Former hospital in Dumfries to become £15m cultural site
An ambitious new cultural site has been planned for a disused former hospital building set amid 85 acres of grounds on the outskir…
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Tamworth arts programme to teach beatboxing, breakdancing
Create Community Tamworth, a six-month arts programme, will launch on 23 July with a collaborative painting created by 30 artists…
National Lottery awards £13.7m for community projects
Six projects designed to support heritage, culture and nature have received funding from the National Lottery to help communities…
Rural art projects in Northern Ireland get £1.5m boost
New art fund launches to address needs of local rural communities as they emerge from the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Welsh government defends £4.25m purchase of farm for Green Man festival
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has defended the Welsh Government's decision to spend £4.25m on a piece of land for…
Open letter to Darren Henley: from the coalface
Doesn't ACE realise that smaller NPOs are fighting for their very survival? Surely it does. So, says Ian Kerry, that must mean…
South Lakeland pens £374k for culture
Twelve arts and culture organisations in Cumbria’s South Lakes are set to share £374,300 over the next two years. Sout…
Taking art to rural Europe
A unique organisation that works in the rural communities of Somerset has expanded its horizons to Europe. Ralph Lister shares the…
£38.3m for ACE’s Creative People and Places
Eleven new projects join the programme, all located in areas rated as ‘high need’ for cultural investment.
Museums tackling loneliness
In rural areas such as Cornwall, the pandemic has exacerbated loneliness, with vulnerable people losing their sense of commun…
59% of local authorities report budget increase
English councils cite the ongoing recovery from Covid-19 as driving both increases and decreases in their budgets.
A ‘big hug’ in isolated places
Rural touring has never been more innovative than it was in 2020. Holly Lombardo asks what comes next for a sector that…
Why lockdown works for rural arts
Deborah and Michael Parkes say lockdown presents challenges to budding rural artists. It also gives them an abundance of two thing…
Local venues could be key to keeping audiences engaged
Rural touring could win back audiences first, as confidence in village hall venues is higher than for other types of auditorium, r…
Rural touring schemes suffer heavy burden from cancelled performances
The number of event cancellations at small rural venues is placing “an immense personal toll” on those who programme p…
When your audience is also part of the crew
Working with rural communities to stage small-scale performances is good for the arts, the environment and local people, writes So…
A tale of two regions? Engaging arts audiences in the West Midlands
Striking differences between urban and rural areas make a strong case for a dual regional policy, argue Anne Torreggiani and Zoe P…
Celebrating local excellence
We spend too much time trying to learn lessons from cities and apply them in other places, argues Brendan Keaney. It’s time…
Job ladder: John Laidlaw
The Executive Director of Live & Local recalls a career trajectory that has taken him through Butlins, an old bingo venue and…
Your questions answered on ACE’s new strategy
Arts Council England’s policy leads respond to questions on its plans for the next ten years.
10 tips for making collaborative leadership work
An approach that prioritises trust, values and flexibility has helped museums in Cornwall share knowledge and expertise across a d…
Five years left for rural arts?
England’s rural arts leaders have serious concerns about the future of their organisations and are calling for more support…
How we doubled attendance at the UK’s most northerly arts centre
By working in partnership and refusing to patronise audiences, Lyth Arts Centre in Caithness has attracted record numbers, says Ch…
What we’ve learned moving from London to Essex
Relocating Kinetika’s work in carnival, outdoor and participatory arts to rapidly-changing Thurrock has allowed the company…
