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Creative bodies lament Arts Council funding cuts

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

March 30, 2011 | 3 min read

Creative support organisations including Design Initiative in the North West have expressed disappointment after having their funding cut by the Arts Council.

Design Initiative is the only development and support agency for craft and design in the North West of England and one of few of its kind in the UK.

It is one of 206 organisations told today that they would have their funding cut completely by the Arts Council from 2012. Visual arts groups were hardest hit.

Tara Badami, director of Design Initiative, said: "This is a huge blow to the organisation but we look forward to engaging with Arts Council England and our other funders and partners about the future for the craft and design sector regionally and nationally.”

In a statement Design Initiative said it would be working hard over the coming twelve months to "mitigate the effects on the craft and design sector", develop further partnerships and generate alternative revenue streams so it can continue its work.

The organisation aims to continue with its programme of initiatives in 2011/12, including the Liverpool Design Festival this year and the Design Show.

"Design Initiative therefore looks forward to continuing to work with as many designers and practitioners as possible, together with its funders and partners in the year ahead," the statement said.

Digital arts organisation folly, which works across the North West of England, was also unsuccessful. It said in a statement: "Folly Board of Trustees and Chief Executive, Taylor Nuttall are disappointed to announce that folly will no longer be an Arts Council England funded National Portfolio Organisation from April 2012.

"During the last few months folly has undertaken a full review of its long term artistic programme objectives and its role as an organisation leading digital culture. Shortly following this announcement by Arts Council England folly will start to reveal its own planning for the future."

Designed and Made, a network for professional designer-makers in the North East, announced that it had not gained National Portfolio status, and had therefore lost Arts Council funding, in a short message on Twitter.

The message read: "Unfortunately design and made didn't get NPO National Porfolio status, once the dust has settled we will start to think about plan B."

Today's cuts leave hundreds of arts organisations fighting to find new sources of funding so they can continue their work.

Dame Liz Forgan, Arts Council chair, said: "Some of them will come to us for funding in other ways, some of them will find ingenious ways to get money from elsewhere, and some of them will not survive this. And I am very sorry about that."

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