Arts Council England
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Funding of over £400,000 will support disabled artists to create ambitious and high quality work
UNLIMITED yesterday announced over £400,000 of funding to support 26 disabled artists across the UK to create ambitious work covering all genres. Funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Creative Scotland & led by Artsadmin and Shape, the 2014 round of the programme aims to build on the successful legacy that was at the heart of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, which celebrated the work of disabled artists on an unprecedented scale.
In addition, 17 Research and Development awards will enable artists to develop new and ambitious works.
Watch the Unlimited 2014 launch film
Click here for full press release
The video is also available with audio description, here.
On announcing the awards, Jo Verrent, Senior Producer, Unlimited said:
‘I can't believe we are here so quickly and with such a stunning range of work to share and to develop. Unlimited stands for quality and the applications we received, the rigour of the panel and the exceptional artistic pieces selected demonstrate the quality of work being created by disabled artists. I just can't wait to start the real work of Unlimited – ensuring audiences across the UK and beyond get a chance to see the very best work by the very best disabled artists.’
Unlimited will see the selected works staged in collaboration with arts venues and festivals across the UK. From Monday 1 - Sunday 7 September 2014 London’s Southbank Centre will once again present many of the Unlimited supported works in a high profile cross-art form festival. As well as staging works there will be a chance to share in some of the development of the R&D projects during the festival. Unlimited partners The British Council will also help find international touring opportunities for supported works.
Nine major new works will be supported by the fund, including:
- Edmund the Learned Pig – Fittings MultiMedia Arts: a magical theatre piece for children aged 8+ and families that fuses BSL sign language, puppets, Aerial-circus, deaf storytelling techniques, music and song
- Otherwise Unchanged – Owen Lowery: a poetry collection featuring poems on various formal and informal subjects including Lowery’s experience of hospitalisation and disability following a spinal injury, war and love
- The Flickering Darkness – Juan delGado: an immersive multi-screen installation explores ideas about urban territory, displacement and economy
You can find out more about these projects and view the full list of commissions here.
Alan Davey, Chief
Executive, Arts Council England said:
‘Following on from the huge success of the Cultural Olympiad Unlimited
programme in 2012, these latest set of commissions aim to build upon this
legacy by developing further opportunities for deaf and disabled artists across
the country.
‘The Arts Council is proud to support a programme that facilitates such varied, collaborative, and pioneering work. This will no doubt encourage new partnerships and support the distribution of work via touring and digital means, enabling more people to see and experience great art.’
Links and further information
Find out more about how the Arts Council supports Unlimited and visit the Unlimited website
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