arts & culture
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in Brief
Revamped arts centre opens in Cardiff
£21.5m film complex
Gallery areas and theatre space redeveloped as part of 16-month refurbishment
opens in Leicester
A new £21.5m film and digital By Pete Hayman
media centre has opened its
doors in Leicester and has been Chapter Arts Centre in Canton,
designed to complement the Cardiff, has been relaunched,
city's new Curve theatre and the following the completion of a
LCB Depot. Nottingham-based £3.8m refurbishment scheme
property firm Blueprint, Phoenix designed by London-based
Arts and Leicester City Council architects Ash Sakula.
(LCC) have worked in Llanelli-based WRW Group
collaboration with De Montfort acted as main contractor on
University (DMU) on the project, the 16-month revamp, which
which includes two purpose-built included the transformation of
3D cinemas and a café bar. A the venue's front and rear
housing development, 22 entrances and the refurbish- The refurbished arts facility was designed by Ash Sakula Architects
workspaces, office studios and ment of the cinema, theatre
eight 'incubation units' for and gallery area. A new 60ft (18.3m) lightbox Chapter Arts Centre's school
creative industries also form part The work was funded by a now spans the main entrance heritage and sustainability have
of the scheme, along with the £1.75m award from the Arts and the café bar has been all been placed at the heart of
DMU Cube – an interactive digital Council of Wales, a £172,000 expanded into the old outdoor the refurbished venue, which
art gallery. Funding for the grant from the European terrace to increase internal now boasts the Dutch table area,
scheme came from a range of Regional Development Fund space by 40 per cent as part of which will be used for meetings
sources, including the European and £850,000 from the Welsh the scheme, which has drawn and debates, and the Cwtch, a
Regional Development Fund, DMU, Assembly Government. on three main influences. smaller work space.
East Midlands Development
Agency and Arts Council England,
as well as LCC.
Arts Council England publishes new RFO criteria
Brighton and Hove
By Pete Hayman The first set of criteria, which
withdraws culture bid
relate to the arts organisation
Brighton and Hove City Council Arts Council England (ACE), itself, will determine whether it
has revealed that the city has which distributes around displays a number of qualities,
withdrawn from the race to £350m to regularly funded including the excellence and
become the UK's first City of organisations (RFOs), has innovation of its work, how it
Culture in 2013. A special published the criteria it will use engages with people and its
meeting of the city's Art to help decide where to direct financial sustainability.
Commission – comprising regular investment. To fit into ACE's overall arts
members of the council and Two sets of criteria aim to The criteria will determine how infrastructure, organisations
leading cultural organisation – provide improved clarity and ACE distributes regular funding will also have to demonstrate
decided that it would not be transparency about how diversity of cultures and
suitable to "put too much funding decisions are made: well-managed, and the second communities, while other
emphasis on one year's events". the first to determine whether to ensure it fits in with ACE's factors also include previous
The city had prepared an initial the arts organisation is overall strategy. investment levels.
bid but will not hand in its final
proposal by the 11 December
deadline, following the
Liverpool unveils bid for UNESCO City of Music status
commission's ruling. Jackie
Lythell, chair of the Art Liverpool City Council has revealed that it is the bid, which saw a steering group meet for
Commission, said: "This is just leading the city's bid to be selected as Eng- the first time at the end of November.
not the right vehicle for the city land's first UNESCO City of Music, following its Liverpool's Lord Mayor will officially launch
at the moment – we already have success as the 2008 European Capital of Culture. the bid by writing to UNESCO, which has
a full calendar of cultural events The council is working alongside the Royal already designated the city as a World
to work with and we are all Liverpool Philharmonic and a range of other Heritage City and would see it become just
looking toward to making the key music organisations in the city as part of one of four cities of music across the world.
most out of 2012."
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