Self-portrait wins first £20k Lock prize
A self-portrait by Frances Bell has won the inaugural William Lock award at the annual Royal Society of Portrait Painters exhibition at the Mall Galleries, worth £20,000.
TAITMAIL Lie back and think of empire
The government is stepping up the culture wars by blocking the reappointment of Dr Aminul Hoque as a trustee of Royal Museums Greenwich (pictured).
It’s a match – women’s soccer and art
In collaboration with Chelsea FC women footballers, the London artist Kelly Anna has created a special banner for the side’s Women’s Super League match on Sunday against Reading.
Government’s ‘philistine’ 50% cut for arts teaching
Education secretary Gavin Williamson is proposing a 50% higher education cut in arts, humanities and media subjects, to support subjects with better earning potential, described as “horrific” , “catastrophic” and "philistine" by cultural leaders.
Culture wars stepped up with blocked appointment
The government appears to be stepping up what has been called the “culture war” over non-approval of appointments to public body boards.
MY STORY Letting contemporary art breathe
A Swiss-born French citizen, Anne de Charmant founded Meadow Arts 20 years ago and has been its curator ever since. It celebrates at the Hay Festival in May with the launch of a book, Meadow Arts: the first 20 years.
New £20k portrait prize launched in bumper year for exhibition
A new prize for portraiture worth £20,000 is being launched at the annual Royal Society of Portrait Painters exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London.
Clare Wood to head ceramics biennial
Clare Wood, chief executive of Re-Form Heritage, is to be CEO and artistic director of the British Ceramics Biennial, based in Stoke-on-Trent.
‘What did you do in the lockdown?’ - Museum of the Year 2021 opens
The £160,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year opens for applications today, with the Covid year the theme.
TAITMAIL Hail the non-elite art lovers of the North
By Patrick Kelly, Northern Editor
The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Druham, is, like all museums and galleries in England, unable to open its doors until May 17th. But the fact that you can’t get to see the amazing treasures inside merely gives the visitor a better chance to admire the magnificence of the building itself.
La Bohème leads Covent Garden thank you to NHS
The Royal Opera House is to stage special shows to thank NHS staff.
MY STORY The Liberty to reach out for Europe’s young artists
Lorna Fulton is the creative director of ArtReach, the Leicester-based contemporary arts development agency devoted to spreading creative engagement, which this week launches a new Europe-wide website to promote artists under 30, called Liberty EU
Pubs become summer theatre venues in brewer's deal
Pub gardens in London and the South East are to become makeshift open-air theatres a new deal between a brewer and a theatre company.
Nightingale Museum to reopen - partially
The Florence Nightingale Museum, which it was feared might have been closed permanently because of the Covid-19 lockdown, is to reopen on a limited programme.
Arts funding: Quiet, powerful role of trusts and foundations
Trusts and foundations have been key to the survival of many arts organisations during the pandemic, despite overall modest grant-giving.
£7m pilot fund to boost UK films overseas
The British Film Institute and DCMS have today launched a pilot fund designed to boost international film development and distribution.
Happy Birthday, Mr Shakespeare!
Shakespeare’s birthday today, April 23rd, is being marked with the launch of a dedicated music video created by the education team of the Birmingham-based choir Ex Cathedra.
WeTransfer sets up foundation to train future creatives
The file-sharing app WeTransfer has committed €1m to a new arts education foundation, plus 1% of revenue.
Donmar’s new playwright award
The Donmar Warehouse has teamed up with Access Entertainment, owners of the Theatre Royal Haymarket, to create a new award for young playwrights.
Brit Awards go ahead with live audience
This year’s Brit Awards will go ahead next month with a live audience.
Free Word literature centre loses London home
Free Word, the centre for literature, literacy and free expression, is leaving its London venue next month because the building it has leased since 2009 is being sold.
MY STORY Theatre of the senses
Ellie Griffiths is a specialist in sensory theatre, a way of capturing imaginations through lights, sound, textures, vibrations and smells. She is the artistic director and joint-CEO of Oily Cart, having taken over from the trio who founded the children’s theatre company 40 years ago. She has become the first UK artist to be awarded the Assitej International Award for Artistic Excellence, presented by the international network of children’s theatre organisations and shared with the Serbian choreographer Dalija Acin Thelander.
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