Emergency funding lands for city arts organisations
‘INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL’: Hull Truck Theatre, which has received a grant from the Cultural Recovery Fund
Cultural organisations in Hull have received a share of a £1.57bn emergency funding package announced for the sector.
Hull Truck Theatre and Hull Museums were among the recipients of the £257m that was announced in the first round of the Cultural Recovery Fund being administered by Arts Council England.
The theatre, which received a grant of £229,097, said it would support it until the end of the financial year. Hull Museums, which got £145,692, will use the money for its Heritage Learning offer.
Although some organisations missed out in the first round, others to have received grants include Middle Child [theatre company], Artlink, East Riding Theatre, and NAPA.
The funding will enable Hull Truck to make the necessary changes to the building to adhere to Covid-19 safety guidelines. It will also allow the creative team to curate and present a new programme of work for audiences in the new year, which in turn will create work opportunities for freelancers who have had little or no work during the pandemic.
In addition, the theatre will be able to continue its valued work in the community and with young people.
Having recently received the “We’re Good To Go” accreditation from VisitBritain, the theatre will soon be reopening to audiences with a reduced autumn/ winter programme with the necessary social distancing measures in place.
Operating at 27 per cent capacity, Hull Truck reopens on November 12 with Hull Jazz Festival.
In a joint statement, Hull Truck executive director Janthi Mills-Ward, and artistic director Mark Babych, said: “Hull Truck Theatre is incredibly grateful to both DCMS and Arts Council England to have received emergency funding from the Cultural Recovery Grant.
“This funding will allow us to realign our plans for the coming months in light of the current public health crisis. Our building has been closed since March due to government guidelines and we’re delighted that we’ll be welcoming audiences back imminently.
“We’re primarily going to use the grant to support adapting our building and processes accordingly, and creating a new programme of work that is possible with a socially distanced audience.
“This work will not only be pivotal in lifting the spirits of our audiences, it will also utilise the creativity of our core staff who have been on furlough, and provide much needed work for our network of freelance artists who have been out of work for several months.
“In addition, we’re going to be further looking into digital integration and how to build this into our work going forward.
‘WE WILL REBUILD OUR CULTURAL ARCHITECTURE’: Hull Truck Theatre
“We will continue to work with partner organisations in the city to rebuild the cultural architecture of the place we call home.
“Whilst mindful of friends and colleagues whose applications were unsuccessful, we are pleased to hear that Middle Child, Artlink, East Riding Theatre and NAPA will also be receiving funding from the Cultural Renewal Fund, and we are hopeful that other key organisations in the city will be in future rounds.
“It’s a long road ahead for everyone in the arts and culture sector, and we’re still going to face many challenges in the months ahead, but we’re feeling hopeful for the future and thankful that this grant will enable us to do what we do best - creating exceptional theatre in a welcoming and safe space”.
The grant received by Hull Museums was the full amount bid for by Hull City Council and Hull Culture and Leisure.
The grant will allow Hull Museums to develop and adapt its learning service in response to the pandemic. This could support the creation of environments in which children can access the service safely, as well as allowing for remote and online learning.
Councillor Marjorie Brabazon, chair of Hull Culture and Leisure, said: “This is fantastic news for our museums learning offer, which provides such a vital service to our city and particular our young people.
“The service allows children the opportunity to learn about art, history and culture, opening up a world of wonder whilst igniting their imaginations.
“Preserving the learning offer is an essential part of remaining an Arts Council-accredited service, which is critical when it comes to applying for many external grants that support our museums service and funding cultural projects within the city.”
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “This funding is a vital boost for the theatres, music venues, museums and cultural organisations that form the soul of our nation. It will protect these special places, save jobs and help the culture sector’s recovery.
“These places and projects are cultural beacons the length and breadth of the country. This unprecedented investment in the arts is proof this government is here for culture, with further support to come in the days and weeks ahead so that the culture sector can bounce back strongly.”
Sir Nicholas Serota, chairman of Arts Council England, said: “Theatres, museums, galleries, dance companies and music venues bring joy to people and life to our cities, towns and villages
“This life-changing funding will save thousands of cultural spaces loved by local communities and international audiences. Further funding is still to be announced and we are working hard to support our sector during these challenging times.”
The first round of funding has seen grants awarded to 1,385 creative organisations across the UK. Further rounds of funding in the sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.