Everyone welcome – of all faiths and none

A photo of a group of people at Manchester Museum
24 Oct 2019

Staff and museum users from Manchester Museums and Galleries Partnership challenge Tristram Hunt’s definition of what it means to be “consciously civic”.

Celebrating the hyper-local

A photo of two women with aerials on their heads
17 Oct 2019

From family births to DIY successes, greasy spoons to local DJs, a collaborative project has been celebrating local radio on high streets across the country. Jenny Hunt and Holly Darton explain why the time is right for hyper-local theatre.

Creative Industries Federation and Creative England to merge

25 Sep 2019

Joint venture aims to 'supercharge' UK arts lobbying and business development 

Heritage key to creative industries’ success, report claims

24 Sep 2019

The Heritage Alliance is calling for greater recognition and funding to support the historic places and objects that underpin creative and cultural activities, challenging the stereotype of heritage as “a decorative incidental backdrop to contemporary creative work”.

‘I want to take the emotional risk’: getting men to open up about mental health

Photo of MAN UP performance
23 Sep 2019

Restoke anticipated difficulties getting local men to talk about their mental wellbeing – then 170 of them responded to its first casting call. Clare Reynolds explains how co-creation helped create lasting change

‘Cathedrals of culture’ competition mooted by City of Culture founder 

Photo of a cathedral
19 Sep 2019

Phil Redmond said partnerships between rural areas and their historic religious buildings could help make both relevant and culturally sustainable.

Museums and tourist boards at odds over cultural tourism

Photo of Margate, Kent
12 Sep 2019

A new survey finds that one in three museums are unlikely to collaborate with tourism brands, and three quarters think a stronger focus on tourism could clash with their educational goals.

Telling new stories around disability

Photo of a woman in a wheelchair in the 'Being Human' gallery
05 Sep 2019

Medical museums can be deeply offensive to disabled visitors. Richard Sandell introduces a radical project that replaced prejudiced perspectives with rights and respect.

NPOs accused of ‘condescending attitudes’ towards Creative People and Places partnerships

Photo of a CPP delivered performance
04 Sep 2019

A report finds that relationship dynamics regarding Arts Council England’s flagship placemaking scheme are being “partly determined by geographic and class-based inequalities”.

Real change happens from the ground up

A photo of a protest march with women holding signs
29 Aug 2019

Top-down programmes will never bring about meaningful change, says Cath Hume – so it’s time for arts organisations and funders to shift their approach.

Beyond sport, monarchy and wars

A photo of a group of people dressed as WW1 soldiers in Birmingham
29 Aug 2019

First World War centenary commemorations proved that large-scale cultural projects can effectively mark nationally significant events. The question now is ‘what next?’, says Jane Ellison.

How we doubled attendance at the UK’s most northerly arts centre

29 Aug 2019

By working in partnership and refusing to patronise audiences, Lyth Arts Centre in Caithness has attracted record numbers, says Charlotte Mountford.

Businesses aren’t investing in culture, research finds

Photo of Hull City of Culture
23 Aug 2019

Employers think that arts and culture make places more attractive for workers – but see salaries, transport and schools as more important factors.

Why the arts need more partnerships with business

A photo of a band on stage surrounded by bright lights
20 Aug 2019

The cultural sector needs to follow Samuel Beckett’s words and “fail again…fail better”, argues Arts Council England’s Simon Mellor.

What will Brexit mean for European arts partnerships?

A picture of singer Kate Nash
09 Aug 2019

The prospect of leaving the EU inevitably creates uncertainties – but a silver lining is a greater understanding of the value of international collaboration, says Christoph Jankowski.

The power of collaborative communities

A photo of the atrium of the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal
05 Aug 2019

To unlock the full value of culture, Arts Council England needs to support villages, towns and cities across the country to work together more closely, says the funder's Deputy Chief Executive Simon Mellor.

Galleries dance partnership aims to tackle knowledge gap

Photo of dancer
19 Jul 2019

A new initiative to commission dances with UK galleries will improve the profile and practice of this developing field, its founders say.

How to do change better

A group of actors performing on a set of a spaceship
18 Jul 2019

Meeting future challenges in the arts sector will not be about managing change, but creating it, says Richard Watts.

Job Ladder: Clare Reddington

Photo of Clare Reddington
18 Jul 2019

The CEO of Bristol’s Watershed looks back on how “a jumble of opportunism and serendipity” has helped her avoid silos and find fulfilment throughout her career.

€3.1m Creative Europe funding hangs on Brexit deal

Photo of ArtReach project
11 Jul 2019

“Our carefully laid plans…would be wasted” if the UK leaves without a deal, says an organisation awarded €1.3m to lead a collaborative project.

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