A Birmingham art gallery is being forced to close in April after its funding was slashed.Ikon Eastside, which relied on funding from Birmingham City Council and Arts Council West Midlands, has hosted work by world famous artists including Andy Warhol and Damian Ortega.
The exhibition space in Fazeley Street, Digbeth, which opened in 2005, was also one of the venues for the Flatpack film festival as well as the International Dance Festival and Supersonic.
Jonathan Watkins, Ikon director, said: “We are extremely saddened to be losing Ikon Eastside but our commitment to bringing internationally recognised art to the city is unwavering.
Read the entire story in the Birmingham Post.
A pioneering Birmingham art gallery is facing closure as it becomes one of the first casualties of city council funding cuts.
Ikon Eastside in Digbeth is to have its £200,000-a-year funding pulled completely from April while its city centre sister venue Ikon Gallery will see its contributions reduced by 15 per cent.
The Eastside gallery, in Fazeley Street, has formed an important part of the regeneration of the urban area as a creative hub since it opened in 2006.
Representatives from the We Are Eastside consortium are meeting to discuss the closure and the sustainability of the independent cultural sector in the city.
The Eastside gallery, in Fazeley Street, has formed an important part of the regeneration of the urban area as a creative hub since it opened in 2006.
Representatives from the We Are Eastside consortium are meeting to discuss the closure and the sustainability of the independent cultural sector in the city.
The council revealed plans to reduce arts funding from just over £12 million a year to £10.2 million a year for the next three years at a meeting on Monday.
Read the entire story at the Birmingham Post.
The axe has fallen on Birmingham arts organisations as City Council announces a 17% cut in funding for 2011/2012.
All major arts groups will receive significantly less money and eleven smaller organisations will be cut off altogether.
Cabinet today approved grants totally £7.8 million, which is a reduction of 17% from the 2010/2011 spending level of £9.4 million.
The cuts are not across the board and vary for each organisation, as follows:
- Performances Birmingham 23%
- City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra 9%
- Birmingham Royal Ballet 18%
- The Rep 18%
- Drum 9%
- Birmingham Opera Company 15%
- Ikon 15%
- Dancexchange 15%
- Ex Cathedra 15%
- Sampad 9%
Eleven smaller arts organisations have had their funding eliminated, including Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Craftspace, Birmingham Jazz, Big Brum, Women & Theatre, Sound it Out, ACE Dance, Tindal Street Press, Stan’s Cafe, Fierce and RBSA.
Click below to see the current level of support for the arts groups that will be cut off:
Click below to see the current level of support for the arts groups that will be cut off:
In a news release, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture, Martin Mullaney says that he is “passionate about the arts scene in Birmingham” and notes that Birmingham Council’s support for the arts is double the commitment of Manchester.
“Now, none of us are exactly jumping for joy at the news but times are hard and everyone knows the current national economic situation. It would be naïve to think the budget cuts are not going to impact on the cultural sector here in Birmingham,” says Mullaney.
Mullaney says he met with arts groups prior to today’s announcement to try and ensure that no organisations collapse as a result.
He notes that many groups also receive funding from the Arts Council, other grants and ticket sales, and he says hopefully members of the public will not notice any difference.
In order to cushion the blow for smaller arts groups that are being cut off, Council is giving each group six months of transition funding ranging from £36,000 for Birmingham Contemporary Music Group to £5,000 for RBSA.