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Dateline: 24th September, 2004
More Cash for Welsh Arts The Arts Council of Wales has announced ambitious plans to spend an extra £2m of Welsh Assembly Government funding on arts organisations working outside Cardiff. Its most recent consultation outlines plans to increase the public's access to high quality performances through strengthening the existing network of venues and galleries. The cash will also extend ACW’s highly successful and innovative “Night Out" programme. Proposals highlighted in The Performing Arts in Wales – complementing the work of WMC lists plans for the additional sum of £1,000,000, which is to be distributed during 2005/06 and a further £2,000,000 that will be available in 2006/07.
The WMC is the Wales Millennium Centre on the Cardiff Bay waterfront. It will be a receiving house for opera, ballet, dance and musicals and will also house under one roof seven very different cultural organisations: Yr Academi Gymreig, the National Literature Promotion Agency and Society for Writers; Diversions, The Dance Company of Wales; The Touch Trust which provides educational touch and creative movement therapy for children and adults with profound disabilities and autism; Hijinx Theatre Company; Ty Cerdd, a one-stop “Music House” with a recording studio, listening booths and information points, and an extensive library of research and performance scores; Urdd Gobaith Cymru, a youth organisation, which provides cultural and sporting activity for 53,000 young people in Wales aged between 8 and 25; and Welsh National Opera. The consultation document sets out the case for distributing this considerable increase in Welsh Assembly Government funding between existing venues, provisions to increase the number and quality of productions and by providing for greater crossborder touring. The venues to receive additional funding are intended to create a national network of centres each impacting on their local area and contributing to the development of the arts in Wales as a whole. Peter Tyndall Chief Executive of the arts council said, “This investment is one of the most important developments in the arts in Wales for a generation. It will ensure that audiences throughout Wales can experience excellence in the performing arts and ensure that Welsh actors, dancers and musicians are using their creativity to many more of the people of Wales. “Through in-depth consultation we have sought to apply ourselves to the strategic vision of access to a high quality arts venue for everyone in Wales. It is our aim that no one will be more than 45 minutes away from a top class theatre, arts centre or gallery.” He continued, “Such a vision would have been unthinkable before devolution and is only realisable thanks to the increasing support the arts receive from the Welsh Assembly Government.” The consultation document states that the arts council’s aim is to establish performances and exhibitions that match the high quality and innovative work that will be seen on the stage of the Wales Millennium Centre across the nation with the venues identified in the proposals acting as regional arts hubs. The Arts Hubs will cover Wales from Bangor to Milford Haven and from Caernarfon to Newport. This new money will enable the Arts Hubs to provide more high quality theatre, dance and music as well as improve their marketing and customer care. Alun Pugh, the Minister for Culture Welsh Language and Sport endorsed the consultations proposals saying, "There is no shortage of creative talent in Wales - the Arts Outside Cardiff funding will help ensure that communities in Wales have the opportunity to enjoy performing arts of the highest quality. I look forward to hearing the response to the Arts Council's proposals. This investment again demonstrates the Welsh Assembly Government's commitment to Welsh creativity." Welsh Assembly Government funding to WMC includes a grant of £37m towards capital costs and £2m revenue support. WMC also receives £9.8m Capital funding from The Arts Council of Wales and £28m from the Millennium Commission. Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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