£5,749,473 awarded in Berkshire, as Arts Council England backs art, culture and creativity for more people
Newbury's Corn Exchange will benefit from a share of £5,749,473 (over three years) awarded in Berkshire, as Arts Council England backs art, culture and creativity for more people in more places across the country. The National Rural Touring Forum, run from a Newbury base has also received an uplift.
Today, Arts Council England has revealed details of funding for organisations across the country through its 2023-26 Investment Programme.
The Corn Exchange is one of 10 organisations in Berkshire to receive a share of £1,916,491 a year, ensuring that more people in more places can find fantastic, fulfilling art and culture on their doorsteps.
Overall, there will be investment in a richly varied mix of organisations: Established NPOs (national portfolio organisations) such as Corn Exchange (Newbury) Trust; a boost for the best museums with increased funding for the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading and ambitious pioneers and innovators like CultureMix Arts Ltd, Readipop, Resource Productions and Amina Khayyam Dance Co.
The Corn Exchange today received confirmation from Arts Council England that it will remain a National Portfolio Organisation between 2023 and 2026. They have been allocated annual funding of £396,690 for 2023-6 (£235,000, 2018-2022; £239,324, 2022/23) .
Director for the Corn Exchange Trust Katy Griffiths said: “I am delighted that our work with communities, artists and audiences continues to resonate with Arts Council’s Let’s Create strategy and that we will remain as one of their National Portfolio Organisations during the 2023-26 funding round. We are particularly grateful to have our work recognised in this way, when many wonderful organisations have not received the funding they applied for. We will redouble our efforts to ensure that ACE’s belief in our work is warranted over the coming years.”
Simon Chatterton, Strategic Lead for 101, the Greenham outdoor activities arm of the Corn Exchange said: “We are very grateful that Arts Council England recognise the central role that arts in public space play in the delivery of Let's Create and the vital role that 101 is able to play in supporting the creation of this work. This funding will make it possible for us to continue supporting artists and creativity at 101 in the way same way as we’ve previously been able to through our Ambition for Excellence-funded programme of artist development".
Since joining the National Portfolio in 2015 the Trust’s activities and output have grown significantly reaching over 130,000 each year with the arts centre playing an increasingly pivotal role regionally and nationally with its creative participatory programmes and ground-breaking work at 101 Outdoor Arts – National Centre for Arts in Public Space.
The Trust manages three key spaces: the Corn Exchange which includes a 400 seat auditorium and 40 seat independent cinema and is home to an inspiring live events programme and a world-class outdoor performance programme; the Learning Centre, home to a flourishing participation programme, providing a wide range of social, creative and inclusive opportunities including Links to Thrive a programme of arts-on-prescription and Ageing Creatively reducing loneliness and social isolation for those age 55+ ; and 101 Outdoor Arts - National Centre for Arts in Public Space, our unique artist development and creation centre supporting the production of high quality outdoor work.
The National Rural Touring Forum receive £86,583 (2018-22) £88,176 (2022/23) and £154,308 (2023-6). NRTF networks, develops and supports the ecosystem that delivers high-quality creative experiences across communities and rural areas in the UK. The aim of the NRTF is to strengthen and support rural populations to bring professional work to their venues.
Conversations and research with the public over the past five years, found again and again that people want and need easy access to meaningful, impactful cultural events and creative activities in the places they live.
Through the investment announced today, the focus is on making certain that as many people as possible in England - no matter where they come from or what their circumstances - can get hold of the very best of art and culture on the high streets and in the community spaces of their villages, towns and cities.
The latest round of funding will benefit arts organisations, museums, and libraries in every corner of the country, with a clear focus on ensuring that investment is concentrated in those places that, historically, have been underserved.
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said: “Culture plays a vital role in people’s lives yet many areas of the country have all too often been overlooked when it comes to funding. Today we’re announcing new investment to redress the imbalance and ensure cultural organisations in Berkshire are given more support."
The five Berkshire organisations in the portfolio will benefit from additional investment include CultureMix Arts Ltd, Museum of English Rural Life, Readipop. Corn Exchange (Newbury) Trust, and National Rural Touring Forum.
Arts Council England chairman Sir Nicholas Serota said: “As well as continuing our commitment to our many established and renowned cultural organisations, I am deeply proud of the support we will be giving to those new organisations which will help ignite creativity across the country. We are facing economic pressures at present but this funding is about an investment in our future. This portfolio will support the next generation of visionary inventors, makers, performers and artists. In particular, the growth of our funding for organisations that support and develop work for children represents a profoundly important long-term investment in our country’s talent.”
