National Arts Agency News in December 2005
Show all of 2005
Taiwan Writers Translation Series published
The Council for Cultural Affairs for Taiwan will publish an English version of Taiwan Literature by Yeh Shih-t'ao. Yeh is known for his interpretations of Taiwanese literary history. This will be the fourth publication as part of the CCA's Taiwan Writers Translation Series. more >
€350,000 awarded to Irish festivals
The Irish Arts Council has awarded €350 000 to small events and festivals. Each project has received up to €20 000, double what was awarded last year. more >
NEA's new reading program
The National Endowment for the Arts in America has introduced a new national initiative, entitled The Big Read. The initiative is in pilot phase, and aims to encourage communities to come together, read, and discuss one book. Ten organisations have received $US 15 000 to $40 000, to carry out four to six week programs. more >
China to build 300 new museums
China is planning to build another 300 museums in the coming five years. more >
French Ministry releases culture budget
The French Ministry for Culture and Communications has released its budget for 2006. With a total of nearly €3 billion budgeted for 2006, the Ministry's budget will be 4.9 percent higher than in 2005. more >
ABC continues in Asia-Pacific
The ABC in Australia has been selected as the preferred provider to continue to run Australia’s Asia Pacific television service. The announcement was made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Alexander Downer MP. more >
China/Swiss project renews Tibetan temple
A joint China and Switzerland project has been completed, with the Ramoqe Temple in Tibet being restored. more >
FCC delays regulations
The Federal Communications Commission in America has recently announced that new regulations to children’s television will not take effect in the new year. Rules to be put in place to ensure educational programming and a protection from excessive and inappropriate commercials have been delayed. more >
Heritage needs to be protected says Chinese official
The head of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in China, Shan Jixiang, has stated that the country has a long way to go towards protecting heritage sites. more >
Irish Arts Council disappointed on tax plans
The Arts Council of Ireland has welcomed news that the artists’ tax exemption scheme is to remain, but says it is disappointed that the exemption is to be capped at €250 000 in any one tax year. more >
Lib Democrat attacks ACE
Liberal Democrat spokesman for culture, media and sport Don Foster recently attacked the Arts Council England for its record on ethnic minorities. The attack came after the publication of ACE’s annual report, which revealed that ethnic minority attendance and participation has fallen over the past 4 years. more >
Minister commits to heritage museum
The Minister of National Development, Investment and Culture for Belize, Mark Espat, has recently signed an agreement which will renew the government’s support for the National Institute of Culture and History’s Gulisi Garifuna Museum. more >
NESTA funds Scottish enterprises
NESTA will be investing funds into Scottish innovation, with early stage business support and seed money. more >
New goals for Irish Arts Council
The Arts Council of Ireland has published a new strategy for the board. It offers goals for the period of 2006 to 2010, and was presented to Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O’Donoghue. more >
£3.1m grant to N Wales centre world leader
Denbighshire County Council in Wales has received £3.1 million from the Arts Council of Wales for the continuing transformation of the Ruthin Craft Centre. The lottery grant will allow the centre to become an international place for artists, in what is the biggest lottery grant made by the ACW. more >
£5.6 million of culture saved
The British Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has published a report on the export controls on objects of cultural interest. During the period between the 1st of May 2004 and the 30th of April 2005, recommendations were made on the export of 25 objects of heritage. more >
Attorney General still considering resale royalty
The Australian Government is in discussion about whether to introduce a resale royalty on secondary visual art sales. The decision has been postponed until next year, despite the fact that Attorney-General Philip Ruddock had said that the decision would be made by Christmas 2005. more >
Denmark creates new music portal
The Danish Arts Agency, under the Danish Ministry of Culture, has created a new online portal for music. more >
Libya in trouble over satellites
Both Britain and the US have complained to Libya officials after two international satellites were illegally jammed. TV, radio and other communication channels were affected, including digital broadcasts by CNN International, BBC World, US sports channels and US military and diplomatic channels. more >
Wales national anthem not stamped
The Welsh Royal Mail have upset the public, by not commemorating the 150th anniversary of Wales' national anthem with special stamps. The Royal Mail said the schedule for 2006 was full, and it was too late to produce the stamps for the day. more >
£452m private arts funds
£452m has gone to the arts in England from the private sector. A report released by charity Arts & Business has revealed that this figured has jumped from £393m. However, the arts industry is now concerned that the figures will be used by the Government as an excuse to slash arts subsidies. more >
Irish Arts Council gets more funds
The Irish Arts Council has been pleased to hear that Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O'Donoghue, has given additional funding of €5.23 million to the Arts Council. more >
National Endowment for the Arts Announces Challenge America Grants
The National Endowment for the Arts announces grant awards totaling $1,350,000 through the Challenge America: Reaching Every Community program. more >
New research project into Participatory Arts in Scotland
Scottish Arts Council in partnership with The Mental Health Foundation, and supported by the National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing, is currently recruiting projects for research into Participatory Arts Projects across Scotland, called Creative Connections. more >
New virtual bookshop open for business
BooksfromScotland.com has been developed by the Scottish Publishers Association. It will be the largest source in the world for anyone wanting to find out about and buy fiction and non-fiction books from Scotland and about Scotland. more >
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