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Tuesday, 27 June 2017

Arts Council England - Funding Announcement



Today at 10.30am the Arts Council England will be announcing the funding plans for their National Portfolio for arts and culture organisations during 2018 to 2022.

The Arts Council England is an organisation, which through investment, supports and develops new artistic and cultural experiences across the country.  To provide an idea of the scale of these projects, between 2015 and 2018 they will have invested £1.1 billion of public money from government, plus £700 million raised by the National Lottery to create and support art and culture, and bring it do those who do not have it. 

During his interview with Nick Robinson on Radio 4 this morning Sir Nicholas Serota, the new Chair of the Arts Council England, outlined what the funding for the next period will focus on.  The total funding will be £170,000,000, and this will be used to raise the current number of organisations funded from 700 to 831, including 72 museums and 7 libraries. 

The Arts Council England will be looking to bring art and culture to areas outside of London, areas which are not currently recognised or visited for the arts including; Bradford, Stoke, Luton and Tees Valley.  The organisations which will be funded are smaller ones, and ones that reflect the diversity of the country, as Mr Serota put it the ‘Green shoots’.  The projects which need financial support to get started.  As their mantra dictates, the Arts Council England are continuing to bring great art to everyone, especially focusing on those who do not currently have access to it.

One of the larger projects which will benefit from the Arts Council funding is The Factory in Manchester.  The building has been designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and will be located at the site of a the former Granada TV studios. The planned opening is in 2020 and the project will cost a total of £110 million. £78 million has been pledged by the Arts Council England as well as £78 million vowed by George Osborne in his 2015 budget for his Northern Powerhouse vision.  All forms of art will be displayed and performed at the venue, bringing international recognition to the north and cementing it as a cultural hub.

We shall be waiting to hear more about the exciting projects planned by the Arts Council England at 10.30am, and will look forward to keeping you updated with more specific details in the months to come. 


Image result for the factory manchester
                                     The Factory in Manchester ©OMA

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