National Arts Agency News in March 2002
Show all of 2002
Cultural exchange between Barbados and Colombia raised
In a recent meeting with key Barbados government ministers, Colombia's Ambassador to Barbados, Dr Rafael Gomez, discussed the development of closer cultural ties between the two countries, including a teacher exchange to enable each country's language to be taught in the other's schools. more >
Australia Council 'plays the world'
The Australia Council recently released details of 'Playing the World', an initiative of its Theatre Board and Audience and Market Development Division, designed to extend the ability of Australian performing arts practitioners to tour internationally and attend overseas ‘markets’ or trade fairs. more >
Australia Council offers Lebanon residency
The Australia Council's Theatre Board has initiated a new program of three-month residencies for local performance artists of non-English speaking background (NESB), to assist them in strengthening their links with their overseas cultural heritage. more >
Wales releases 10-year plan for culture
Minister for Culture, Sport and the Welsh Language in the Wales Assembly, Jenny Randerson, in February released a 10-year plan designed to put cultural issues higher up on the nation's agenda. more >
'Mash' Guyana-style
Guyana's capital, Georgetown, reportedly came alive in an explosion of colour and sounds recently, during the 'Mashramani' float and costume parade, celebrating the 32nd anniversary of the nation's declaration as a republic. The festival is currently the largest cultural event in the country, with audience numbers this year suggesting that 'Mash' 2002 was the best attended ever. more >
ACE launches ’Creative partnerships’
The Arts Council of England (ACE) has launched a GB£40 million initiative, aimed at developing long-term partnerships between schools, cultural and creative organisations and artists. Organisers suggest the project is 'one of the most important new arts education programs in a generation.' more >
Art Gallery gets Maori name
A Maori name has been officially bestowed on a recently constructed piece of cultural infrastructure in the New Zealand city of Christchurch: now to be know as 'Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu'. more >
Canada Council appoints Aboriginal Arts Co-ordinator
The Canada Council for the Arts has announced that Louise Profeit-LeBlanc will take up the position of Aboriginal Arts Co-ordinator on 6 May this year. more >
Funding cuts to Oxford arts
England's Southern Arts Board has recently released a statement criticising proposed cuts in arts funding by Oxford City Council, a move the board says may see secured funding from other sources jeopardised. more >
Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2002 shortlist
The Arts Council of England has released the names of six contenders from 81, who have made it to the shortlist of this year's Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. more >
Indigenous trademark website launched by Creative NZ
National arts development agency Creative New Zealand has launched a website to complement its recently developed Maori Made Mark for indigenous arts product, 'Toi Iho'. more >
Irish Arts Council announces grants and new leadership initiative
The Arts Council of Ireland's Director, Patricia Quinn, has announced details of the organisation's grant decisions for this year, as well as outlining a new initiative to promote leadership in the arts. more >
Visual and media artists lauded
The winners of the third annual Governor General's Awards for Visual and Media Arts were announced by the Canada Council for the Arts on 12 March. more >
Arts Council of Wales funds new reading scheme
The Arts Council of Wales announced funding of GB£300,000 at the Welsh Libraries Conference in Llandrindod earlier this month, to a consortium whose scheme, 'Branching Out', aims to get more people reading and increase book-borrowing from libraries. more >
National Award for Chile’s 'King of the Bolero'
Chile's Minister of Education, Mariana Alwyn, this month recognised the life-time achievements of 73-year-old vocalist Luis Enrique Gatica Silva, by presenting him with the prestigious Gabriela Mistral Order of Teaching and Cultural Merit Decoration. more >
Want to tour in England? Arts venue info at a click
A new online arts database that looks set to make the lives of tour managers, promoters and producers much easier, has just completed its initial development phase and is in test mode. more >
Australia Council announces new media arts funding
A total of more than A$500,000 in funding from the Australia Council's New Media Arts Board, to be spread among some 40 recipients nationwide, was recently announced. more >
International buyers 'go wild' over New Zealand work
International producers, festival directors and venue managers 'went wild' over performances from three New Zealand performing arts companies featured at the recent fifth International Australian Performing Arts Market in Adelaide, according to Australian festival director Robyn Archer. more >
Tips for Doreen
Following a trend set by the South African Broadcasting Corporation in its 'Tips for Trevor' campaign, which sought advice from the public regarding the budget for the Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, the National Arts Council's CEO, Doreen Nteta, has invited stakeholders and other interested parties to participate in her 'Tips for Doreen' campaign. more >
Bursaries for Scottish writers
Scottish Arts Council recently awarded bursaries amounting to GB£40,000 to 12 writers, designed to allow them more time to devote to their writing. more >
Creative New Zealand news
Literary and visual arts snippets from Creative New Zealand. more >
Creative publishing in Scotland rewarded
Four Scottish publishing companies have been awarded almost GB£100,000 by the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Enterprise, through the Creative Industries Company Development Scheme, which was established to help enterprising and ambitious companies expand. more >
Inclusion of 'cultural well-being' urged in Local Government
Creative New Zealand is urging the inclusion of 'cultural well-being' as a concept within the nation's Local Government Act. more >
Review highlights vital role of literary magazines
A recent review of Scottish literary magazines funded by the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) has commended their capacity to motivate and provide opportunities for emerging writers, as well as promoting critical debate. more >
Fighting back over the Maori Made Mark
Creative New Zealand this week published a return salvo to its critics over the recently launched Maori Made Mark, a registered trade mark designed to distinguish genuine artworks created by the islands' indigenous population from cheap imported fakes. more >
How to marry contemporary and indigenous arts - the Ilonggo experiment
Late last year in the Phillipines' second oldest city, Iloilo, a defunct indigenous cultural festival was resurrected. The 2001 Ilonggo Arts Festival might have been concerned with ancient and indigenous culture but the methods it used to expose that culture were distinctly contemporary. more >
NAC asks young Singaporeans to tell the story
Singapore's National Arts Council (NAC) is running an innovative animation competition in collaboration with Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), with the aim of encouraging young people to apply their creativity to what is often perceived as the 'dull' area of information technology. more >
UK West Midlands to get new arts complex
England's West Midlands Regional Arts Board (RAB) has secured GB£17.4 million in Lottery funding to assist with the construction of a new flagship arts complex for the region. more >
Australian CCD website launched
Australia Council Chair Terry Cutler has launched a new website aimed at community cultural development workers nationwide. more >
England's new arts council coming to life
The drawn-out merger of the Arts Council of England (ACE) with the country's ten Regional Arts Boards (RABs), has reached a new stage, with nominations being called for National Council Members. more >
Literary VIPs visit Australia
The Australia Council is this week hosting nine publishers and literary agents from Europe, the UK and USA, as part of its Visiting International Publishers (VIP) program. more >
South Africa announces new writers' grants
The National Arts Council of South Africa has announced a new literature initiative in the form of ten grants, each worth R40,000, to assist in the development of new creative works by South African writers. more >
ACE announces Friendship Festival cultural program
The Arts Council of England (ACE) has announced the program for the arts and culture strand of the Spirit of Friendship Festival, being held in the lead-up to this year's Commonwealth Games in Manchester. more >
Australia Council news
The Australia Council recently released its February 2002 newsletter, which details progress in a number of areas, including: a youth policy, recommendations from the Regional Panel, and the Federal Government's Contemporary Visual Arts and Craft Inquiry. more >
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