Midlands Art Centre to unveil £15m Transformation

March 10th, 2010 - 
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It has been announced that the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), the pioneering Birmingham arts centre, will open its doors to the public on Bank Holiday Saturday 1 May 2010, following a two year £15 million expansion and refurbishment programme.

Set in the 8.6 acre Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham, MAC was the brainchild of local philanthropist John English, the theatre writer and director, and his wife Alicia (Mollie) Randle. It was one of the first of a wave of arts centre developments in the 1960s, which sought to bring the arts out of conventional museums and theatres and into the heart of local communities.

Since its original conception as a centre for children and young people, MAC has grown to reach out to all ages and backgrounds in the community and is widely regarded as the most successful arts centre in the country, with more than half a million visitors a year drawn from across the whole of the West Midlands. It has played a creative role in the early stage of the careers of such artists as Mike Leigh, Tony Robinson, Adrian Lester, Imelda Staunton and Lesley Josephs. It is also home to SAMPAD; the national agency for South Asian Arts.

The original complex of buildings has now been dramatically transformed for a new generation. The developments include:

  • A major new gallery for the display of contemporary art – the largest in the West Midlands;
  • Refurbished theatre and cinema spaces;
  • Rehearsal studios;
  • Studio spaces for developing new work open to both professional and aspiring artists;
  • Expansive foyers and café spaces, designed to be flooded with daylight;
  • A newly landscaped terraced garden area with space for open air performances and relaxation;
  • Artists have been involved in every stage of the process culminating in a series of commissions for elements of the building itself including wall and floor decorations, carpet and sculptures.

Dorothy Wilson, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of MAC, has worked for the organisation for twenty years, inspiring and leading the community and championing the arts as a force for transforming lives. She said:

‘Our audiences are what make MAC unique in Birmingham and an inspiration to everyone who believes in the value of a cultural life. We are proud and excited that, just as Birmingham has reached the shortlist to become UK City of Culture, we are able to open our doors to our community again. We are truly grateful to our major investment partners, Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England for their unstinting support and to the many individuals, companies, Trusts and Foundations who have supported our Capital Appeal.’

Midlands Art Centre

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The Future of the Arts with a Conservative Government

February 22nd, 2010 - 
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Jeremy and Ed have launched our arts proposals today, as they publish a policy paper on our plans for the sector. Our approach is to provide coherent and sustained support for the arts base centred on the following key principles:

  1. To secure long term funding for the arts; based on the mixed economy and the arm’s length principle which ensures they have the resources to carry them through the good times and the bad.
  2. To promote excellence in the arts through greater trust and independence for our arts organisations.
  3. To use technology and a more coherent approach to arts funding in schools to enable access – we believe as many people as possible should enjoy the arts in all their varied forms in this country.

Ed said:

“Under Labour the arts have not been give the priority they deserve. We cannot go on like this. The arts need coherent and sustained support in order to consolidate and build on their achievements… Conservatives are passionate about the arts and if we are lucky enough to form the next Government, I look forward to working with the sector to create funding stability and promote excellence and access.”

Jeremy has discussed our plans with Charlotte Higgins in the Guardian – you can read the full intervew HERE, and Charlotte’s discussion of it HERE. The Guardian are also running a ‘have your say’ HERE, which you could join in, although we would rather you told us what you think here on our blog, by signing in and posting in our comments section below.

You can download the full paper here: The Future of the Arts

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Weekly email: 21/01/2010

January 21st, 2010 - 
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Here is this week’s news:
Tory Stuff
Media
Jeremy is speaking at the Oxford Media Convention as we email! Coverage of what he’s saying HERE and full transcript HERE.
In an interview this week with New Media Age, Shadow Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt acknowledged the vital role that the digital media industry plays in the UK economy, and promised a light-touch regulatory approach. HERE
Ed spoke at the Nations and Regions Media conference in Salford Quays on Tuesday. He confirmed our intention to scrap the IFNC pilots should be win the election more HERE and HERE
Arts Policy
Charlotte Higgins has written a helpful and by and large quite nice overview of the themes from Jeremy’s speech to the RSA / ACE State of the Arts conference last week, HERE Lyn Gardner discussed our philanthropy proposals in the Granuiad HERE. The Arts Council have pointed out to us that it was a joint conference, not just the RSA’s. Apologies, credit where it’s due, etc.
Material from the conference is available HERE.
Creative Industries
Digital Economy Bill
The Digital Economy Bill had its third (HERE) and fourth (HERE) days in Committee in the Lords, they have reached Clause 10.
Interesting correspondence this week in the letters page of the Granuiad on clause 17, led by a letter from the Creative Coalition HEREwith a response HERE
Two new pieces of research from both the BPI and Creative Coalition suggest that ISPs are exaggerating the financial hardship they will have to bear under measures proposed by the Digital Economy Bill. More in links via Facebook in some clever way HERE
and HERE.
ITV CRR Decision
The Competition Commission has given its final recommendations on CRR for consultation. The main recommendations are unchanged from its provisional findings and reject ITV’s proposals for more flexibility over its advertising charges. ITV have commented that ‘This decision confirms the urgent need for a thorough and comprehensive review of the cumulative impact of regulation of the independent broadcasting sector.’
We agree (with ITV), more HERE and HERE.
This morning the court of appeal has ordered BSkyB to sell down its stake in ITV from 17.9% to less than 7.5%HERE.
BBC
Maybe it is rocket science: The BBC have announced that throughout 2010 they will be ‘bringing together a range of TV and radio science programmes, online initiatives, regional road shows and learning campaigns to inspire engagement  with  science across the nation more HERE.
Meanwhile CCHQ wants Tory activists to help ‘beat BBC bias’ more HERE.
The BBC Trust has announced it is to conduct a performance review of the BBC’s on-demand offerings, including the iPlayer, simulcast TV and podcast downloads. This is launched today with an eight week public consultation, more HERE.
Video Games
The Video Standards Council has announced a number of high-level staff changes ahead of the implementation of the government’s new video games ratings regime outlined in the Digital Economy Bill more HERE.
The prestigious Ivor Novello Awards are to recognise music from videogames for the first time this year following the introduction of a special game score category, more HERE. Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez clearly is the new Keith Vaz, suggesting that the PlayStation leads children down the capitalist ‘road to hell’, which is of course just one of the reasons we like them more HERE.
Joining us on Chavez’s proverbial road to hell, is the Parliamentary website Parliament.uk which has recently launched a video game where you get to be an MP for Week, as part of their work with schools to support young people’s understanding of Parliament and democracy. Play it for yourself HERE
There’s an interesting post on video games HERE summarising recent political developments relevant to the sector.
Film
2009 production and box office figures from the UKFC show that the industry is weathering the recession well, with record inward investment, record box office, and UK indie films at their most popular in cinemas for a decade. On the downside there has been small drop in independent UK production and spend, and there are ongoing challenges in raising credit for film projects, especially through bank loans. More details in the full reports HERE.
CC Skills
Congratulations to Tom Berwick. He has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of Enterprise UK by Chairman and Dragon (of the Den) Peter Jones CBE. Tom leaves his current post as Chief Executive of Creative & Cultural Skills at the end of March more HERE
Broadband
We have release figures which show that the Government’s proposed broadband tax will hit 3.2 million people who do not have an internet connection and have no interest in having one, more HERE.
News speeds and prices for superfast broadband from BT more for its superfast broadband service HERE.
Awards Season Round Up
A slightly controversial night for Ricky Gervais in an otherwise quiet night for the Brits at the Golden Globes HERE. Congratulations to the BAFTA nominees, especially An Education, neck and neck with Avatar with eight nominations a piece, full list HERE. Further congratulations to the Brits nominees HERE, and nominees and winners at the National Television Awards, HERE where Jedward stole the show, HERE.
Arts and Heritage
Arts Council
Arts Council England have launched Achieving great art for everyone – a consultation on future priorities for the arts.   The results of the consultation will inform a ten-year strategic framework and the Arts Council’s future investment decisions, so get contributing, moreHERE
Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad
It’s been going since 2008 apparently. Did you know that? More HERE.
Heritage
The Historic Houses Association have launched their policy proposals for 2010 onward, titled ‘Inspirational Places – the value of Britain’s historic houses’ more HERE.
Libraries
Good news as interim results from an independent review of Northumberland’s library service show that the closure of six libraries in the county can be put on hold while further talks are held   with communities, with the aim of developing new ways of working. More HERE. Shows what can happen when the MLA gets in on the ground floor.
In Parliament
Prime Minister’s Questions
Excitement this week, as a question was posed to Gordon about rural broadband HERE.
Oral Questions
Oral questions took place on Monday covering everything from the 2018 World Cup bid to product placement HERE
10 Minute Rule Bill
Tom Watson introduced a 10 Minute Rule Bill on Digital Archiving, and got into trouble with the Deputy Speaker for grandstanding on the Digital Economy Bill HERE.
House of Commons
Video recordings bill received royal assent in the Commons today HERE.
Parliamentary Questions
34 external consultants working at the DCMS HERE
Still no indication from the DCMS of how many jobs the Government’s flagship Future Jobs Fund has created HERE
1400 responses to the Government’s consultation on product placement HERE
Over £500 million on free television licenses HERE
The criteria set out for community radio stations to receive a licence HERE
Government spending through the Community Radio Fund HERE
Implementation of the Legal Deposit Libraries Act HERE
Lords
The Video Recordings Bill made its way through the Lords HERE
EDMs
EDM 642 – National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts Big Green Challenge Awards HERE
EDM 617 – Access to Government services via the internet HERE
On the blog
Ed’s chief of staff Helen and Fun Inc author Tom Chatfield discuss whether the high barriers to entry explain why video games aren’t taken seriously by the wider cultural world, and Tom suggests where to start, HERE . An online network for independent filmmakers has a discussion about internships, unpaid / low paid work, and the minimum wage, something which is a live issue across the cultural and creative industries HERE
And Finally
Something to cheer Obama up following this week’s loss of Ted Kennedy’s seat to Republican Scott Brown: Obama the musical has opened in Germany. More HERE
Where we’ve been and who we’ve seen
Arts Council, Ofcom, Digital Radio surgery, Nations and Regions Media conference, Arts and Humanities Research Council, GLA, Wallace Collection, Westminster eForum on video games, Edelman, Mediawatch, digital entrepreneurs at Bootlaw, Moctezuma at the British Museum, Northampton School for Girls (specialist music school), Northampton Music Service Oxford Media Convention, Modern Art Oxford.
Ed Vaizey
Shadow Arts Minister
Jeremy Hunt
Shadow Culture Secretary
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Weekly email: 14/01/10

January 18th, 2010 - 
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Here is this week’s news:
Tory Stuff
Jeremy made a major speech on the arts at the RSA’s conference on arts policy, the largest conference of its kind held in recent years. He was doing his impressive speaking-without-notes trick so no transcript to link to, but he talked about our plans to: restore lottery funds to the four original good causes, bear down on quango administration costs; philanthropy including simplifying Gift Aid and lifetime giving, and incentives to build up endowments and a better culture of asking for contributions. There’s good overview from Charlotte Higgins in the Guardian, HERE, although unfortunately there is a typo in the headline, which should say ‘Arts bureaucracy cuts proposed by Conservatives.’ Feedback on what he said and other goings on from the conference on Twitter, HERE.
Creative Industries
Digital Economy Bill
Realising that there is no way it will pass in its current form, the Government has climbed down on Clause 17 (which allows the Government to extend copyright with minimal consultation) more HERE and latest discussion from the Lords HERE. The debate rages on with Bono’s 10 ideas to make the next 10 years more interesting, including criticism of internet piracy HERE causes a storm of debate HERE and HERE
Video Games
Ed spoke at an event on video games at the RSA last night with Tom Chatfield, a critic and commentator on video games, with an excellent book out this week, Fun Inc. Why Video Games Are the First Serious Business of the 21st Century, more HERE and HERE.
Channel 4
Congratulations to C4, which has been awarded the broadcast rights for the 2012 Paralympics. It will broadcast 150 hours of coverage after winning what LOCOG described as a ‘highly competitive tender process’.  C4 tell us they feel this is a great fit with their remit commitment to cultural diversity and that ‘we’ll be throwing everything at our coverage to make it as innovative and exciting as it can be and attract the largest possible audiences.’ More HERE
Local Media
Ed spoke in yet another debate on the Local Media in Parliament this week HERE. Eight consortia have been successful in the first phase of the selection process for Independently Funded News Consortia (IFNC) pilots HERE. We oppose IFNCs as a backward step, and instead have put forward proposals for local television HERE
Broadcasting
Independent think tank Policy Exchange has published a report on the future of broadcasting HERE. The report argues that public service broadcasting needs to be radically overhauled if it is to survive in the new digital age. It calls for the BBC to place quality before ratings, and stop spending huge resources on sports rights, programmes for 16 to 35 year olds and popular entertainment, which other channels would deliver anyway. Instead of crowding out commercial schemes, the BBC management should spend up to 5% of total licence fee income on co-funding PSB programmes on other channels.
Music
Contribute to this discussion on our LinkedIn group: It’s a traditional New Year ritual for trade associations to portray their industries in the best possible light, but how is the entertainment business really doing? HERE Incidentally, any one can start a discussion on our Linked In group, so feel free.
Arts and Heritage
Arts Council
What did the Arts Council ever do to Tom Watson MP, we wonder, as he tables yet more parliamentary questions about them following the 50  -  yes 50  -  he tabled last week, and the 50-plus before Christmas, the latest from yesterday HERE the day before HERE 6th January HERE 5th January HERE
Could it be the answer to an earlier question, as reported HERE that has really got him going? 
The Arts Council has given an extra £1.2 million to the ICA, more HERE
Cultural Olympiad
DCMS advisor on Culture and former director of the Manchester International Festival Ruth Mackenzie has been appointed as the director of the Cultural Olympiad. At the same time several artistic associates have also been announced: Alex Poots, current artistic director of MIF, Martin Duncan who was joint artistic director with Mackenzie at Chichester Festival, Sir Brian McMaster, former director of the Edinburgh  International  Festival and Craig Hassall, managing director of English National Ballet  and former head of the Cultural Olympiad for the Australian Olympics more HERE.  And they all report to Tony Hall.  Sounds like a recipe for clear decision-making, then.
Philanthropy
Arts and Business report that the total figure for private sector investment in culture for 2008/09 fell from its record high in 07/08 to £654.9 million in the UK decreasing by 7% (above inflation). Investment from all three private sector sources declined from the previous year: Business investment fell by 6% to £157 million and accounts for 24% of the overall contribution from the private sector. In 08/09, investment from individuals dropped to £363 million, a 7% decrease that ends the trend of fast-paced growth that began to accelerate in 05/06. Individual giving now accounts for 55% of the total private investment received in the sector. The amount of support from Trusts & Foundations also fell from £141 million to £135 million a 7% decrease now accounting for 21% of the total private investment in the cultural sector. More HERE. Ed commented ‘These figures are disappointing and reflect the effects of the economic recession.  This is a wake-up call that we need to get our economy back on track, in order to return to the levels of private giving we enjoyed in the 1990s and 2000s.  Economic recovery is as crucial for the arts as it is for all parts of our economy’.
Heritage
The Public Accounts Committee report into Promoting Participation with the Historic Environment was published this week. Committee chair Edward Leigh MP said:
“The Department for Culture, Media and Sport gave English Heritage unrealistic targets to increase the number of visits to historic sites by people from three specific underrepresented groups. With no clear evidence of how the target levels might be achieved, English Heritage opted instead to focus on increasing its income from visitor attractions, at the expense of activities to increase participation’Full report HERE. We think this is yet another example of how Labour’s box-ticking is a misconceived approach to heritage and the arts.
The Art Fund has launched its campaign to raise £3.3 million to save the Staffordshire Hoard HERE. We wish them every success and of course will make a donation.
Libraries
Rather than staying at home and building snowmen this winter, Bloomsbury have conceived Bloomsbury Library Online to support public libraries and literacy in an innovative, experimental and socially inclusive way using existing computers and devices within the local library, internet-enabled mobile phones, or remotely from home or elsewhere with a library card. Currently offering seventy books, from forty-eight authors to 2.4 million readers through UK public libraries, we think this is great news, more HERE
West Sussex County Council also has plans to deliver 21st century library services more HERE.
Predictions for the new decade include: ‘a very strong independent sector, the growth of the e-book market and a continued fight for library campaigners are some of the predictions for next year made by figures from the retail, library and digital sides of the trade.’ according to The Bookseller, more HERE.
Archives
The National Archives Education Department has set up a Twitter feed that lets people get a unique perspective on the opening months of the Second World War. Starting from 1 January, summaries and links to Cabinet papers relating to that date in 1940 are posted – the result is a day by day view of the Second World War from the War Cabinet’s point of view, using real documents You can follow the tweets and follow the links to read the original documents capturing the decisions of the men who determined the fate of the nationHERE. For non-tweeters, you can find Cabinet Papers 1915-1978 online HERE.
Natalie Ceeney is stepping down from her post as CEO at The National Archives. Oliver Morley will be Interim CEO, the Ministry of Justice will be handling the new appointment, more HERE. We wish Natalie well for the future, she has been an outstanding leader.
Museums
The findings of an NMDC project looking at how national and regional museums work together was launched this week, more HERE.The NMDC has also published Museums’ Deliver demonstrating the wide-ranging social and economic importance of museums in the UK. Full report HERE.
Kids in Museums have launched their manifesto today, highlighting the need for flexible family tickets HERE.
In America, is it time to start selling some works to balance the books in museums and galleries? More HERE and the piece caused such a storm there is a response HERE.
City of Culture
Birmingham will bid to be the UK’s first city of culture more HERE.
NCA
The National Campaign for the Arts have a lovely new website HERE.
Opera and Ballet
The Royal Opera House is the first big arts institution to join the tickets for troops scheme, more HERE. Dance, as someone in a cheese shop once said, is ‘staggeringly popular in the manor squire’ more HERE.
New Year’s Honours - Errors and Omissions
Thank you for pointing out the following omissions from our New Year’s Honours List – a knighthood for the brilliant architect David Chipperfield, CBEs for the outstanding Natalie Ceeney, soon to be ex head of the National Archives, the great  singer Sarah Connolly, the awesome architect George Ferguson, and an OBE for the superb Julia Fawcett at the Lowry. Also the Director of Heart n Soul is Mark Williams (not Christopher Williams, a songwriter who works with them who received an OBE). Slapped wrists all round
In Parliament
Parliamentary Questions
More questions from Tom Watson on the Arts Council HERE
DCMS spending on travel costs for Ministers and Officials HERE
EDMs
EDM 583 – Technology Company Censorship HERE
Digital Economy Bill
The Bill is in the committee stage in the Lords – Hansard can be read HERE
Where we’ve been and who we’ve seen
PayPoint, the London Film Museum, VAGA, NMDC, Orange, Anthony Browne, RSA, V&A, Kids in Museums, NCA, Ideas Tap, The State of the Arts Conference, the Olympic site, BBC News Festival, OC&C Media Conference.
Ed Vaizey
Shadow Arts Minister
Jeremy Hunt
Shadow Culture Secretary
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Weekly Email

£19.8m of treasures boost public collections

November 6th, 2009 - 
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Modern British paintings and old masters crown year of achievement for government’s Acceptance in Lieu scheme. Paintings by three giants of current British art, David Hockney, Frank Auerbach and Sir Howard Hodgkin are some of the many exceptional cultural treasures that have come into public ownership this year through the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme.

The Acceptance in Lieu (AIL) report for 2008/09, which is published today, records a year of outstanding achievement despite the economic turbulence of the later months with transfers to the nation to the value of £19.8 million, writing off £10.8 million of tax.

The government scheme, administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), allows those liable to Inheritance Tax to pay their tax bill by offering important heritage objects to the nation.  In 2008/09 thirty-six cases were completed, the highest number for three years and a wide range of important paintings and archives have been brought into public ownership for the enjoyment of everyone.

The items saved for the nation comprised works by Titian and Van Dyck, Guardi and Millet, Reynolds and Gainsborough, as well as, for the first time, a number of works by living artists and some that have never been seen by the public before. Other historic treasures include Roman antiquities and archive correspondence of an early 19th-century prime minister with letters from Lord Nelson and the papers of a Nobel Prize winner.

We think the Acceptance in Lieu scheme is excellent and we are considering ways to build on its success.

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Jeremy announces our plans to set musems and galleries free from Government interferance

October 28th, 2009 - 
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Jeremy spoke at  Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre this morning and set out our plans to reclassify Museums and Art Galleries that are currently classed as Non-Departmental Public Bodies so they have greater independence from Government.

He also outlined plans to streamline the heritage sector. He said:

“We need to re-examine the administrative status of our foremost museums and galleries. They are technically “quangoes” – but in fact they are nothing of the sort. They are cultural organisations for which stewardship of the nation’s assets combines with a specific fund-raising remit. As such rules like year-end requirements to use or lose budgets are totally inappropriate. Likewise the requirement to hand back to the Treasury any funds raised, for which they then need to resecure permission to spend.

“So I can today announce that we intend to introduce a Museums and Heritage Bill if we win the next election. This will contain the key elements of heritage protection reform contained in the Heritage Protection Bill. This includes reducing the bureaucracy of the current system by establishing a single system for designating heritage buildings, monuments and landscapes; introducing a fairer and more transparent online decision making; and greater local decision-making.

“But the new Bill should also establish a new administrative status for non-departmental public bodies within the cultural and heritage sectors. This will recognise their role as public organisations with responsibility to steward the nation’s assets. But it will also allow them the independence to be truly effective and entrepreneurial fundraising bodies. They must have both the ability and responsibility to raise money both for capital projects and also for endowments to give them funding security over the long term.”

More HERE and the full transcript of his speech is  availible HERE on our Shadow DCMS policy website.

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