November 2009.

For more information, see: www.brb.org.uk

Coventry landmark to introduce admission charge

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:35:00 GMT

Coventry Cathedral will be the first Cathedral in the Midlands to introduce a ticketed entry scheme, and a spokesperson for the venue says it is unlikely to be the last.

From January 2010, visitors will be required to pay an entry charge of £4.50 (£5 with gift aid) to view the cultural and heritage attractions of the Cathedral. There will, however, be a range of concessions and a large number of people will be entitled to free entry.

Faced with spiralling costs of repairing their heritage buildings combined with the challenges of a deep recession, over a third of English Cathedrals now charge tourists at levels ranging from £4 to £15 (Westminster Abbey).

The maintenance, upkeep, and running costs for Coventry Cathedral are over £4,080 per day, or £1.49 million annually.

The Cathedral receives no local or national government funding, and English Heritage will close its Cathedral Grants Scheme at the end of 2009 - withdrawing £3 million of annual grants from England’s cathedrals. The Cathedral receives no income from the Church or Diocese towards the maintenance and running costs of its buildings.

It's estimated 80,000 visitors (not including Sunday worshippers) will have visited the site in 2009.

Ticketed entry will apply Monday through Saturday, although charges will not apply on Sundays which will continue to be primarily for worship and when group visits will not be accepted. It is of the utmost importance that the Cathedral continues to be accessible and of service to the City and Diocese of Coventry and there will be no charge for visitors coming to the Cathedral to pray, to meet with a Cathedral Chaplain, or to members of the congregation and the Cathedral Ruins will remain open to the public and free to enter. There will be an annual pass scheme for those who live locally, and group visits and school tour arrangements will continue as at present.

For more information, see: www.coventrycathedral.org.uk

New model constitution for small charities

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:11:00 GMT

The Charity Commission (England and Wales) has launched a new, simplified model constitution for charities with an income under £5,000.

The constitution is specifically designed for charities which expect to stay small - it is not meant for charities that own a building, employ people or intend to register with the Charity Commission.

Small groups which are not charities are also welcome to use this model constitution, though they would not be covered by charity law.

For more information, see: www.charitycommission.gov.uk/registration/smallcharity.asp

Ambassador Theatre Group buys Live Nation Theatres

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:40:00 GMT

As of 3 November 2009 Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) confirmed that it had completed the purchase of Live Nation’s UK Theatres (excluding their one third share of The Dominion Theatre).

The cost of the acquisition is £90 million and the deal creates a combined business valued at some £150 million.

Co-founded by Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire in 1992, ATG, with the acquisition of Live Nation Theatres, will have a total of 39 venues. When the new theatre in Aylesbury opens, this total will stand at 40.

Former BBC Director General Greg Dyke will be joining the company in the new role of Executive Chairman. Sir Eddie Kulukundis OBE will remain as Life President.

ATG was advised by Deloitte’s Corporate Finance. Live Nation was advised by Goldman Sachs.

The Live Nation theatres being acquired are the Edinburgh Playhouse; The Auditorium, Grimsby; Liverpool Empire; Bristol Hippodrome; The Palace Theatre and The Opera House, Manchester; Southport Theatre; Sunderland Empire; Grand Opera House, York; Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham; Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone; The New Theatre and The Old Fire Station, Oxford; the Princess Theatre, Torquay and The Lyceum and Apollo Victoria Theatre, London.

ATG’s current regional UK theatres include The Ambassadors Woking encompassing the New Victoria and Rhoda McGaw Theatres and the award-winning 6 screen cinema complex, Ambassador Cinemas; Theatre Royal Brighton; The Regent Theatre and The Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent; Milton Keynes Theatre; Churchill Theatre Bromley; Richmond Theatre, Surrey; The King’s Theatre and The Theatre Royal, Glasgow; New Wimbledon Theatre and the New Wimbledon Studio. ATG has also recently won a tender to operate the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, which is due to open in 2010.

For more information please see: www.alexandratheatre.org.uk

Birmingham Royal Ballet announce appointment of new Music Director

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:40:00 GMT

Following the appointment of Barry Wordsworth as Music Director of The Royal Ballet and an international search for his successor, Birmingham Royal Ballet is delighted to announce, after an exhaustive recruitment process, the appointment of Koen Kessels as its Music Director.

A Belgian national, Kessels studied at the Royal Flemish Conservatoire of Music in Antwerp. He has worked extensively across the world with companies including the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Flanders Opera, the Opera National de Paris and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

In 1998 he founded the HERMESensemble specialising in contemporary music, for which he collaborated amongst others with Luc Ferrari, Kaija Saariaho, Yan Maresz, Joby Talbot and George Benjamin. In 2000 he worked with Kent Nagano on the world premiere of l’Amour de Loin at the Salzburger Festspiele 2000.

Since 2005, he has been a regular guest conductor for the Ballet at the Opéra National de Paris (Le Parc, Coppélia, Proust, Cinderella, Hurlevent, Hommage Jerôme Robbins, and Giselle, with several engagements following for upcoming seasons. With Le Parc, he toured Japan and also performed at Sadler’s Wells. Proust (Roland Petit), Cinderella (Nureyev) (Opus d’Or) and Hommage Jerôme Robbins have been released on DVD.

Koen Kessels is music director of Zomeropera Alden Biesen (Belgium), artistic director of HERMESensemble, guest conductor at The National Opera Sofia and member of the artistic direction at the Antwerp Royal Music Conservatoire.

Christopher Barron, Chief Executive of Birmingham Royal Ballet, said:
“This appointment underpins our commitment to the highest quality of performance across all areas of the Company. As one of the major commissioners of new music for dance and a Company striving to develop both our repertoire and the art form, Koen’s contribution will be essential as we move forward. The recruitment period for this post has been long and thorough and we believe we have made an excellent choice of the individual who will lead our orchestra, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, into the next stage of its history”

Koen Kessels said:
“On tour for the Ballet of Flanders with Swan Lake, I had the chance to work for the first time with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. It was a real pleasure. Our second meeting was in Sadler’s Wells with the Paris Opera and Le Parc. On the third occasion, preparing our Covent Garden performances of The Nutcracker, I met the company in Birmingham and had my first conversations with David Bintley. When the proposal came to succeed Barry Wordsworth, I felt very honoured and proud”

Kessels will conduct a number of performances of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker in December and will join the Company for its 2010 season.

For further information contact

Keith Longmore, Communications Director on 0121 245 3529 or KeithLongmore@brb.org.uk
Simon Harper, Press and PR Officer on 0121 245 3562 or SimonHarper@brb.org.uk

Beyond Bricks

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:04:00 GMT

The Beyond Bricks report has been published and is presented as a hardback book containing information about individual artists and the communities who worked together from March to July 2009. The book also includes a DVD.

The Beyond Bricks programme is an exciting collaboration initiated and led by Urban Living and Arts Council England, West Midlands, and is managed by local community arts organisation Multistory.

The delivery of creative activities provided opportunities for artist and residents to work together to respond to the social, economic and environmental changes taking place in Lozells and East Handsworth, Birmingham.

Audiences Central was commissioned to undertake mapping of the arts and cultural provision in the locality. Interventions were delivered as geo-tagging, pod and vod casting as well as face-to-face questionnaires.

A second phase of Beyond Bricks featuring will be more creative projects to get involved in across the North West of Birmingham and Sandwell is planned.

For further details on the report and the project, see: www.beyondbricks.net
Email: karlgreenwood@multistory.org.uk
Telephone: 0121 524 2135

Staffordshire Treasure Exhibited at the British Museum.

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:46:00 GMT

The Anglo Saxon Gold and Silver, found on Fred Johnson's Litchfield farm in July last year, can now be found on show in London - with Mr Johnson recently paying his first visit to the exhibition.

Pieces were initially displayed in Birmingham City Museum. It is hoped that the treasure will eventually return to its home county of Staffordshire.

For more information see: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/nov/03/staffordshire-treasure-hoard-british-museum

Arts Council England publishes criteria for regular funding

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:49:00 GMT

Arts Council England has published the criteria it uses to make decisions about which organisations to fund regularly.

The criteria will provide greater clarity and transparency about how the Arts Council makes funding decisions.

The Arts Council currently provides around £350 million each year to regularly funded organisations and The criteria for Arts Council England regular funding explains the framework the Arts Council uses to assess whether an organisation should receive regular funding.

The document describes two sets of criteria:

- the first set looks at the organisation itself, to ensure that it is a good, well-managed organisation

- the second set ensures that the organisation fits into the overall arts infrastructure that the Arts Council is seeking to support

Some of the qualities that need to be demonstrated by organisations include excellent and innovative programmes of work, high quality public engagement and effective governance and management. Taken together, regularly funded organisations also need to represent a diverse range of artforms across the country and help the Arts Council achieve its mission of great art for everyone.

The document also makes clear the requirements and responsibilities an organisation must be willing and able to meet in order to become a regularly funded organisation.

The criteria for Arts Council England regular funding can be viewed at www.artscouncil.org.uk/criteriaforfunding

State of the Region

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:47:00 GMT

West Midlands Regional Observatory (WMRO) has published their State Of The Region Report 2009.

Officially launched at the Observatory's Annual Conference, the report tackles a range of issues, including:

Raising participation in cultural and sporting activities
Impact of the recession on the West Midlands
Preparing for the economic recovery
Improving productivity and economic inclusion
Improving reliability of the region's transport network
Reducing worklessness
Raising qualification levels
Enhancing the economic contribution of minority ethnic groups
Addressing the needs of an ageing population and a growing gap in age profiles between urban and rural areas

The report also explores issues relating to health improvement, the image of the region, the environment and climate change, housing and crime.

The report states: "The cultural sector forms an important and growing part of the region’s economy, representing nearly a tenth of regional output according to the latest figures. Productivity is also above average and the sector is not suffering as much as some in the recession, as people see it as providing an opportunity to escape from the problems they are facing."

State Of The Region 2009: Download the full report
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Other recent WMRO reports include What makes a sustainable community? and The West Midlands' changing population.
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For more information, see: www.wmro.org

Data Protection Act E-Learning tool for museums

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:12:00 GMT

The Data Protection Act (DPA) e-learning tool for museums is now freely available from the Collections Link website.

Developed as part of the Hub Information and Records Management Project, funded by the MLA’s Renaissance Programme for the London Museums Hub, the aim of the tool is to raise awareness of the DPA and its implications in the museum sector.

It is anticipated that the tool will be used as part of museum induction programmes and for refresher training for existing staff. It comprises five sections that should take no longer than 20 minutes to complete.

The tool:

guides users through a practical summary of basic DPA concepts with museum-specific examples
defines the remit of the DPA
introduces its principles
discusses the obligations of the individual and the museum under the Act
considers six different ‘case studies’ within the museum context
provides users with an interactive quiz at the end of each section.

The e-learning tool can be installed on web servers (intranet or extranet), individual computers, or shared network drives, and can also be run directly from the Collections Link website at:
http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/DPA-Tool/index.html.

Also available for download from this address is the tool installer for servers and an Installation and Customisation Guide. The new tool joins a related e-learning tool on museum records management and materials from the project’s 30 March 2009 symposium on Ways Forward in Information Management for Museums.

To achieve cross-platform functionality, the tool runs in a standard web browser and has been designed to work in an accessible environment across a variety of web browsers. It is a simple HTML and JavaScript application that takes up very little file space.

To date, the Hub Information and Records Management Project has assessed and evaluated current business records management practices that support compliance with the DPA, developed and implemented a strategy for improvements across the Hub museums, and is now rolling out free training and guidance for museums across the region through workshops, consultancies and online materials. The project's e-learning tools will comprise part of a larger Records Management Toolkit for museums, to be launched in early 2010.

Funding for ukonline centres

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:01:00 GMT

The LSC has made capital funding available during 2009/10 for both new and existing UK online centres.

The proposal focuses only on capital equipment needed, to support delivery of the entitlement to Digital Life Skills in UK online centres; supporting the most vulnerable people in society.

The funding will be targeted to support activity in two key areas namely:

Where there is a clear need and digital exclusion in the most deprived areas of the country, with no existing UK online centres coverage.

Where there is a need to update an existing centre (loss of function and/or access due to frequent technical failure) or to kit out a new centre in an area where there is some digital exclusion/limited access, in the most deprived areas of the country.

Grants of between £2,500 and £15,000 will be available, the amount of money awarded will be decided upon with reference to the submitted application.

All monies awarded to successful bids have to be spent before 31 March 2010.

For more details on the grant, see: Apply Now!

UK online centres are in the places where they can work with the people and communities who need them most. More than half of all UK online centres are in the 2,000 most deprived areas in England.

They're open at times to suit their communities, with drop-in facilities, classes and even outreach programmes to take technology out to new people and places.

For more information, see: www.ukonlinecentres.com

Audiences Central delivers ACE's West Midlands engagement campaign

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:45:00 GMT

Arts Council England (WM) is funding Audiences Central to manage the delivery of a regionally-focussed engagement campaign within the West Midlands.

This will launch in April 2010 at the same time as the national engagement campaign (featured in ‘news’ a couple of weeks ago).

It is becoming clear nationally that there are a small percentage of audiences that are highly engaged, and we have traditionally put audience development and engagement resources into the other end of the spectrum, the ‘hard to reach’ audiences.

However, to realistically make a statistical improvement in the number of people in the region taking part in arts and cultural activities, in line with the national objectives, we need to work with significant numbers of people who are ‘somewhat engaged’ and with a long-term strategy – in this region we have identified those people as Dinner and a Show, Family and Community Focus and Mid-Life Hobbyists, using the Audience Insight profiles.

If you’re an arts or cultural organisation with an agenda around engagement, or have target groups that match these profiles, we'd like to invite you to meet with us and other potential partners on Thursday 19 November 2009 from 10am to 3pm at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

If you’re interested in attending please contact natalie.robinson@audiencescentral.co.uk as soon as possible as there are limited places available.
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To find out more about the day and the Public Engagement work, please contact Sarah Kennedy on 0121 6852607 or email sarah.kennedy@audiencecentral.co.uk
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More detail about the target groups can be found at:
www artscouncil.org.uk
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You can also sign up to receive updates about the national campaign at www.helloart.org.uk

Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards 2009 winners

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:05:00 GMT

The Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards 2009 celebrates the cream of the West Midlands' tourism industry.

The annual awards were announced at a ceremony at Birmingham's ICC on 29 October 2009.

Brian Summers, chairman of Tourism West Midlands said, “The calibre of the winners is the highest I have ever seen. The wonderful ceremony last night made me very proud to be involved in tourism – which is truly at the heart of the West Midlands’ economy and culture.

“This year we have had record entries and a record attendance. All the winners demonstrated outstanding levels of customer service, plus exemplary facilities. They have also shown a deep commitment to sustainability, the environment and being accessible to all.

“I was delighted to see a range of new and more established attractions attending, clearly demonstrating that the tourism sector isn’t standing still, but is constantly looking forward and growing."

The winners were:

Outstanding Contribution Awards
Individual – Ian Walden, Black Country Living Museum
Organisation – Drayton Manor Theme Park

Shropshire
Gold awards
Best Bar/Inn (Publically Voted) - The Armoury, Shrewsbury
Business Tourism - Best Convention Bureau - Telford & Shropshire Conferences
Large Visitor Attraction - Blists Hill Victorian Town, Ironbridge

Silver Awards
Business Tourism - Best Exhibition Venue - The RAF Museum, Cosford

Highly Commended
Best One Off or Annual Event - Ludlow Food & Drink Festival

Birmingham and the Black Country
Gold awards
Outstanding Customer Care Award - Debbie Bisseker - Cadbury World
Taste of the Heart - Opus Restaurant
Self Catering - Serviced Apartments - Staying Cool at the Rotunda
Regional Culture Award - The Birmingham Hippodrome
Business Tourism - Best Conference Venue - The International Convention Centre
Business Tourism - Best Exhibition Venue - The National Exhibition Centre
Business Tourism - Best Convention Bureau - Birmingham Convention Bureau
Small Visitor Attraction - Museum of the Jewellery Quarter

Silver Awards
Access For All Award - Cadbury World
Sustainable Tourism Award - Jurys Inn Birmingham
Self Catering - Serviced Apartments - City Nites
Business Tourism - Best Conference Venue - Etc Venues
Small Visitor Attraction - Birmingham Back to Backs

Highly Commended
Best Bar/Inn (Publically Voted) - The Wellington
Taste of the Heart - Al Frash
Self Catering - Serviced Apartments - City Quarters
Large Hotel - New Hall Hotel & Spa
Best Bar/Inn (Publically Voted) - The Old Swan, Netherton
Outstanding Customer Care Award - Chris Holloway - Galton Valley Museum
Best One Off or Annual Event - Women Chainmakers’ Festival
Large Visitor Attraction - Black Country Living Museum

Herefordshire
Gold Awards
Self Catering - The Colloquy, Lyonshall
Caravan Holiday Park - Poston Mill Caravan Park, Peterchurch
Bed & Breakfast /Guest Accommodation - Lowe Farm, Leominster

Silver Awards
Best One Off or Annual Event - Flavours of Herefordshire Festival
Sustainable Tourism Award - Poston Mill Caravan Park, Peterchurch
Taste of the Heart - Wilton Court Hotel
Small Hotel - Wilton Court Hotel

Highly Commended
Caravan Holiday Park - The Woodhouse Farm Cottages
Best Pub (Publically Voted) - The Volunteer

Warwickshire
Gold Awards
Best Tourism Experience - Shakespeare’s Houses & Gardens
Large Hotel - Ardencote Manor Hotel, Claverdon
Best One Off or Annual Event - Godiva Festival

Silver
Best Bar/Inn (Public Voted) - The Bluebell, Henley-in-Arden
Business Tourism - Best Convention Bureau - Shakespeare Country

Highly Commended
Access For All Award - Guiding You
Tourist Information Service - Shakespeare Country TIC
Regional Culture Award - Guiding You
Large Hotel - Menzies Welcombe Hotel

Staffordshire
Gold Awards
My Best Day Out Award (Publically Voted) - Alton Towers Resort
Tourist Information Service - Stoke-on-Trent TIC

Silver Awards
My Best Day Out Award (Publically Voted) - Drayton Manor Theme Park
Best Tourism Experience - Drayton’s Magical Christmas
Tourist Information Service - Lichfield TIC
Caravan Holiday Park - The Star Caravan & Camping Park
Regional Culture Award - Shugborough Hall & Estate
Large Visitor Attraction - Drayton Manor Theme Park

Highly Commended
Best Tourism Experience - Go Ape, Cannock
Business Tourism - Best Exhibition Venue - Drayton Manor Park
Best Bar/Inn (Publically Voted) - The Bulls Head

Worcestershire
Gold Awards
Small Hotel - Brockencote Hall Hotel, Chaddesley Corbett
Access for All - Hidelow House Cottages, Acton Beauchamp
Sustainable Tourism - Hidelow House Cottages, Acton Beauchamp

Silver Awards
Outstanding Customer Care Award - Chris Catford - Cotswold Conference Centre
Self Catering - Broadway Manor Cottages
Bed & Breakfast/Guest Accommodation - Windrush House

Highly Commended
My Best Day Award (Publically Voted) - West Midlands Safari Park
Sustainable Tourism Award - Cotswold Conference Centre
Bed & Breakfast/Guest Accommodation - Lower End Farm
Business Tourism - Best Conference Venue - Cotswold Conference Centre
Small Hotel - The Elms Luxury Family Hotel
Self Catering - Hidelow House Cottages, Acton Beauchamp
Best Bar/Inn - The Boot
Small Visitor Attraction - Witley Court & Gardens

All gold winners will be entered into the national Enjoy England Awards to represent the West Midlands in early 2010.

Museums Association: Diversify to include low income backgrounds

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:12:00 GMT

The Museums Association is looking for museums to host Diversify bursaries, which are now open to anyone from a low-income background.

Lucy Shaw, the MA's Diversify coordinator, said: "It has long been our ambition to broaden the scheme, and this round of bursaries will be open to a wider pool of people, not just BME groups, but also people from lower socio-economic groups.

"This is a brilliant opportunity for museums to look at diversifying their workforce in a broader way, not just focusing on ethnicity, with a tried and tested model. "

"It is also a chance for museums to look at how they can attract groups of people who might not traditionally have been interested in a museum career."

Host museums are being sought for these six bursaries, as well as for four management-level bursaries and three Bill Kirby Traineeships for deaf and disabled people.

The schemes will be funded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and by the host museums.

For more information please see: www.museumsassociation.org/diversify

Ikon's gallery plans gain more support

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:41:00 GMT

Arts Council Chair Liz Forgan has welcomed the Ikon Gallery's dream of a new museum for international contemporary art in Birmingham.

Speaking at the Ikon's annual dinner (27/10/09), she praised both the gallery and the city, adding "Birmingham has visionary change in its DNA."

On the Ikon's plans for a new contemporary gallery, she said: "We at the Arts Council support ambition and excellence and we will do our utmost to support [the Ikon] in this endeavour."

To read a full transcript of Liz's speech, see: www.artscouncil.org.uk

Staff changes at Audiences Central

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:32:00 GMT

Congratulations to Johnathan Branson, Danny Watkins and Jan McQuillan, as all three take up new roles within Audiences Central.

Danny will be moving from Arts+Media, where he's Marketing & Administrations Officer, into the Marketing Services & Campaigns Officer position previously held by Anna Cook, while RSC Marketing Assistant Jan McQuillan replaces Abby Corfan as our new Audience Engagement Officer.

Both Danny and Jan will be starting in November, and we wish them both the very best.

Meanwhile, Senior Audience Development Officer Johnathan takes on the additional role of Regional Network Co-Ordinator - more details on this exciting new development soon.

New £5 Million Heritage Lottery Fund grant programme

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:42:00 GMT

Skills for the Future is a new £5million HLF grant programme supporting organisations across the UK to create heritage training placements. It will fund traditional conservation training and also the skills needed to engage people with heritage. This could include the skills to deliver education, community participation or volunteering programmes, or to use new media and technology to open up heritage.

Help with your application
English Heritage will provide help before you apply. Please read online guidance and complete a pre-application form, both available at www.hlf.org.uk/skills from 2 December 2009.

Other dates include:

4 December 2009, Swansea
7 December 2009, London
9 December 2009, Comber,Northern Ireland
10 December 2009, Leeds
11 December 2009, Edinburgh

Dates in January 2010 to be announced.

Further information
To register your interest in the programme, or to sign up for a pre-application workshop:
Please email your full contact details to:
skills@hlf.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7591 6042
Textphone: 020 7591 6255
Website: www.hlf.org.uk

Heritage Lottery Fund - Opportunities to join Committee for the West Midlands

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:49:00 GMT

Heritage Lottery Fund iscurrently recruiting for a new Chair and Committee Member for the Heritage Lottery Fund's Committee for the West Midlands .

This will be a wonderful opportunity for someone who is enthusiastic about the UK’s heritage.

The closing date for applications is 23 November 2009.

Please visit the HLF website at http://www.hlf.org.uk for more details about the post and the organisation.

Outside IN commissioning leading disabled artists

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:42:00 GMT

Outside IN is commissioning new work from three of the UK’s leading Disabled Artists for inclusion in three mainstream galleries in the West Midlands and Welsh Borders from 2010 to 2011.

The disability inclusive project Outside IN has been designed and is coordinated by DASH (the UK’s leading rural Disability Arts organisation in the UK) and is working in partnership with Oriel Davies Wales, The New Art Gallery Walsall and Wolverhampton Art Gallery to commission innovative and original Disability Art across the region for inclusion in their programmes in 2010 and 2011. Outside IN is designed also to develop the practice and profile of Disabled Artists of immense talent and creativity.

The primary objective of Outside IN is to increase the number of Disabled and Deaf artists working in partnership with mainstream galleries and to raise the profile of Disability Art and artists locally, regionally and nationally.

Beginnings:

Outside IN started in 2008 when DASH - as a Regularly Funded Organisation - had an increase in Arts Council funding and raised the question: ‘Why are there so few Disabled Artists exhibited in mainstream galleries?’ As a result, DASH began a dialogue with a number of galleries and DASH received very positive responses and identified a desire to challenge and change the under-representation of Disability Art and disabled artists exhibiting in mainstream Art Galleries. DASH held workshops with the three galleries selected to work in partnership with DASH on the Outside IN project exploring ‘What is Disability Art?’

The primary result of this was that DASH, in partnership with each gallery, will be commissioning a Disabled Artist to be part of their programme in 2010 or 2011. In addition to the three artist commissions there will be a series of ‘artists in conversation’ events in each partner gallery and at DASH’s space in Shrewsbury.

The project culminates in a Disability Art and Culture symposium in December 2011; an event that will be informed and led by the evaluation of Outside IN. The symposium will be specifically aimed at Gallery and Museum staff working in contemporary art practice. The symposium will also be the launch event for the ‘lead on’ project that is the next stage of Outside IN. Evaluation had to be a key strategic element of the project in order to create a solid foundation for the future and extension of the Project.

Now:

All three galleries will be shortlisting artists for the three commissions in October 2009 with interviews taking place in November as well as finalising the dates for the inclusion of the selected artist’s in each galleries programme. Soon after, DASH will be setting out the calendar for the ‘Artists in Conversation’ events. Plus, of course, the date and details of the Symposium, in the latter part of 2011, will be finalised.

Next:

The first artist will start at The New Art Gallery Walsall in early 2010 – working in the Gallery’s exciting space known as the ‘Artists Studio’. In the space a Disabled Artist will be creating new ideas and engaging audiences like never before: bringing Disability Art to the space and mainstream audiences. The aim is to also bring disabled people into the mainstream of arts exhibition as part of the development of new audiences for Disability Art and for the partner galleries. The New Art Gallery Walsall will be the first Outside IN commission to place: a disabled artist at the Artists' Studio for three two week periods during the 12 months of 2011. In addition, they will be the first to host an Artist in Conversation event in the autumn of 2010.

Soon:

The second Artist in Conversation event will take place at DASH, in Shrewsbury, and will take place in March of 2011; the third Artist in Conversation event will be at Oriel Davies Wales in the summer of 2011. The artist commissioned to create a new work at Oriel Davies will be exhibited in September 2011.

In relation to Wolverhampton Art Gallery, the Disability Art commission will be showcased in the autumn and winter of 2011 Wolverhampton Art Gallery; a period during which the final Artist in Conversation event will take place.

All event dates to be confirmed ...

The Director of DASH, Mike Layward, states that:

‘Outside IN does what it says on the tin’. DASH welcomes the spirit of co-operation and generosity of the three galleries who have approached Outside IN with open minds to the possibilities of this project and invited DASH into their gallery. This is only the beginning, the possibilities are infinite’.

Paul Darke, DASH’s Visual Arts Manager (lead officer for Outside IN), states that:

Outside IN is at the forefront of Disability Arts promotion and delivery and, I believe, Outside IN to be an exciting, original and bold innovation in the inclusion of different voices within the mainstream of art exhibition and commissioning. Outside IN not only challenges mainstream practice in the arts but changes the very nature of commissioning and ensures a degree of inclusion of disabled people that has not happened before in relation to Disability Arts.
DASH Contacts:

DASH
Paul Darke – Visual Arts Manager – darke@dasharts.org
Mike Layward – Artistic Director - mike@dasharts.org
Paula Dower – General Manager – paula@dasharts.org
Tel: 01743 272939 / 271676 - www.dasharts.org

MLA announce Light Touch Peer Review

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:47:00 GMT

MLA has developed a Light Touch Peer Review tool in order to help improve museums, libraries and archives services for users and communities.

The new guidance, published by the MLA, helps museums, libraries and archives learn from each other and have access to best practice - outlining how to conduct a peer review.

It recognises that the sector contains within it the professionalism, knowledge and expertise necessary to drive its own improvement. A review allows a team of people who understand the pressures and challenges of running cultural services to review an organisation's practices in a challenging but supportive way.

The MLA has built on its past experience of facilitating peer reviews, working with organisations such as the Improvement and Development Agency and has developed an approach that supports improvement, is light on bureaucracy and can be adapted to local circumstance.

The guidance outlines some reasons to undertake a peer review - they might include:

* Help drive continuous improvement

* Provide a progress check against previous peer reviews or external assessments

* Undertake an external stock-take for a new manager, chief executive, executive member or leader

* Advocacy for the service – it can raise the profile of a service and its contribution by having external people validating what it is doing

* Inform improvement planning

* Draw upon professional networks, partnerships and best practice.

For more information, see www.mla.gov.uk: Light Touch Peer Review for Museums, Libraries and Archives - Supporting self-improvement

http://www.mla.gov.uk/news_and_views/press/releases/2009/~/media/Files/pdf/2009/Light_Touch_Review

http://www.mla.gov.uk/news_and_views/press/releases/2009/~/media/Files/pdf/2009/Light_Touch_Review

Godiva award-winners 2009

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:06:00 GMT

Warwickshire's annual lifestyle and business awards, The Godivas, aims to
recognise businesses with creativity, flair, ingenuity and commitment.

Among 2009's winners are:

Best Live Performance Venue
Assembly, Leamington Spa

Best Visitor Attraction
The Falstaff Experience, Stratford-upon-Avon

Best Theatre
The Criterion, Coventry

Best Bar
The Tin Angel, Coventry

Best Conference Venue
Ricoh Arena

Best Business Innovation
Herbert Media

Best Family Friendly Venture
The Coventry Transport Museum

For more information, see: www.godiva-awards.com

Coventry artists win £500,000 London 2010 Cultural Olympiad Commission

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:29:00 GMT

Imagineer have been selected as the West Midlands winner of a £500,000 commission for Artists taking the lead, one of the major projects for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Imagineer's Godiva Awakes was selected by an independent panel of artists and producers from the five projects shortlisted in August from a total of 133 regional entries.

The project was chosen because it is a genuinely artist led project which is great in scale and ambition and reflects the values of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics.

About the project

Imagineer Productions plan to bring to life the extraordinary journey of Lady Godiva by recreating this Coventry icon as a 10 metre high puppet which will travel from Coventry to London.

Godiva Awakes will push the boundaries of carnival puppetry to new levels. Built from aluminium and carbon fibre, she will be a moving, breathing monument - a potent symbol of equality, fair play and justice. Godiva will be dressed, for her new journey into the 21st century and beyond, in a coat crafted by artists and communities from across the region that chronicles the West Midlands’ industrial and engineering heritage.

A spectacular performance will mark the ‘awakening’ of Lady Godiva. Powered by 50 cyclists, she will join 2,000 dancers, actors, aerialists, musicians, pyrotechnicians and carnivalists in a processional performance with young performers at its heart. On the last day of Coventry’s Godiva Festival in July 2012, Godiva will leave Coventry and journey to London. She will seek sanctuary overnight at various towns along the route who will each welcome her in their own, distinct way. Finally she will arrive in London, her journey completed in time for the opening of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

For more about the project, see: artiststakingthelead.org.uk

Arts Council Chief Executive demands future governments maintain investment in the arts

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:20:00 GMT

Arts Council England Chief Executive Alan Davey will today call (Wednesday 21 October) for any future government to maintain levels of investment in the arts because to do so is ‘rational, economically sound and essential to our quality of life.’

In his keynote speech at the ‘Culture Is Right’ conference held in the Unicorn Theatre on London’s South Bank, Davey will challenge those who argue that subsidising the arts does not offer value for money. He will illustrate how every £1 of public money invested in the arts levers in a further £2 from elsewhere, creates jobs and contributes significantly to the fastest growing sector of our national economy.

Alan Davey will say: “Culture is important for any Government which places quality of life for its citizens at the heart of its agenda; …(to) any Government that wants to encourage a distinctive national cultural identity which gives and adds value in a national and global context; any Government which looks forward to strengthening the bedrock of a creative, knowledge–based economy; any Government that is interested in continuing to attract global investment in our economy; and to any Government that is interested in developing a thriving visitor economy.

“To do this we need a thriving arts and cultural infrastructure that gives artists the opportunity to create, and to make a living from practicing their art. If we don’t start with the art, nothing of the above happens.”

Davey also speaks of the disproportionate effect of cuts to public arts spending: “…not all public spending is bad;…ours works hard and because of this, there is a disproportionate effect when it is cut. We’re also small, less than 0.1% of public expenditure. What we do affects the kind of country we are. John Major once said ‘man cannot live by GDP alone’. I’ll argue that arts spending adds to GDP but gives you much more.”

His keynote speech outlines the ways in which Arts Council England is working in closer partnership with the bodies it funds to help them towards a sustainable future – making hard decisions, finding new business models and improving the range and flexibility of funding agreements.

Directly addressing any future government, Davey concludes: “We will work with you to make our contribution better understood. Please understand the mechanism you have, and the effects of formulaic cuts. Public investment in the arts works hard: the system you have is unique and should be celebrated.

“So I hope any government will not solely return to a Millsean view of the most efficient creation of wealth being the sole aim of any society. While I have shown how arts money works hard, and does create wealth, it has an ultimate end that Ruskin knew was important to any society – the creation of beauty, and something that goes beyond the material and straight to who we are. Don’t let’s be afraid of talking about that – because it does matter.

“The role of artists is to give expression and meaning to the world around us, and the role of funders is to support them in what they do best – to challenge, to thrill, to excite and to inspire us; to produce the marvellous and the beautiful.

“To do so is also rational, economically sound, and is essential to our quality of life.”

For more informaiton, see: www.artscouncil.org.uk

Discovering Places – revealing the nation’s hidden gems

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:09:00 GMT

Discovering Places is an exciting and ambitious UK-wide programme that aims to give young people the opportunity to discover and explore, be inspired by and benefit from some of our nation’s hidden gems - historic and contemporary buildings, public spaces and natural places in and around the cities, towns and villages where they live and work.

Discovering Places will be delivered through a partnership led by Heritage Link, CABE and Natural England, three of the UK’s leading agencies working in the historic, built and natural environmental arenas.

The Discovering Places project partners will use complementary programmes of open days, participation and performance events and touring exhibitions to reach out to communities up and down the country, including those locations which will host the UK Torch relay.

As a result Discovering Places will contribute to the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad’s wider ambition to leave a legacy of stronger communities and encourage the adoption of more sustainable, healthier and active lifestyles.

The project deliverables are:

Youth panels to help organise and market events, which could continue to operate after 2012 and act as a sounding board/ collaborator in future activity.

Five major events:

May Bank Holiday weekend, 1-3 May 2010 - the ‘launch’ of Discovering Places, will be led by a focus on the ‘natural environment on people’s doorsteps’. We will work with the network of designated National Nature Reserves (of which there are more than 220 throughout the UK), Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, land owned and managed by the National Trust (and the National Trust for Scotland) and, importantly, the UK’s extraordinary collection of urban parks and significant open spaces within urban landscapes. Our intention will be to highlight the easy access and availability of these wonderful resources to local people through a series of events, promotions and special activities, working with the managers, owners and local authorities who run then.

May Bank Holiday weekend, 30 April – 2 May 2011 – Discovering Places weekend intended to give young people access to unusual and hidden places, also featuring work with all 28 of the UK’s World Heritage Sites, and an emphasis on the contemporary built environment, working with the Architecture Centre Network.

Autumn 2011, the largest-ever co-ordinated opening of buildings, archaeological sites, heritage and contemporary locations and natural spaces at one time, working with the existing events such as Heritage Open Days, Doors Open and London Open House;

Spring 2012, UK Torch Relay: Discovering Places is now seen as an integral part of the Torch Relay, and we will produce a leaflet and online guide for each of the 76 days of the Torch Relay showing a wide range of places to visit from the natural, historic and contemporary built environments, animating the route and creating a series of inspiring days out within easy reach of 95% of the UK’s population.

Games-time 2012, opportunities for Games visitors to discover places near to venues and accommodation. Leaflets and online guides of local places and spaces of interest will be produced for visitors to all the Olympic and Paralympic venues and will be available through the London 2012 website.

- Website with programme highlights and resources as well information on the design and construction of the Olympic Park;

- Touring exhibition on design and construction of the Olympic Park and its relevance to communities across the UK;

- Programme of activities themed on the inspiration of the natural environment for sport and culture. Commencing in 2009 on National Nature Reserves in England, and spreading through 2010 to include UK coverage in 2011, country parks, our finest landscapes and coasts will be included;

- Finding manifestations of all 205 Olympic territories in the UK whether through buildings, landscapes influenced by diaspora, or trees and plants in botanic gardens; this information will be shared online and ‘trails’ produced where appropriate.

Delivery Partners: Heritage Link; Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and the Architecture Centres Network; Natural England

For more information, see: london2012.com

Extended Journeys

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:53:00 GMT

sampad have extended the deadline for their international writing competition, Journeys... Writing From The Heart.

An opportunity for aspiring writers from or connected to the South Asian diaspora around the world, the final book will be published autumn 2010.

Wouldbe wordsmiths can write in any style – short story, poetry, reportage – using the theme of Journeys as a starting point: use your imagination to evoke memories, sensations, your feelings about a journey you have made – in your dreams or in real life – voyage of self discovery, back to your roots

There will also be a special prize for overall winners: Best writer in 8 to 15 category will receive £200 and best writer in 16 and over category will receive £300. All winning writers will be published.

If you would like to take part, visit sampadswebsite www.sampad.org.uk for more details and an entry form, email info@sampad.org.uk, or call for an entry application by post on + 44 (0) 121 452 8899. All entries must be received by 31 January 2010.

Arts and Business Award Winners Announced

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:37:00 GMT

More than 350 guests from the business and cultural sectors joined acclaimed film and stage actor Patrick Stewart at an awards ceremony in Town Hall Birmingham on 15 October 2009 to celebrate the Midlands’ best partnerships between business and the arts.

The 10th Jaguar Land Rover Awards for Arts & Business, presented in association with The Birmingham Post and hosted by Sarah Falkland of BBC Midlands Today, recognised collaborations across a range of categories with the overall Jaguar Champion of Champions 2009 award going to Colin Wells of Prologic plc and community arts organisation Multistory.

As winner of the Land Rover Board Member of the Year category, the judges selected Colin Wells and Multistory as the Jaguar Champion in recognition of Colin’s leadership and commitment as a founding board member of Multistory – an organisation which aims to bring together communities and artists to develop creative solutions to local problems in Sandwell. Although initially recruited to the board of The Public, after it went into administration Colin subsequently became a board member for the resulting new organisation. The judges felt that by “sticking with it” through bad times as well as good, Colin exemplified all a good board member should be and declared him Jaguar Champion.

Winners from the night:

The Labels Outlet Shopping A&B Community Award:
National Express Coach and EC-Arts for the Digbeth Public Art Project which involved the local Irish community in the creation of an artistic commission at the entrance of the new coach station.

The Clarke Associates A&B Cultural Branding Award:
A E Harris (Birmingham) Ltd and Stan’s Café for its unique use of redundant factory space as a rehearsal and performance venue at the heart of the thriving Jewellery Quarter. Subsequently branded @ A E Harris, the venue continues to promote the company’s profile.

The MLA A&B Museums, Libraries and Archives Award:
Inchcape Motors Shrewsbury and Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust for its
‘Design A Kart’ competition throughout Shropshire primary schools which, with the museum’s educational resources, provided an innovative and stimulating experience to core curriculum activities.

The Business Link A&B People Development Award:
Signet Trading Ltd, Holte Visual & Performing Arts College and St. Francis Primary School for its Schools Partnership Programme involving staff from Signet’s Birmingham head office. Employees chose the winning designs in an art competition between pupils and led a series of Enterprise Days enabling pupils to learn about jewellery design and manufacturing and careers in the industry.

The Advantage West Midlands A&B Sustained Partnership Award:
Rolls-Royce plc & Sinfonia ViVA for its 13-year innovative partnership incorporating sponsorship, community involvement, staff development opportunities and the annual Darley Park concert in Derby which is attended by 35,000 people.

The Marketing Birmingham A&B Young People Award:
Balfour Beatty Capital & County Youth Arts (Nottinghamshire County Council) for its three-year arts strategy devised for new schools across Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire. Pupils were introduced to the skills and expertise of visual artists, involving them in the creation of visual art projects for their own school, and inspiring them to aim higher in their own artistic endeavours.

Audiences Central would like to congratulate all the winners for fantastic work.

For more information, see: www.artsandbusiness.org.uk

Marketing Services Team - Unavailable 19 to 21 October

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:58:00 GMT

From Monday 19 to Wednesday 21 October, there will be no members of the Marketing Services Team in the office.

If you would like to place any orders during this time please email us as normal at services@audiencescentral.co.uk and we will respond as soon as possible on Thursday 22 October.

If your enquiry is extremely urgent, please call the office on 0121 685 2600 and someone will be able to help.

Revised Modules & Insight Sessions

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:40:00 GMT

Our list of popular Modules and Insight learning and development sessions has been revised.

Responding to the needs of our clients and membership, as well as the demands of the wider arts and cultural sector, we've streamlined, refined and improved our sessions.

Spanning such subjects and themes as Social Media, Brand Awareness, Websites On A Shoestring, Copy Writing, Family Friendly, Marketing, Diversity, Data collection and research, the new 2009/2010 document is available for online viewing and downloading.

These sessions are available to both Audiences Central members and non-members. Further details on the pricing are available on the document.

For a full detailed breakdown of each session, please contact us.

Download: Audiences Central: Modules & Insight Sessions: 2009/2010

'Mega' innovation

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:44:00 GMT

Daring digital, pioneering PR, loud launches, avant garde applications, cutting-edge communication, mashups, startups, gadgets and gizmos

The MediaGuardian Innovation Awards (aka The Megas) are back, seeking the most innovative work across the media landscape.

The MediaGuardian Innovation Awards herald a new generation of talent each year and encourage innovation in every field of communication.

2009's winners included revolutionary ideas like the BBC iPlayer through to the world's first music video embedded in an Excel spreadsheet.

Have you rocked the media boat this year?

The awards are open to innovative work carried out across any media or a number of media. Entries can be submitted by clients, agencies or individuals from any sector (except regional and national newspapers). The closing date for entries is Friday 4 December 2009.

Categories
• Launch • PR • Advertising • Creative • Technology • Use of web platforms • Applications • Business model • Startup • Community engagement • Campaigning • Gadget • Independent media • MediaGuardian Innovator of the Year

For more information and to enter visit guardian.co.uk/megas

National arts engagement campaign 2010-2012

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:31:00 GMT

Over the period 2010 - 12 and beyond, Arts Council England will be delivering an ambitious national campaign to encourage the broadest range of people across England to enjoy artistic experiences.

Comprised of a programme of arts engagement activity, fronted by a large-scale media and marketing campaign with broadcast elements, it will aim to:

kick-start an increase in engagement in the arts in England
change the way a significant section of the nation thinks and feels about the arts
leave a legacy of long-term increase in arts engagement and participation

At the heart of this project is the creation of a campaign and brand. These will seek to inspire people to get involved in the arts, and arts organisations can use them as an opportunity to promote their offer. The brand is being developed to act as a trusted guide to the arts for somewhat and non-arts engaged public groups; empowering them to confidently seek out arts opportunities.

Since the direct impact of Arts Council funding on the overall arts ecology is only a part of the whole, we need to work with a range of partners to achieve a ‘ripple effect’ of impact, to maximise our reach and strengthen our budgets.

Working with a range of commercial, media, broadcast and arts sector partners, we will ensure the brand is recognised, understood and trusted by the public as something that can unlock the magic of the arts for them.

Campaign proposition
The campaign framework sees increased arts engagement among target audiences being delivered via three key stages:

a multi-media PR, marketing and broadcast campaign to create awareness, interest and inspiration, driving target public groups to a multi-media web resource. Key partners will be the BBC and News International
a multi-media web resource to overcome knowledge and confidence barriers to arts engagement, acting as a gateway into a coordinated programme of high profile/high quality arts engagement opportunities
a coordinated programme of high profile/high quality arts engagement opportunities offered by arts organisations (both funded and commercial), the voluntary arts sector and local authorities

The arts portal that acts as a pivot in the framework described above will be the first website of its kind- a one-stop shop for the arts in this country:

the home of a single, trusted arts brand
a single place with all the information and encouragement needed by the target audience groups
featuring starter guides to the arts, ‘what’s on’ listings, recommendations, reviews, offers, online communities

The principles behind the website, and the campaign as a whole, are:

you can understand the arts and have an opinion
the arts can be entertaining, relevant, on-your-terms, low risk
our recommendations mean that you’ll find something that you will enjoy and can afford

The target audience
Using our audience insight research and TGI data (a global network of market research surveys offering consumer insight), we identified our target market for the campaign.

Attitudinally, this group had some potential interest in the arts; were enthusiastic about learning and self-development; saw themselves as creative; and believed that creativity was important. They demonstrated a desire for increased arts attendance and participation, but currently attended or participated fewer than three times a year.

As defined by the Arts Council’s audience insight research www.artscouncil.org.uk/audienceinsight the target groups are Dinner and a show and Family and community focused (both defined as ‘somewhat engaged’).

Taken together, these two segments are large enough in number- just under 13 million - for increased engagement to be statistically significant; there are also enough elements of commonality across these segments for the campaign proposition and brand to be able to ‘stretch across’ these two groups.

We anticipate that there will also be a halo effect across the other somewhat and the non-engaged groups, particularly where there are consumer trends shared with the target segments.

Find out more:
Visit www.helloart.org.uk and sign up as a partner to receive updates as the campaign develops and let Arts Council know about your plans for 2010 – 2012.

Looking for excellence in museums and galleries

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:37:00 GMT

Applications are now open for the 2010 Art Fund Prize.

The purpose of The Art Fund Prize for museums and galleries is to recognize and stimulate originality and excellence in museums and galleries in the UK, and increase public appreciation and enjoyment of all they have to offer.

A single award of £100,000 is presented to a museum or gallery whose entry, in the opinion of the judges, best meets the Prize criteria through a project completed or mainly undertaken in the previous calendar year.

Judges are looking for a gallery or museum that demonstrates excellence, originality and imagination; has the capacity to promote wider public appreciation of museums and galleries and their collections; has clearly won the support and enthusiasm of its visitors and users; extends public understanding of works of art and objects of aesthetic interest, or demonstrates imaginative use of artists and designers to interpret collections; and is likely to provide a lasting legacy.

The closing date for entries for the 2010 Prize is Monday 30 November 2009.

2009's winner was The Wedgwood Museum, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent.

For more information, including an application form, see: www.artfundprize.org.uk

Crunch time survey

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:08:00 GMT

West Midlands Regional Observatory is asking for organisations to complete their latest cultural sector recession survey.

Covering the period for July–September 2009, the survey is available online and covers such topics as visiting patterns, visitor figures, supplier behaviour, advance ticket sales and new products

Surveys are to be completed by Friday 16 October 2009.

The survey forms a key part of the ongoing cultural sector recession research co-ordinated by the West Midlands Cultural Observatory.

Access the survey via West Midlands Regional Observatory website.

Birmingham announces new laureate

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:20:00 GMT

Adrian Johnson, Arts Council England's West Midlands Literature Officer, has been named Birmingham's 14th Poet Laureate.

Following 2008/09 Laureate Chris Morgan, Adrian launched his tenure with a poem inspired by the late wordsmith (and former Birmingham poet laureate) Roi Kwabena on National Poetry Day (October 8).

The writer, poet and storyteller lives in Smethwick and has been involved in producing live literature events in the region for over a decade, including Rhubarb And Digbeth and Platform 5.

Among his heroes are Henry Normal, Wendy Cope, Carol Ann Duffy, Michael Rosen, Adrian Mitchell, Charles Bukowski, Benjamin Zephaniah, Moqapi Selassie, Billie Collins, Dreadlockalien, Simon Pitt and Liz Lochhead.

A stage adaptation of his first novel, Love And Taxes, debuts at Arena Theatre Wolverhampton on 11 December, 2009 as part of Resistance, Revolt, Rebellion: A Double Bill of Civil Disobedience.

For more information see Adrian's website: http://kindandgenerous.weebly.com

Another night to remember...

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:47:00 GMT

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and Culture24 have announced the dates of 2010's after-hours celebration of collections, Museums at Night.

Running over the weekend of Friday 14th May to Sunday 16th May, museums and galleries alike will aim to inspire fresh discovery by opening their doors to late night visitors.

Roy Clare, MLA Chief Executive said: "Our published Action Plan (Leading Museums) invites museums to share what they have, not merely to keep things forever. Museums are looking for new ways to open their doors; they are interpreting their collections to inspire fresh discovery and provoke more satisfying experiences. The resulting narratives illustrate the stories that lie at the core of our national identity. The ‘nights’ weekend has proved to be an enjoyably original way to extend the reach of museums to more and more people who are eager to engage with the artefacts and the expertise of those who present them. The MLA is delighted to be sponsoring Culture24 in 2010 to build on the success of 2009."

Building on the success of last year, Culture24 will run a national marketing campaign, incorporating PR, online marketing and social media. VisitEngland is already on board as a marketing partner for the event and Culture24 is working to develop further promotional partnerships with organisations across the tourism, media and heritage sectors.

This year, over 150 events took place across the UK attracting an audience of over 34,000. Events ranged from torchlit tours, period dances and sleepovers to speed dating and sound installations. The weekend received overwhelmingly positive visitor feedback with over 80% rating their experience as eight or above out of ten. It also attracted a large number of visitors who wouldn’t normally visit.

For more information on plans for 2010, to register an event, or to read the evaluation report about 2009 visit www.culture24.org.uk/museumsatnight

Licence applications to go online

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:49:00 GMT

People who want to put on live music and other arts events, as well as selling hot food, alcohol and drink late at night, will soon be able to make applications for licences entirely online under new measures proposed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Online applications will make the licensing process quicker and easier, and could save businesses and voluntary organisations up to £1.5 million per year. Those applying for Temporary Events Notices will also be able to do so online.

A six week consultation on the scope and detail of the new online process was launched on 1 October 2009 to give all users – including pub landlords, parent teacher associations, restaurants owners and sports club managers - the opportunity to have their say before the system is due to go live in January 2010.

Businesses will be able to apply online through a new national facility which is being developed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as part of the ‘businesslink’ website.

One of the most significant changes is that licensing authorities, not applicants, will soon be responsible for notifying the police and other relevant authorities if an application is made electronically. This, together with the cost savings from applying online, could save businesses and voluntary organisations up to £48 per application.

Read the full press release at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/media_releases/6367.aspx

'West Midlands: Fit for the Future?' Annual Conference

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:40:00 GMT

The 2009 West Midlands Regional Observatory Conference will follow on from a think-piece report of the same name, launched by the Observatory in July, exploring how the region might best position itself in readiness for the end of the recession.

At the conference, delegates will be encouraged to discuss and debate the issues raised in the think-piece, and help develop an evidence-based way forward for the region.

You can find out more information and book your place at the conference on the WMRO website.

Arts Engagement Trends 2005/06 to 2007/08

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:22:00 GMT

Arts Council England has just published its latest Taking Part briefing, which looks at arts engagement trends over the three-year period from 2005/06 to 2007/08.

Overall there hasn't been a great deal of change but there have been a few interesting artform developments:

a significant increase in the proportion of people participating in dance and reading for pleasure
increased attendance at the most popular arts events - musicals, pantomime and live music gigs, mostly rock and pop concerts
slight decreases in attendance at classical music concerts and craft exhibitions.

The full report can be downloaded from: www.artscouncil.org.uk/takingpart.

City festival announces new director

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:59:00 GMT

The Lichfield Festival has announced its new festival director. She is Fiona Stuart, currently director of the Chorlton Arts Festival and also community outreach manager for the Royal Northern College of Music.

She replaces Richard Hawley, director since 2004, who has accepted a fellowship with the Clore Leadership Programme, and leaves Lichfield at the end of October.

Fiona said: “I am delighted to have been offered the post of Festival Director of The Lichfield Festival. The Festival has helped to place Lichfield on the map as a centre for wide-ranging and innovative arts and has an important place in enriching the life of the local community. I am excited about getting to know this community and also about working within such a strong, established team.

“With a successful 28-year history behind it, the Festival has established itself as a forward-thinking and groundbreaking arts organisation, and I look forward to building on the success of Richard Hawley and his predecessors in bringing together the best in local, national and international arts.”

As director of the Chorlton Arts Festival, Fiona was responsible for planning, promoting and delivering one of the largest festivals in Greater Manchester, and over three years was able to double the size of the festival and treble its audience figures.

At the Royal Northern College of Music she has been part of a team devising and delivering community events, providing participation opportunities for over 2,500 young people. As part of this programme, Fiona produced West Side Story, the largest project ever undertaken by the outreach department and designed to give talented children from deprived areas the opportunity to work alongside professional directors, choreographers, musicians and theatre crew.

Nick Sedgwick, Chairman of the Lichfield Festival’s board of directors, said: "We selected Fiona from a strong field of candidates from around the country for her special combination of qualities and experience. Her work at Chorlton and at the RNCM involves the whole community and she will quickly bring those skills to bear in Lichfield."

Strictly Dance Mapping

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:11:00 GMT

More people than ever before are getting involved with dance according to a report published by Arts Council England.

Dance Mapping: A Window On Dance (published Sept 2009) - the largest piece of research of its kind - offers a deep insight into the breadth and range of dance in England. The overwhelming message is that dance is an artform in growth with more than 40,000 people currently working in dance, and the amateur sector accounting for a fifth of all arts participation in England.

Dance Mapping shows that popular culture has helped raise the profile of dance. TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and Billy Elliot the Musical captured the public’s imagination, leading to classes across the country filling up with dance accounting for more than one in 10 of all adult learning classes.

The report shows a new generation of emerging artists coming through the DCSF funded Centres for Advanced Training, and the number of people studying dance in higher education has increased by more than 97% in the past five years.

It also highlights the achievements of the increasingly entrepreneurial dance artists in this country, such as Akram Khan, the Royal Ballet and Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, all in huge demand on a global level. Evidence suggests that dance’s contribution to the overall strength of the creative economy is growing with 45% of the workforce engaged with film, television, digital production, webcasting and music video.

Despite England becoming home to a dance sector that is the envy of the world, the research shows that though the dance workforce is highly educated (62% hold degrees) they are underpaid; 38% of people who make a living from dance only earned £5,000- £20,000 in 2008/09 and almost a quarter (23%) earned under £5,000. The Arts Council fears that the low levels of pay may affect the sustainability of careers, leadership within the sector and the ability of potential champions to emerge.

To find out more about Dance mapping and read the full report, please go to www.artscouncil.org.uk/dancemapping.

A new regional online resource for the arts in education launches

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:04:00 GMT

www.easwestmidlands.org.uk is an exciting new resource for the West Midlands region designed to support educators in both formal and informal settings, artists, arts and cultural organisations in all arts education work.

EASWestMidlands have been working to create this extensive resource and will continue to develop further features and new content areas.

The service is funded by Arts Council England and is the free online arts education platform for the West Midland's regions.

EAS West Midlands will help to facilitate successful partnerships between young learners and the arts and creative industries, to provide projects that will open pathways and inspire the creation of fresh, new art reflecting the experiences of young people in the West Midlands.

The website's key resource is the searchable Arts Directory, where educators and youth practitioners can search for arts partners - all of whom carry current CRB disclosure checks and references. You will find practical support on setting up and delivering projects, regular news bulletins and a range of interactive features enabling users to comment and discuss issues, review projects, submit case studies, highlight best practice and advertise opportunities.

Highlights include:

The Arts Channel
Specialist content for arts, culture and creative industry professionals working with children and young people.

The Education Channel
Specialist content for teachers, youth and education professionals seeking to engage with the arts, cultural and creative sectors. The section includes an area dedicated to the Diploma in Creative and Media, with supporting resources and model projects.

The Arts Directory
A growing directory of arts and creative industry practitioners and organisations working in formal and informal education.

Email Bulletins
Sign up for regular updates on the latest news and events in the arts education sector.

Contributed Content
Publicise your own arts and education related news, events and showcase your work.

Knowledgebase
Comprehensive listings of publications, funders, online resources, umbrella bodies, local contacts and much, much more.

To find out more about how the service can support your work visit www.easwestmidlands.org.uk.

Email: info@easwestmidlands.org.uk
Tel: 07875 178449

Call for designer makers

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:43:00 GMT

Brilliantly Birmingham are looking for designer makers for the autumn 2009 festival's FLUX exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Brilliantly Birmingham’s aim is to celebrate and promote the distinctive character of the city under a brand that stands for innovation, quality and style.

The FLUX exhibition aims to create exposure for the best of contemporary jewellery design through a highly visible and high profile public selling event at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

FLUX is open to new and emerging designer makers, having no longer than five years graduated from their specialist area of study and based in the UK.

Participation in FLUX is by open submission and a selection panel process.

If you are a professional designer maker based in the UK download a FLUX application pack from www.brilliantlybirmingham.com or email prim.currie@birmingham.gov.uk or mcnally.susan@gmail.com

For general enquiries please telephone Prim Currie on 0121 464 1187.

Brilliantly Birmingham runs at a variety of venues from 21 November 2009 to 28th February 2010. Submission deadline 30th September 2009.

WM BME Achievement Awards

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:20:00 GMT

Nominations for the West Midlands Minority Ethnic Achievement Awards are now open, so get nominating!

Different categories are open to different people and organisations - have a look at the category descriptions for more information. You can either nominate yourself or put someone else forward if you think they deserve it. Remember, we're looking for exceptional achievement, so make sure you back up your nominations with hard evidence.

The West Midlands Minority Ethnic Achievement Awards are intended to recognise achievement within the minority ethnic community and celebrate good practice in the delivery of services to minority ethnic people

Categories include:

Business of the year
Businessman and Businesswomen of the year
Social enterprise of the year
Energising equality award
Reach out award
Shining light award
Changing lives award
Spotlight award
Grassroots award
Big achievers
Youth awards, male and female
Arts and media award

The West Midlands Minority Ethnic Achievement Awards are open to individuals and organisations working in or providing services to people in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, or Wolverhampton.

Full details and nominations forms available from: www.brap.org.uk/nominations
Nominations close Friday 30 October 2009

Shortlist Announced for Jaguar Land Rover Awards for Arts & Business 2009

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:34:00 GMT

The shortlist has been announced for this year’s Jaguar Land Rover Awards for Arts & Business, in association with the Birmingham Post.

The Awards are open to any Midlands business which has partnered with a cultural organisation, helping to make the Midlands a more vibrant and creative place to live and work.

This event, which celebrates and showcases the best of these cultural partnerships across the Midlands is now in its tenth year and the winners will be announced and presented with prizes which have been specially created by the artist, Eryka Isaak, at a ceremony hosted by Sarah Falkland of BBC Midlands Today at Town Hall, Birmingham on Thursday 15 October.

The partnerships which have been shortlisted are:

Labels Outlet Shopping A&B Community Award
Areva T&D (UK) Ltd / Stafford Gatehouse Theatre
National Express / EC-Arts

Clarke Associates A&B Cultural Branding Award
A,E.Harris (Birmingham) Ltd / Stan's Café Theatre
Harvey Ingram LLP / Curve Theatre

MLA A&B Museums, Libraries & Archives Award
Continental Airlines / Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Inchcape Motors Shrewsbury/Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC/Wolverhampton Arts & Museums Service

Business Link A&B People Development Award
Signet Trading Ltd / Holte Visual and Performing Arts College
VSM (UK) Ltd / Craftspace

Advantage West Midlands A&B Sustained Partnership Award
BMW Plant Hams Hall / Lichfield Festival
Rolls Royce / Sinfonia VIVA
VSM (UK) Ltd / Craftspace

Marketing Birmingham A&B Young People Award
Balfour Beatty Capital / County Youth Arts-Nottinghamshire County Council
National Express / EC-Arts
Signet Trading Ltd / Holte Visual and Performing Arts College

Land Rover A&B Board Member of the Year Award
Birmingham Hippodrome / Ray Way
Elmhurst School for Dance / David Povall
Multistory / Colin Wells

Well done to all our members for excellent partnership working.

Find out how to get dancing with People Dancing surgeries

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:00:00 GMT

The People Dancing team are holding surgeries for people who would like to put in a bid to People Dancing to gain advice on their application or simply find out more about the programme.

Forthcoming surgeries will be as follows:
Fri 18 Sept – CSWP Offices, Coventry
Tues 29 Sept – Arts Council England, West Midlands Offices, Birmingham

The deadline for submissions is 6 November 2009. If you would like further information on People Dancing, or would like to book a place at one of the surgeries, please contact Clare Tougher on clare.tougher@artscouncil.org.uk or 0121 631 5765.

Audiences Central at ArtsFest

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:56:00 GMT

The Audiences Central team turned out in force to promote 'Scene Central' at ArtsFest. Our stand, which we shared with the Ramblers Association, was heaving with visitors and we signed hundreds of people up to the new site. It was also great to be able to chat with so many of our members.

More than 270,000 people filled venues across Birmingham this weekend for ArtsFest, the UK’s biggest free arts festival.

Highlights of the weekend include the Classical Fantasia concert on Saturday evening, with Birmingham’s world famous City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Birmingham Opera Company, followed by a spectacular firework display.

Well done to the 857 members of the public who danced their way into the record book by joining the Guinness World Record attempt for the World's biggest Bhangra dance.

Trips to the Jewellery Quarter on a Vintage bus also gave thousands the opportunity to take tours of the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, St Paul’s Church and see acclaimed theatre company ‘Stan’s Café’ perform their show ‘Giant Steps’ at the AE Harris Factory. There were also tours of the Newman Brothers Coffin Works – who made coffin furniture for Diana the Princess of Wales and Winston Churchill amongst others.

Cllr Martin Mullaney, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport & Culture said:
“Hundreds of thousands of visitors have flocked to Birmingham this weekend to see the best the city and the region has to offer in terms of culture and artistic talent. This is what ArtsFest is all about – bringing people together to share culture. Birmingham is truly the culture capital of the UK.”

ArtsFest is the UK’s biggest free arts festival and is organised by Birmingham City Council with support from sponsors, partners, arts organisations and volunteers. For more information go to www.artsfest.org.uk or contact the ArtsFest team on 0121 464 5678.

Welcome to our new member; British Ceramics Biennial

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:02:00 GMT

Audiences Central are pleased to welcome their new member, British Ceramics Biennial (BCB)

The Biennial (3 October - 13 December)is about showcasing the breadth of contemporary ceramics in the heart of the industry, Stoke-on-Trent.

The first festival is part of a five year strategic programme of residencies, fellowships, commissions, learning and inclusion, and business start-ups. The Biennial aims to cast a new light on a historic industry and present a provocative and intelligent ten-week festival of exhibitions, awards and events. It will display the best in current ceramics design, manufacture and application with its highlight being the Biennial Award- prizes and museum acquisition will be awarded following an exhibition of 25 finalists at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.

For more information on the festival please see: www.britishceramicsbiennial.com

First People Dancing commissions announced

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:51:00 GMT

First People Dancing commissions announced

People Dancing is a three year programme of activity aimed at encouraging mass participation in dance and dance related activity across the West Midlands and is part of the region’s plans for the

London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

£2.61m is being spent on projects over the next three years, with the first eight announced:

Blue Eyed Soul Dance Company – Transformations: A 3 year training programme which will support a group of emerging dance artists to create a new generation of leaders for disability and integrated dance. Shropshire based but region wide

Birmingham Opera Company – Othello: 200 young people from all backgrounds and areas of Birmingham are invited to work with singers, artists and dances to create a unique site specific performances of Othello accompanied by Birmingham Opera Company Orchestra

Birmingham Royal Ballet – Birmingham, Ballet & Me: Over an 18 month period young people will create, rehearse and perform a new, full length ballet, inspired by and running in parallel to a new major Birmingham Royal Ballet production

Birmingham Town Hall & Symphony Hall – Bollywood Steps: A large scale site specific performance of Nutkhut’s Bollywood Steps, a unique British Bollywood outdoor dance spectacle with performances on 9 and 10 October 09 in Victoria Square as the centrepiece of Town Hall’s 175th anniversary celebrations

Rosetta Life – Moving into Being: A 3 year, region-wide programme to equip dance leaders working in end of life care settings through training and workshops to deliver dance activity in hospices and care homes for patients, their families and carers

StreetGames – StreetCheer: A 3 year project aimed at getting 14 – 16 year old girls across the region cheerleading. The project will roll out training to equip a new generation of StreetCheer coaches and involve girls to participate at cheerleading clubs on a weekly basis

Stoke-on-Trent City Council – World of Dance: A dance participation project for all ages and abilities. Over three years in Stoke, members of the public will be encouraged to try out a range of dance art forms from Bhangra to Tea Dance from Hip Hop to Belly Dancing from Baby Loves Disco to Salsa

Warwick Arts Centre – Boys Dance: An exciting 3 year programme, encouraging hundreds of boys and young men to experience the challenge, exhilaration, discipline and fun of making and sharing dance. The programme will create a region-wide West Midlands Boys Dance Alliance to initiate, develop and celebrate dance for boys and young men

The remaining deadlines for submissions to the People Dancing programme are:

6 November 2009
9 April and 3 September, 2010
4 February and 8 July, 2011

Scene Central at ArtsFest

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:56:00 GMT

If you’re attending ArtsFest, don’t forget to come along and say hello to the Audiences Central team.

We’ll be there Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September, outside Birmingham Town Hall, overlooking Victoria Square, from 11am to 6pm.

Come along and learn more about Scene Central - our what’s on listings site for the West Midlands region - and see how the site can help promote your organisation and events.

Members are also free to bring along a handful of their latest brochures or flyers and if you’re lucky, we may still have some Scene Central pens and disposable cameras left!

For more information on ArtsFest 2009, including full listings, see: www.artsfest.org.uk

Learning Revolution Festival

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:41:00 GMT

Museums, libraries and archives are invited to celebrate their informal adult learning activities by joining The Learning Revolution Festival.

Throughout October 2009, organisations can get involved by showcasing activities that are already available, or signposting new activities to get people started. The festival aims to highlight the real benefits of learning for enjoyment.

Museums, libraries and archives are invited to celebrate their informal adult learning activities on offer by joining The Learning Revolution Festival.

Throughout October, hundreds of events will highlight the wide variety of learning that's taking place. The month will give people who are already taking part in informal learning a chance to celebrate what they enjoy and others the opportunity to try something new.

Museums, libraries, archives along with galleries, adult education providers, sports clubs, voluntary organisations, self organised groups and many others can get involved by showcasing activities that are already available and offering, or signposting, new activities to get people started.

The Festival is part of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills Learning Revolution which sets out the government’s plans for informal adult learning in England and highlight the real benefits of learning for enjoyment.

Roy Clare, MLA Chief Executive, says: “MLA believes that museums, libraries and archives play a vital role in the future of Government’s Learning Revolution - it is a real opportunity to open up the potential of our sector, to showcase the excellent work already taking place and to build new alliances that will help to secure a thriving informal adult learning movement - activities that will inspire and highlight the creativity, diversity and positive effects of learning for learning’s sake."

To find more about participating in the Learning Revolution Festival please contact mushall.khan@mla.gov.uk.

To join in the discussion on the movement to bring informal adult learning to life visit http://thelearningrevolution.ning.com/

Arts Council England announces new national leadership team

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:53:00 GMT

Arts Council England have announced the members of its new Executive Board – the streamlined national leadership team that will lead the re-structured organisation from April 2010.

The nine-strong team is led by Chief Executive Alan Davey and consists of four National and four Area Executive Directors. They are:

Alison Cole – Executive Director, Communications
Laura Dyer – Area Executive Director Midlands and South West
Althea Efunshile – Chief Operating Officer
Anupam Ganguli – Executive Director Resources
Andrew Nairne – Executive Director Arts
Moira Sinclair – Area Executive Director London
Andrea Stark – Area Executive Director East and South East
To be announced – Area Executive Director North

Recruitment of a permanent Area Executive Director North is already underway and Andy Carver – currently Regional Executive Director Yorkshire – will undertake the role in the interim.

With the exception of Alison Cole, who joins the Arts Council in November, all members of the new Executive Board will take up their new roles in a designate capacity from September 2009. They will focus on setting up their new teams as well as carrying out the responsibilities of their existing regional and national executive director roles.

To ensure a smooth transition, all existing Regional Executive Directors will continue in their current roles until the new structure is established. Recruitment to this new structure is likely to be complete by Christmas 2009.

Alan Davey, Chief Executive of Arts Council England said: “Establishing our new leadership group is an important first step in the transformation of the Arts Council.

“We’ve got a huge number of changes underway in how we go about our work, and the new Executive Board will lead those changes with vigour and a commitment to the values of openness, trust and respect in the way we work with others.

“I am proud of the way staff at all levels are tackling the changes with maturity and a continued commitment to our mission of enabling art in this country to be the best it can be, experienced by more people.”

For more information, see: www.artscouncil.org.uk