Arts Council England awards Absolutely Cultured £1.25 million
The ongoing commitment to culture in Hull, following UK City of Culture 2017, received a huge boost today as Arts Council England awarded Absolutely Cultured £1.25 million.
In May, Absolutely Cultured, the new name for the company which delivered Hull’s year of culture, announced plans for its programme of high-quality, ambitious and compelling cultural events, designed to continue to appeal to the city’s growing local audience and visitors, and to build Hull’s reputation as a place where exciting new art originates. With the first of these large-scale events, Dominoes by Station House Opera, taking place on Saturday 11th August, this announcement ensures a solid bedrock for the future commissioning programme through until 2021.
Katy Fuller, Creative Director and Chief Executive of Absolutely Cultured said: “This is a fantastic endorsement of the aspirations for the company and the city. We’re delighted to continue to work in close partnership with Arts Council England to prove that the City of Culture status was a catalyst for long-term change in Hull.
With this funding in place, we can continue to push the boundaries of the ambition of the work; we will be animating the city’s outstanding outdoor spaces, introducing audiences to work they have never seen before, through new commissions, and offering artists the opportunity to take risks and develop their work.”
Lee Corner, Chair of Absolutely Cultured added: “Hull UK City of Culture 2017 was just the beginning; along with many other organisations across the city we are committed to the part we have to play in ensuring the legacy and impact is felt far into the future. Furthermore, underpinning all of our creative programme is a firm commitment to learning and engagement and we will continue to use the inspirational programme to drive those opportunities.”
Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England said “The tremendous success of the UK City of Culture has cemented Hull’s place as a centre for world class artistic and cultural events. SoI’m delighted to confirm that the Arts Council will be investing a further £1.25 million in the city through a grant to Absolutely Cultured which aims to build on the achievements of 2017 and ensure that the people of Hull and visitors alike can continue to experience life-changing arts and cultural activities.”
The Arts Council England funding will be supporting Absolutely Cultured’s large-scale events until early 2021. Coming up later this year is Urban Legends: Northern Lights, 29th November – 2nd December, an ambitious large-scale outdoor event using projection and commissioned soundscapes. Drawing inspiration from the connections between the countries of Northern Europe, Scandinavia and Hull, artists have been commissioned to explore shared stories, mythologies and folklore and play these out across the city’s urban spaces.