The Arts Council or England Annual Review 199 9

Developing, sustaining an dpromoti ng

AM-

England

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Welcome to The Arts Council of England' sAnnual Review for 199 9

The Arts Council is the national body for the arts in England .We distribute public money from government and the lotter yto artists and arts organisations, both directly and through th e10 Regional Arts Boards ; we commission new work ; conduct

research ; provide advice and information ; and develop awarenessand support for the arts in this country . We are an independent ,non-political body working at arms length from the Government .

Through all our work, we aim for excellence and seek to mak ethe highest artistic achievements available to the widest public ;to be proactive in encouraging new work ; to integrate the artsmore fully within education ; to bring the challenge of new art i nall forms to as many people as possible ; and to celebrate th ediversity of England's cultural background .

The Arts Council's 1999 annual report is published in three sections :

• Annual Review

• Accounts

• National Lottery Report

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xcHieving a nuv _

We have set out to make the Arts Council a n

effective national body, speaking on behalf of th earts, helping the arts constituency, engaging wit h

Government and others on issues that affect th e

arts, and instigating national initiatives To achiev e

this, we have had to make significant changes t o

our structure and our relationships with artists an d

Arts organisations .

This kind of change is never easy, but we hav emoved resolutely towards achieving that new an d

pioneering role . We have begun to secure moremoney for the arts from Government - an extr a

f 125 million over three years - which we warml y

welcomed, after years of stand-still funding . We

hope to achieve more ,

We have agreed five key priorities :s New work, experimentation and th e

individual artis t

• New art forms and collaborative ways o f

`working, particularly with new technolog y

* Diversity and inclusion, particularly in relatio n

to race, disability and economic clas s• Children, young people, lifelong learnin g

• Touring and distribution, including throug h

broadcasting, recording and electronic publishin g

We are committed to these priorities and will see k

to translate them into reality .

Because we are committed to putting art first, th eArts Council is now made up of some of the most

exciting artists in contemporary life . In fact ou r

membership has a higher proportion of artists than

at any time since we were established . However,

the only worthwhile benchmark of our succes smust surely be the extent to which the arts in thi s

country thrive, and are valued by everyone . We ai m

to achieve :

• More invoivement by more people in arts activities

• Greater support from the public for the art s• More money for the arts from all possible source s

These are big ambitions, and we cannot achiev e

them alone . We are working in partnership wit hothers to find ways to nurture the long-term healt h

of the art s

in a year of significant change for the Art s

Council, I have been enormously impressed by th e

professionalism and dedication of our staff, ou r

colleagues in the Regional Arts Boards, our advisorypanels and fellow members of Council . I am

grateful to them for all that they have done over

the past year .

I am confident that, together, we are well on th e

way to becoming an organisation that will make a

real difference for the arts in the years to come .

L-

s

Gerry Robinso n

Chairma n

Z. Tf*AiU.-Pa=.jl of agl'4nd

era for the art

Change is necessary if an organisation is to remai n

viable and to flourish . In this annual review we ai m

to show the Arts Council's changing direction .

Through a mix of examples and images w e

demonstrate how the Council's five priority areas

have threaded their way through aspects of ou r

work over the past year. Many of the organisations

mentioned are less well-known than some of ou r

higher profile clients . Nevertheless, they make a n

important contribution to the rich diversity o f

artistic life in England, and deserve to b e

celebrated All of them - the traditional, as wel l

as the less established - reflect the Council's ne w

priorities in innovative ways _

For example, one of our priorities focuses

on children, young people and lifelong learning .

Public subsidy in partnership with corporat e

sponsorship resulted in See it live/Barclays Theatre

Week highlighting the quality and diversity of

regional theatre, and providing free tickets fo r

young people .

Following the success of our interim fundin g

scheme for dance, drama and stage managemen t

students, the Department for Education an d

Employment agreed to take on responsibility fo r

funding students in this area of arts education .

Under our stewardship over 1,000 students wer e

supported through their courses in 1998 .

In November the National Foundation for Yout h

Music was launched with a remit to encourage

more young people to experience all forms of

music, both in schools and in the community.

We welcome these initiatives, and many others

supported by the Arts Council and the Regional

Arts Boards, as recognition of the importance of

the arts in the development of children an d

young people .

This has been a year of substantial change fo r

the Arts Council . All of us - staff, Council members ,

Panel members, Regional Arts Boards, advisors and

the arts organisations with whom we work - have

had to adapt to a new environment for the arts .

We now have four principal teams : Arts, Plannin g

& Resources, Research & Policy and Communications .

We have streamlined our budgets so that we ca n

use grant-in-aid and lottery income together t o

invest in nurturing artists, widening audiences and

enhancing buildings and facilities for the arts .

We have also begun to hand over substantia l

funds to the Regional Arts Boards so that decision s

on funding can be taken closer to where artists and

audiences are based .

Our objectives for the future are simple thoug h

challenging : to increase public involvement in th e

arts and to help make more of England's arts an d

artists the world's best .

Peter Hewitt

Chef Executive

Nurturing creativityacross the generation s

Joanna MacGregor, Council member an dinternational concert pianist, writes : "This summe rI played to a large audience of school children a tSalisbury Festwal . They were equally entertainedby John Cage's prepared piano pieces and Djang oBates' Jazzy techno-music as by a gigue from aBach suite . They were completely unfazed b yso-called 'contemporary classical' music an dprobably all went home looking for bolts to pu tinside their pianos so they could write simila rCage-inspired pieces !

Three weeks later I worked with pianists of al lages at Dartington Summer School . They were a sopen to studying Steve Reich drumming pattern sas they were keen to play pieces by Chapi nand Rachmaninov

The energy and enthusiasm of people I meet i sgreat - their creativity and willingness to explor eneeds only the slightest encouragement . It'sincreasingly important to me to communicate notonly through playing, but also by helping othe rmusierans of all ages and levels to experiment an dinnovate, while remaining connected to the greatcultural legacy that we have inherited . "

Excellence for all age sThe Royal Shakespeare Company's Christma s1998 production of a new commission byAdrian Noble - The Lion, the Watch and theWardrobe - payed to sell out houses inStratford and London .

Education Extra is running over 45 after -school arts based activities for young peopl e

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across the country. Schools work with professiona lartists to create dance companies, jazz, swing an dpop bands, and public art projects .

We insist that all the organisatlons we fun dundertake education work For example, th eLondon Symphony Orchestra is restoring a Grade 1listed church to become a world-class musi ceducation centre, providing spaces for education ,community projects, rehearsal and recording .

*Q Wiltshire Music Centre

The huge range of high

quality music presented at this

purpose-built, lottery-funded

centre attracts diverse

audiences of all ages. The

centre is also an importan t

focal point for an exciting

variety of education projects .

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Encouraging individualit yand experimentatio n

Deborah Bull, Council member and Principal Dance r

at the Royal Ballet, writes : "Individuality an d

experimentation are the lifeblood of the arts .

They make the arts both exciting and unpredictable ,

and ensure that the art created today will remai n

relevant to the audiences of tomorrow .

I see it as vitally important that the Arts Council i s

flexible enough to embrace work that is individual ,

innovative and different from the norm . Any

requirement to make their work fit existing label s

or preordained pigeonholes is stifling to th e

creative individual . Artists need to be truste d

and empowered to follow their own creativ e

instincts, unimpeded by fear of failure . "

Developing new work

The Arts Council supports a numbe r

of projects which encourage th e

development of new work of the

highest quality.

For example, the Meyer Whitworth Awar d

is given annually to a play which shows

promise of developing new talent . In 199 8

the point winners of the award were Moir a

Buffini for Gabriel and Daragh Caville for

Language Roulette .Aimeida/Aldeburgh Opera will work togethe r

to commission six chamber operas over the nex t

three years, following the success of their firs t

collaborative piece of musical theatre, Hey

Persephone by Deidre Gibbons .

Wayne McGregor of Random Dance ha s

pushed forward dance boundaries wit h

Mfllennarium, a unique creative fusion explorin g

the impact of technology on dance vocabular y

and presentation . The Royal Ballet's Dance Bite s

tour provided the opportunity for audiences a t

eight regional venues to see the work of youn g

choreographers such as Cathy Marston, To m

5apsford and William Tuckett .

"Using the ideas and opportunities of ne w

technology to discover fresh possibilities

for human expression, Random is making

dance for the future "

Wayne McGregor - Random Dance Company

Thr• Ar15 Couni iI of England

Exploring new form sof expressio n

Antony Gormley, Council member and sculptor ,

writes ; "The interface between life as it is lived and

art through which life is represented is constantly

renegotiated . Digital technology, one of the most

immediate and powerful tools of imaging, wil l

allow us all to participate in the representation of

our life as well as in its transformation .

Artists are pioneers in the digital revolution and

were quick to realise the creative potential of th e

Internet as a space that was both public an dintimate as well as a broadcasting tool . We need

to promote the integration of new media an d

creative practice .

From my own experience, the virtual worl d

provided me with a studio between imaginatio n

and workshop, The Angel of the North was firs t

built full scale as a digital image, and explored i n

a virtual reality programme which enabled me t o

see the Angel as it would be seen by someon edriving past .

The Arts Council is committed to integrating th e

speed and democracy of information technolog y

into its relationship with the wider world, offerin g

opportunities for collaboration and contac t

Check out the following website s

www.axisafttsts .org .uk, www.Iiveliterature .net/,

Foundation For Art and Creative Technolog y- www.fact .co .uk, institute of International Visua l

Artists - wwwiniva org , and www mongrel org .u k

- Natural Selection, a visual exploration of

assumptions about cultural difference . "

New technology pioneer s

Pioneers of contemporary arts fusion events ,

Arthrob teamed up with clubs across th e

country to put on Defining A Nation, a successfu lliterature tour involving populist writer s

As part of the Meltdown Festival at the Sout h

Bank Centre, the London Musicians Collective use d

both a temporary radio licence and the Internet t o

feature the innovative and experimental soun d

Artists working in new media were supporte d

and given a platform as part of Photo 98, th e

Year of Photography and Electronic Image .

In collaboration with the Lovebytes Festival i n

Sheffield, Public Sightings was the largest eve r

commissioning of public art using photograph y

and electronic media . Redundant textil e

mills, department stores and the cit y

hail were among the venues fo r

pubic installations .

"We want to continue to commission an d

present stunning and provocative art - be itperformance, video or new media "

Mike Stubbs - Directo r

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Hull Tined Based Art s

Hull Timed Based Arts wa s

formed in 1982 as an artist-le d

organisation which commissions

live and new technology art .

They support the development

of innovative new work through

their digital production facilities,

technical assistance, exhibitions

and touring programme.

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-acing the diversityour culture

Hilary Strong, Council member and Director o f

Greenwich Theatre, writes : "Everyone should have

the basic human right to participate in the creative

opportunities provided by the arts, and we mus t

ensure that this is central to all that we do .

While lottery money has made a significan t

impact in improving access to many buildings ,

there are still many less obvious barriers . Affordable

ticket prices, targeted marketing and ingeniou s

transport initiatives are all being developed . Perhaps

the biggest challenge is to enable the poorest

members of society to benefit from the arts . Every

citizen should believe it is their right and privilege t o

enjoy the full range of arts available .

Since the Arts Council was formed in 1946, ther e

have been fundamental changes not just in society's

attitudes to the issues of race, gender, disability and

social exclusion but in the development of th e

creative arts within those sectors of the community .

The arts must reflect the cultural diversity of ou r

country if they are to be relevant . What's reall y

exciting is the potential of collaborative arts

projects to bring different communities together i n

a shared celebration . "

Diversity in practice

Through the Arts Council's Regional Blac k

Theatre Initiative, Kuumba, an arts centre in Bristol ,

developed a successful youth project with th e

Bristol Old Vic . The two organisations are now

planning further work together. The Royal Nationa l

Theatre launched a multi-racial company, the N T

Ensemble 99, in March 1999 .

The work of new black writers in Britain wa s

promoted through Listening Posts . This include d

CDs of authors reading their own work, distribute d

through festivals, libraries and the media .

Manchester's acclaimed queerupnorth

international arts festival celebrated an internationa l

dimension with three new productions from

Australasia . The Arts Council's Digital Arts an d

Disabled People's Bursary scheme led to seve n

disabled artists training and collaborating wit h

regional digital arts organisations .

the Art, COLIM ll ut England

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Bringing the arts toa wider audience

Andrew Motion, Council member and the Poet

Laureate, writes- "We live in an age when method s

of communication are changing more rapidly tha n

ever before it is also a time of change for the arts ,an exciting time when new forms are developing ,

new collaborations taking shape and ne w

possibilities emerging ; a time when the traditional

arts must work harder than ever to secure thei r

audience and when the emerging arts must thin k

imaginatively to develop the crucial relationshi p

between art and audience .

That relationship is never static Audiences canno t

be taken for granted . The Arts Council has put th e

need to attract and develop new audiences for th e

arts at the centre of its work New technology,

broadcasting, touring and electronic publishing ar e

all vital parts of this strategy. The wider audience i s

out there - it is up to us to tempt them gyn . "

Opening up the art s

The Arts Council Collection, which includes ove r

7,000 works by artists such as Francis Bacon ,Bridget Riley and Gillian Wearing, was launched on

CD Rom in 1998, to give greater public access t othe collection . The Live Literature websAe wen ton-line during the year, carrying details of festivals ,

We literature events and other information useful t o

publishers, promoters, writers and readers .

Through the New Audiences programme, the Art s

Council is touring the arts into areas that have no t

been reached before, reflecting new cultura l

perspectives, testing new ways to encourage mor e

people to enjoy the arts and placing art in new an d

lively venues . For example, Birmingham Royal Balle t

worked closely with Sunderland Football Club' s

Fanzine to encourage fans to attend a performanc e

of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet at Sunderlan d

Empire after the music had been adopted as th e

club's theme tune .

Barclay's Stage Partners, a collaboration betwee n

the Arts Council and Bardays, brings quality wor k

from regional theatres to audiences nationwide .

As part of this the Pilot Theatre Company presented

the first-ever tour of William Golding's Lord of th e

Flies to over 21,000 people in eight theatres acros s

the country.

12 Vic -Arl COHM it n1 r110"'I d

k Tea, Toast & Technolog y

Based in South Derbyshire,

this provocative and innovative

project introduces older peopl e

to the creative possibilities of

new technology.

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The Counci l

Gerry Robinson

Gerry Robinson was appointed

Chairman of the Arts Council of England

in May 1998 . His career has include d

financial and accounting roles at Lesne y

Products, Lex Service Group an d

Coca-Cola . He joined Granada i n

October 1991 as Chief Executive an d

took over as Chairman in March 1996 .

He has also been Chairman of BSky B

pic and of ITN . He takes a persona l

interest in the visual and performin g

arts, and has been involved in th e

development of the Royal Court Theatre .

Derrick Anderso n

Derrick Anderson has been Chie f

Executive of Wolverhampto n

Metropolitan Borough Council since

1996 Mr Anderson has previousl y

worked as Deputy Director of Yorksh+re

Arts, Head of Leisure Services a t

Wakefield MBC and Director of Leisur e

Services at Wolverhampton MBC .

David Brierley CB E

David Brierley was a teacher, became

General Manager of the Roya l

Shakespeare Company from 1968 to

1996, and is now an RSC Advisor y

Director. He was Chairman of Sout h

West Arts Board, and is a director of th e

Theatre Royal, Plymouth, a governor o f

Clwyd Theatre Cymru, and a Trustee o f

the Hall for Cornwall . He chairs the Arts

Council's Stabilisation Advisory Panel an d

its Audit and Remuneration Committees .

Deborah Bull CB E

Deborah Bull has been Principal Dance r

at the Royal Ballet since 1992 . As a

member of the Arts Council's Danc e

Advisory Panel, she gave the Arts

Council Annual Lecture in 1996 Fro m

Private Patronage to Public Purse .

Professor Christopher Fraylin g

Professor Christopher Frayling is Recto r

of the Royal College of Art . An

historian, critic, writer and broadcaster ,

in 1979 he founded the Departmen t

of Cultural History at the RCA . He wa s

also Governor of the British Fil m

Institute, a member of the Craft s

Council and Chairman of the Freefor m

Trust . He is a trustee of the Victoria an d

Albert Museum, Chairman of the Crafts

Study Centre and an award winnin g

commentator on radio, television and

in prin t

Anthony Gormley OB E

Anthony Gormley is an internationally-

renowned sculptor . He is the creator o f

the monumental landmark sculpture fo r

the city of Gateshead, the Angel of th e

North . He was awarded the Turner Priz e

in 1994

Anish Kapoor

Anish Kapoor is a sculptor of

international reputation He represente d

Britain at the 1990 Venice Biennale ,

where he was a prize winner, and was

awarded the Turner Prize in 1991 .

Joanna MacGrego r

Joanna MacGregor is an internationa l

concert pianist who has appeared with

all the major British orchestras an d

toured worldwide . She has promote d

new music and jazz artists in th e

Manchester-based series SoundCircus ,

the London Festival Platform and wit h

her own record label . She is currently

Professor of Music at Gresham College

London and appears regularly o n

television and radio . Her piano tuto r

books for Faber and Faber are

published in 199 9

Professor Andrew Motio n

Andrew Motion is a biographer an d

poet, and Professor of Creative Writin g

at the University of East Anglia . Hi s

authorised biography, Philip Larkin :

A Writer's Life published in 1993, wo n

the Whitbread Prize, and his biography ,

The Lamberts, won the Somerse t

Maugham award . Andrew Motion's

latest collection of poetry, Salt Water,

was published in 1996 and hi s

biography of Keats in 1997 He is a

fellow of the Royal Society of Literatur e

and was appointed Poet Laureat e

in 1999 .

Prudence Skene

Prudence Skene has been Executive

Director of Ballet Rambert and Executive

Producer of the English Shakespear e

Company. From May 1993 to 1998 sh e

was Director of the Arts Foundation .

Before joining the Arts Council she wa s

President of the Theatrical Managemen t

Association and Vice-Chairman of th e

Dancers' Resettlement Trust and Fund

She has been Chairman of the Arts

Council's Capital (formerly Nationa l

Lottery) Advisory Pane! since 1996 .

Hilary Stron g

Hilary Strong is Executive Director of

Greenwich Theatre . From 1994-199 9

she was Director of Edinburgh Festiva l

Fringe and previously worked a s

an administrator and producer i n

various regional and internationa l

theatre companie s

14 the :art ; Cutinril ni EngLind

Andrew Motio nAnish Kapoor

Prudence Skene

Hilary Strong

The Ark Courx it , fii-,J ild

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Where the money comes from an dhow we spend i t1 April 1998 - 31 March 1999

1999£o00 s

Grant•in-ai€ I

[7%3n-n-a :d - 1 a-:

^come

191,17 1

Grar.- com.rn r!E- is

188,29 3

OoF r aTInq r15is 2

7,40 8

`r rn fhe Department for Culture Meda ai~c -

1 OCe'c' .r„Z :G5[5. f0~ )99$!94 :r~C~udH retlu^C]dn CY 3r'p 6•he , ^iii

~,

. . .

- `I - -

[• ..

'rfl-R a n ExCPpt G'dl

- .

BrvaltC111N11 ul % ;Ii tommitlllent s

Arts grant s

Grants to Regional Arts Boards

Total grant commitment s

Lutl€°r',

Share of proceeds from the National Lottery

Investment returns and other in( .

Lottery commitments" di . , .̂ ; F

Operating costs

'This figure represents lottery - and (omnw- lents', ie where the Council hay i ; , ;i• , firm offr-i

ir , it which it

with ar t

beer) accepted by the recipien t

These f lgures have not been audited ; they are extracted from the Arts Council's audited accounts for grant-in-aid and lottery . A copy of the audite daccounts can be obtained from the Arts Council at the address op site

129,91 7

58,37 6

188,29 3

210,954

30,79 4

143,22 3

21,038

124,57 9

58,07 6

182,65 5

268,188

29 .46 0

455,794

22 .9 =

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:

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Flit, Arts Count it of England

The Arts Council of England is ammitted to being pen aRVMM

accessible, and welcomes all comments on its work and th eservices it provides . Suggestions on how to improve the Council' sservices should be addressed to Wendy Andrews, Executiv eDirector of Communications at the address below .

If you require copies of this, or any of our publications ,in large print, audio-tape, Braille or any other alternativ eformat, please contact :Information services on 0171/0207 973 645 3

Fax : 0171/0207 973 641 1

Minicom : 0171/0207 973 6517

1

.9 .

gA year in the a i

.~:April 1998•The Government provides f5 myllio n

to create the New Audiences

programme, a major initiative to buil d

new audiences for the arts .

*Correcting the picture, a conference

run by the Arts Council and West

Midlands Arts, looks at how to

increase opportunities for Black and

Asian arts managers

May*Opening of Artranspennine 98, Brittain's

largest international contemporary art

exhibition . The exhibition feature d

over 50 artists creating works fo r

indoor and outdoor locations acros s

Northern England .

•The Arts Council announces a f20

million lottery award towards the

development of the Birmingha m

Hippodrome .

June

*The lottery-funded National & a

Centre . the first new nationa l

institution to be built in more than

10 years, opens in Sunderlan d

celebrating over 1,000 years of

glass-making .

• Culture Secretary Chris Smith present s

the Arts Council Writers' Awards a t

the Imagination Gallery in London .

15 individual writers receive an award

for a current work in progress

Jul y*The Government announces an

additional f 125 million over the re,! .

three years for the arts as n

-

including a 15 per cent increase r _ - -

:,,ts Council's grant in 199912000 .• -,.,e Brighton Dome complex receive s

a f 15 million lottery award toward s

refurbishment and redevelopment .

August

*The lottery-funded film Love rs th e

Devil, starring Derek Jacobi as artis t

Francs Bacon, wins the Michae l

Powell Award for Best New Britis h

Feature at the Edinburgh Film Festival .

Septembe r

• ArtsFest, a weekend of over 200 free

arts events in and around Centenar y

Square, Birmingham, encourages more

people to experience the arts .

• As part of the National Year of

Read ng, the Arts Council announce s

funds for writers to take up placements

in local education authorities .

Dctobe r+ Chairman Gerry Robinson sets ou t

the Arts Council's new strategic rol e

and announces a major transfer o f

direct responsibility for decision

making and funding to the Regiona l

Arts Boards .

• Following a successful run subsidise d

by Arts Council funds, Cono r

McPherson's The Weir (see photograp h

below) returns to London's Duke of

C:rk Theatre as a commercia l

production by the Royal Court .

Vember• Alive!, a young band fro m

Bury who received an Art y., ,r Everyone Expres s

perform at th e

of Wales' 50t h

IF~aay party

• Over 75 architectura l

firms open their doors t o

e public, as part of

Architecture Week ,

an ACE/RIBA initiative

about architecture

be r

+ . --e Royal Exchange Theatre ,

Manchester, damaged by a terrors-

bomb in 1996, re-opens after a majo r

Arts Council funded refurbishment .

January 1999

• The new Stabilisation Programme i s

launched . Thfs major component o f

the Arts Council's funding strateg y

enables organisations to develop an d

re-focus their wor k

• Glasgow becomes City of Architecture

and Design 1999, as part of the Art s

Council's Arts 2000 initiativ e

Februar y

• The Arts Council announces over 30 0

awards, worth f9 7 million, for art s

activities as part of the Millenniu m

Festival, the largest programme o f

celebrations ever mounted in the UK .

• Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths ar e

nominated for Academy Awards for

their roles in the lottery-funded fil m

Hilary and Jackie, which depicts th e

life of cellist Jacqueline du Pre

March

• William Trevor wins the David Cohe n

British Literature Prize 1999 for hi s

lifetime's achievement and gives

f 10,000 to help fulfill the ambition

of a young person from Omagh to

become a fiction writer .