DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
COI
DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
DCMS 78/98 15 April 1998
ARTS MINISTER DEFERS EXPORT DECISION
ON A PAINTING BY THOMAS MORAN
Arts Minister Mark Fisher has deferred a decision on an export
licence application for a painting Nearing Camp on the Upper Colorado
River by Thomas Moran, 1882. This follows a recommendation by the
Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art.
The decision will be deferred to enable a purchase offer to be
made, at or above the following recommended price:
- A painting, Nearing Camp on the Upper Colorado River by Thomas
Moran, 1882, deferred until after 15 June 1998; recommended price
#1,500,000. The deferral period could be extended until after 15
October 1998 if there is a serious intention to raise funds with a
view to making an offer to purchase.
Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price
through the private treaty sale arrangements, where appropriate, will
also be considered by Mark Fisher. Such purchases frequently offer
substantial financial benefit to both parties by the sharing of tax
advantages. Anyone interested in making an offer to purchase the
painting should contact the owner's agent through:
The Secretary
The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street
LONDON
SW1Y 5DH
NOTES TO EDITORS
A painting Nearing Camp on the Upper Colorado River by Thomas Moran,
1882
The painting was executed in oil on canvas and measured 92cm x 186cm.
Thomas Moran was one of the premier American landscape painters of
the late-nineteenth century, famous for his monumental depictions of
the American Far West. He was also one of the most important
British-born painters in the history of American art. There are no
comparable examples of a large-scale landscape painting by the artist
in a British public collection.
Moran was born in Bolton and emigrated to the United States in 1844.
He was greatly influenced by Turner's work, which he knew through the
writings of the British art critic, John Ruskin and, at first hand
during visits to Britain and Europe in the 1860s and 1870s. In this
painting, the influence of Turner is evident in the sweeping
panorama, the audacious, high-keyed colours, and the rich atmospheric
effects Moran achieved. This painting is the largest-known Green
River landscape and, with its small band of weary horsemen dwarfed by
the primeval evening landscape, it is Moran's most melancholy and
brooding one as well, a brilliant meditation on the emotions evoked
by the American frontier.
Evidence suggests that the picture was painted specifically to be
exhibited in Britain. Moran was always anxious to achieve recognition
in the country of his birth and attempted to appeal to British taste
and the British art market. Nearing Camp on the Upper Colorado River
is important evidence both of the significant role that the example
of British art, and British art criticism, played in the development
of American painting, and of the importance that American artists
attached to British opinion.
# = pounds sterling
COI
DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
DCMS 79/98 16 April 1998
CHRIS SMITH UNDERLINES GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT
TO PUBLIC LIBRARIES IT NETWORK
The Government will help public libraries across the country to
make full use of Information Technology (IT) to encourage lifelong
learning and educational services for everyone, Culture Secretary
Chris Smith said today.
"We will make a substantial contribution to kickstart this
initiative and ensure its ongoing success," he said.
In conjunction with the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland he published Government's response to the
Library and Information Commission's (LIC) report "New Library: The
People's Network".
The Government will:
- ensure that #50 million of National Lottery money is made
available through the New Opportunities Fund for digitisation of
educational and learning material, much of it held in public
libraries; the material will support the Government's proposed
National Grid for Learning to which libraries, schools and other
institutions will be connected;
- ensure that #20 million of lottery money is provided for training
all the UK's 27,000 library staff in IT skills;
- establish an LIC committee to act as a focal point for
implementing a public library IT network throughout the UK to provide
expert advice, leadership and co-ordination, develop a technical
specification, and consider how industry can best be challenged to
provide network services;
- in addition, in England the Government will provide #6 million
pump-priming investment over the next two years through the
DCMS/Wolfson Public Libraries Challenge Fund to support "Libraries of
the Future".
Mr Smith said:
"Public libraries play a vital social, economic and educational
role in the daily life of the nation. They are among our best loved
public services, used by ten million every fortnight. The development
of IT provides new opportunities for them to deliver better services
to more customers to complement their core book services. Making sure
that library users have access to ever wider storehouses of knowledge
and information through new communications technology is of enormous
importance for the future.
"The Government wholly endorses the objectives for the public
libraries IT network set out by the LIC. It will do all it can to
create the conditions required to ensure success. Our proposals today
will allow libraries to make the 'IT shift' necessary for this change
to happen.
"Public libraries hold the key to ensuring that we don't end up
as a divided information society, with some citizens having access to
knowledge through their home computer systems, and other left behind.
Libraries can help to put the balance right, to make access available
to all, and to remove the veil of mystery that hides the value of new
technology from too many people at present.
"The key to success in providing these opportunities lies in
creating partnerships between the private sector, local authorities
and Government. Our aims and ambitions for the libraries network are
challenging and will not be easy. But the prize of a reinvigorated
public library service will make the journey worthwhile."
Notes to Editors
1. A copy of the response is being sent to each public library
authority in the UK. Further copies are available from the Stationary
Office, quoting Command Paper 3887.
2. The response is also available on the Department's website,
www.culture.gov.uk.
3. "New Library: The People's Network" was published by the Library
and Information Commission in October 1997 and is also available on
the website at www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/lic/newlibrary.
4. National Lottery funding for content creation and for training
librarians will be provided by the New Opportunities Fund (NOF), the
new lottery good cause for health, education and the environment
proposed by the National Lottery Bill now before Parliament. Subject
to Parliamentary approval, the NOF will make available further
details on how to apply for funding in due course.
5. The DCMS/Wolfson Challenge Fund first ran in 1997/98 and part of
its remit was to enable libraries to develop innovative IT-based
approaches to delivering services. #3 million was provided to 30
projects across England.
6. The Government today published a policy statement, "Our
Information Age", setting out an action programme to work with
industry, the voluntary sector and public services to maximise the
potential benefit from IT developments. The document also sets out a
range of other initiatives including IT for All, University for
Industry, and the National Grid for Learning.
7. The full text of "Our Information Age" is available on the new
10 Downing Street website, launched by the Prime Minister today, at
http:// www.number- ten.gov.uk, and from the Department for Trade and
Industry.
# = pounds sterling
COI
DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
DCMS 80/98 16 April 1998
POST-WAR SCULPTURES, RELIEFS AND
MEMORIALS ARE LISTED
Twenty-five post-war public monuments and sculptures have been
added to the list of buildings of special architectural or historic
interest, Heritage Minister Tony Banks announced today.
The sculptures, which include pieces by Henry Moore, Elisabeth
Frink and Barbara Hepworth, were recommended for listing by English
Heritage as a result of its thematic study of post-war sculptures,
reliefs and memorials.
Tony Banks said:
"Over the centuries, public monuments and sculptures have
provided artistic highlights in towns and cities all over England.
Whether commemorating an event of local or national significance, or
standing as a piece of abstract or representational art, they enrich
people's experience of their local surroundings and create a special
sense of identity.
"The post-war period has seen some very fine contributions to
this tradition. The works I am listing today, including William Reid
Dick's Lady Godiva in Coventry, Barbara Hepworth's Contrapuntal
Forms in Harlow and her Turning Forms in St Albans, Geoffrey
Jellicoe's Kennedy Memorial in Runnymede, Mitzi Cunliffe's Heaton
Park Reservoir Pumping Station in Greater Manchester and
Elisabeth Frink's Blind Beggar and his Dog in London's East End, are
all wonderful examples of art at its most democratic and accessible."
The statue of Lady Godiva in Broadgate, Coventry has been
listed in Grade II*. Erected in 1949, it was designed by William
Reid Dick to symbolise the regeneration of Coventry and reassert its
historic roots. It was donated to boost morale at a time when
rebuilding work was delayed by shortages of materials.
Two sculptures designed by Barbara Hepworth for the Festival of
Britain's South Bank Exhibition have been listed in Grade II:
Contrapuntal Forms, in Glebelands, Harlow, Essex consists of two
semi- abstract figures in blue limestone. Designed in 1950-51, it
was granted to the Harlow Arts Trust by the Arts Council the year
after the Exhibition and sited in Glebelands in 1953. This strongly
moulded stone form launched Hepworth as a major artistic force,
bringing her to national attention.
Turning Forms, designed in 1951 and sited in 1953 at Marlborough
School, Watling Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, is an unusual
Constructivist piece. It is a 6 ft painted concrete helix,
originally made to turn by an electric motor which was left at the
South Bank. Its vibrant form shows a strong affinity with the work
of Hepworth's friend Naum Gabo, the leading exponent of
Constructivism .
The Kennedy Memorial at Runnymede, Surrey, designed by Geoffrey
Jellicoe 1964-65, has been listed in Grade II. It is of Portland
stone, 10 ft wide and 5 ft high, floating on a moulded granite base.
The stone is imperceptibly curved in all directions to counter
optical illusion. Two stone seats also by Jellicoe are set a short
distance
away in the side of the hill. A memorial to President Kennedy was
conceived within weeks of his assassination and land at Runnymede was
presented to the people of the USA.
A geometric abstract art movement, founded in Russia c.1913, which
rejected the idea that art must be representational.
Heaton Park Reservoir Pumping Station, Bury, Greater Manchester
has been listed in Grade II. Built 1954-55, it was designed by Mitzi
Cunliffe with Manchester City Architect's Department. The building
has been listed as a total work of art. Its interior is lined in
beige marble, and the original control system with cast-iron valves
and built-in electric fires with decorative grilles survives. The
external mural and internal wooden relief panels by Cunliffe depict
the journey made by Manchester's water from the Lake District, and
dictate the form of this delicate building.
The other sculptures, reliefs and memorials listed today are:
In Grade II*:
Merchant Seaman's Memorial, Trinity Square, London Borough of
Tower Hamlets; Edward Maufe and Charles Wheeler, 1952-55.
British Medical Association Memorial, Tavistock Square, London
Borough of Camden; James Woodford, 1954.
Blind Beggar and his Dog, Roman Road, London Borough of Tower
Hamlets; Elisabeth Frink, 1958.
The Bull, Danebury Avenue, Alton Estate, London Borough of
Wandsworth; Robert Clatworthy, 1961.
In Grade II:
Southwood Memorial, St James's Churchyard, Piccadilly, City of
Westminster; A E Richardson and Alfred F Hardiman, 1947-48.
Woman with a Fish, Delapre Gardens, Northampton; Frank Dobson,
1951.
Monolith (Empyrean), Kenwood, Hampstead Lane, London
Borough of Camden; Barbara Hepworth, 1953.
Sheep Shearer, Momples Road, Harlow, Essex; Ralph Brown, 1955.
Falling Warrior, Clare College, Cambridge; Henry Moore, 1956-57.
Joyride, Town Square, Stevenage, Hertfordshire; Franta Belsky,
1958-59.
The Neighbours, Highbury Quadrant Estate, London
Borough of Islington; Siegfried Charoux, 1957-59.
Sungazer, Kinsdale School, Alleyn Park, London Borough of
Southwark; William Turnbull, 1959.
Meat Porters, Market Square, Harlow, Essex; Ralph Brown,
1956-60.
The Watchers, Alton Estate, London Borough of Wandsworth; Lynn
Chadwick, 1960.
Two-piece Reclining Figure No.3, Cook's Road, Brandon Estate,
London Borough of Southwark; Henry Moore, 1961.
Epidauros, Malakoff, St Ives, Penwith, Cornwall; Barbara
Hepworth, 1961.
Fountain, Lambeth College, Brixton Hill, London
Borough of Lambeth; Kenneth Martin, 1961.
Striding Man, William Penn School, Red Post Hill, London Borough
of Southwark; Oliffe Richmond, 1959.
Delight, Finchdale Road, Abbey Road, London Borough of
Greenwich; A H Gerrard; 1962-67.
Corn King and Spring Queen, Madge Networks Ltd, Wexham Springs,
South Buckinghamshire; William Mitchell, 1964.
Upgraded from Grade II to Grade II*:
Memorial Figure, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon; Henry Moore,
1946.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1 The Minister declined to list the Pasmore Pavilion, Sunny
Blunts, Peterlee, Easington, County Durham (Victor Pasmore,
1968-70).
2. English Heritage's recommendations follow a three-year study of
the main post-war building types. All the recommendations were the
subject of extensive public consultation by English Heritage.
3. The main purpose of listing is to ensure that care will be taken
over decisions affecting the building's future, that any alterations
respect the particular character and interest of the building, and
that the case for its preservation is fully taken into account in
considering the merits of any redevelopment proposals.
4. The list descriptions for the sculptures, reliefs and memorials
can be obtained from DCMS press office by contacting the numbers
below.
5. Photographs of the sculptures, reliefs and memorials can be
obtained from English Heritage press office, tel (0171) 973 3254.
COI
DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
DCMS 82/98 17 April 1998
CHRIS SMITH ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO THE
BOARD OF THE NATIONAL FILM AND TELEVISION SCHOOL
Culture Secretary Chris Smith today announced three new
appointments to the Board of the National Film and Television School.
They are:
Tim Bevan, Producer, Working Title Films;
John McVay, Director of Training, Scottish Screen; and
Kate Wilson, Chief Executive, The Film Consortium.
Mr Smith also announced the reappointment of Roger Bolton, General
Secretary of BECTU (Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and
Theatre Union).
The appointments of Tim Bevan, John McVay and Roger Bolton, run
from 1 November 1997 to 31 October 2000. The appointment of Kate
Wilson runs from 1 February 1998 to 31 October 2000. None of the
appointments are paid.
Biographical Notes
Tim Bevan
Tim Bevan is Co-Chairman of Working Title Films, Britain's leading
and most successful independent production company. Working Title's
upcoming productions are a live-action version of Thunderbirds and
Richard Curtis' new romantic comedy The Notting Hill Project. Tim
Bevan has produced or executive produced over 38 films including
Bean, The Borrowers, Dead Man Walking, Fargo, Four Weddings and a
Funeral and My Beautiful Laundrette. Mr Bevan currently holds no
other public appointments. He has not undertaken any significant
political activity in the past five years.
Roger Bolton
Mr Bolton became General Secretary of BECTU in 1993 after 24 years
service to the Union - nine years as Branch Secretary on a voluntary
basis when he worked at the BBC, and 15 years as a full-time
official. From 1988-1993 he was the senior official with
responsibility for industrial relations with the BBC. Mr Bolton
currently holds no other public appointments. He has undertaken
political activity on behalf of the Labour Party.
John McVay
Director of Training at Scottish Screen Training and formerly Chief
Executive of Scottish Broadcast and Film Training (SB & FT). He is
Chair of Skillset's Training and Education Committee and was a
representative on its Industry Committee from 1993- 97. From 1987 to
1993 he was Course Co-Ordinator of the Edinburgh Video Training
Course. He is a former musician and record producer. Mr McVay
currently holds no other public appointments. He has not undertaken
any significant political activity for the last five years.
Kate Wilson
Ms Wilson joined The Film Consortium's bid for a National Lottery
film production franchise in 1996 and was appointed to her present
position as Chief Executive in June 1997. She was formerly Managing
Director of British Screen Finance, having originally joined the
company as Director of Business Affairs. She is a qualified
solicitor. Ms Wilson currently holds not other public appointments.
She hs not undertaken any significant political activity in the last
five years.
Notes to Editors
1. The other Governors of the National Film and Television School are:
David Elstein (Chairman), Moira Armstrong, Andy Allan, Floella
Benjamin, Ann Beynon, Andrea Calderwood, Viscount Chandos, Robert
Devereux, Jane Drabble, Rupert Gavin, Frank McGettigan, Steve
Morrison, Simon Perry CBE, Marc Samuelson, Eric Senat and Joyce
Taylor. The retiring Governors are Gus Macdonald, Stewart Till and
Linda James.
2. The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is the leading
National Centre for the provision of professional education and
training for the entertainment and information industries. The
full-time course covers producing, directing, cinematography,
editing, music, design, sound, screenwriting, animation and
documentary; providing exercises, workshops, and masterclasses, as
well as in-depth production experience. From January 1999 the NFTS
will also run a specialisation in producing and directing for
television. The School is currently preparing to include Master's
Level Plus Credits and National Vocational Qualifications (Level 5)
in the final NFTS qualification, which will continue, then as now, to
entitle graduates to full Associate Membership of the NFTS.
3. In June 1995, the NFTS acquired Ealing Studios, where it is
committed to extending activities at all levels, developing a modern
teaching and production environment including a new national digital
multimedia centre for research, development, training and education,
which will be second to none in Europe.
COI
DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
DCMS 81/98 17 April 1998
IMPORTANT ITEMS SAVED FOR THE NATION
Arts Minister Mark Fisher announced today the acceptance of the
following offers in lieu of capital taxes:
ITEMS ALLOCATION TAX SATISFIED
A painting by Jan van Unallocated #525,000
der Heyden
An ormolu and enamel Unallocated # 65,787
musical automaton clock
by Thomas Weekes
A portrait of Mary Leiter National Trust # 12,600
by Alexandre Cabanel (for display at Kedleston
Hall, Derbyshire)
A painting by Frans Synders Unallocated # 95,000
and Studio of Rubens
Armagnac Manuscript of Victoria and Albert #140,000
The Two Trials of Joan Museum
of Arc
An Archive of family Unallocated #121,520
and estate papers
RECENTLY ALLOCATED AIL ITEMS
A portrait of Lord Thurlow House of Lords Collection Trust
by George Romney
Still Life with an upturned Castle Museum, Norwich
roemer a painting by Willem
Claez. Heda
A seventeenth century pair National Museums & Galleries
cased alarm striking clock on Merseyside
watch by Edward East
Notes to Editors
The Accepted Items
1. A painting by Jan van der Heyden
The property accepted here is an oil painting by Jan van der Heyden
known as A View of the Palace of the Dukes of Brabant, Brussels,
signed and dated 1672. It measures 18in. by 23in.
Jan van der Heyden (1637-1712) was a Dutch painter who specialised in
landscape and architectural scenes. He has been described as the
leading topographical painter of 17th- century Holland. This
painting depicts the now destroyed Palace of the Dukes of Brabant,
variations of which are held in collections in Paris, Munich and
Dresden. Painting represented only a minor part van der Heyden's
life. He was responsible for organising street lighting in Amsterdam
and supervised improvements in the Fire Brigade. It is believed that
he was responsible for the invention of the fire hose.
2. An ormolu and enamel musical automaton clock by Thomas Weekes
This offer is of an ormolu and enamel automaton clock. It was made
by Thomas Weekes (1743-1834) for display in his museum of musical and
mechanical inventions in Tichborne Street, London. The museum was a
popular London attraction and exhibited some of the finest clocks and
automata of the period. This clock is considered to be an
outstanding example of a luxury product made during the Regency
period.
3. A portrait of Mary Leiter by Alexandre Cabanel
This offer of an oil painting by Alexandre Cabanel is known as
Portrait of Mary Leiter, signed and stamped on the stretcher 'Alex
Cabanel'. It measures 51in. by 37in. and is surrounded by a black
and gold frame.
Alexandre Cabanel (1824-1889) was one of the most famous French
painters from the 1860s until his death. He was particularly noted
for his society portraits, especially amongst visiting Americans such
as Mary Leiter.
An offer of a dress worn by Mary Leiter later in her life as Lady
Curzon (wife of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India) was last year accepted
in lieu of capital taxes and allocated to the National Trust for
display at the Curzon family home at Kedleston Hall, Derby (refer to
DNH news release 154/97). This portrait has been on display at
Kedleston Hall since March 1996.
4. A painting by Frans Synders and Studio of Rubens
The property offered is a painting by Frans Synders (1579-1657) and
the Studio of Sir Peter Paul Rubens (active c.1590-1620) entitled A
Maid and Poulterer with Cockerels, Doves, dead Game and Bitterns and
Vegetables in a Larder known as The Poulterer's Shop. Painted oil on
canvas, it measures 74in. by 59. in.
Frans Synders was famous for his still-life and animal paintings. He
frequently collaborated with other Flemish artists during his career
including Anthony van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens and Peter Paul Rubens.
5. Armagnac manuscript of the Two Trials of Joan of Arc
The property offered is an Armagnac illuminated manuscript on vellum,
which gives an account of the trials of condemnation and
rehabilitation of Joan of Arc. It was written in the first quarter
of the 16th-century and measures 11in. by 7 in. It has 88 leaves
(with the first and last blank) and is written in a fine littera
bItarda. It also has five large miniatures by Etienne Collaut and
was rebound in the late 18th-century in a calf morocco case.
Considered to be an extremely important manuscript, it is the
original of three later manuscripts (these are now located in
Bologna, Paris and Orleans). It is believed that this manuscript was
written and illuminated for Diane de Poitiers (1499-1566), the
mistress of Henry II of France.
6. An archive of family and estate papers
The archive comprises family and estate papers of the Hawkins family
of Trewithen, Cornwall. The papers are in two sections. The first
section contains Hawkins family correspondence dating from 1758 to
1902 and includes the papers of John Hawkins FRS (1761-1841), a noted
Hellenist and scientist.
The second section contains estate papers dating from about 1253
through to the early twentieth century, the political papers of Sir
Christopher Hawkins MP (1758-1829), and papers relating to mining,
the china clay industry and transport developments in Cornwall in the
nineteenth century. In particular the papers give an insight into
"rotten boroughs" in the years preceding parliamentary reform.
7. A portrait of Lord Thurlow by George Romney. For further
information regarding this offer (now allocated to the House of Lords
Collection Trust for display at the Palace of Westminster) please
refer to DNH news release 154/97.
8. Still Life with an upturned roemer, a painting by Willem Claez.
Heda. For further information regarding this offer (now allocated to
Norfolk County Council, for display at the Castle Museum, Norwich)
please refer to DNH news release 154/97.
9. A seventeenth century pair cased alarm striking clock watch by
Edward East. For further information regarding this offer (now
allocated to the National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside for
display at the Prescot Museum) please refer to DNH news release
334/96.
Acceptance in Lieu (AIL)
10. The provisions for the AIL procedure are made by the National
Heritage Act 1980, the Inheritance Tax Act 1984 and supplementary
Finance Acts. Among other things, the provisions empower the
Commissioners of Inland Revenue to accept certain property in whole
or part satisfaction of inheritance tax (and its predecessors, estate
duty and capital transfer tax) and any interest thereon.
11. In practice, qualifying property typically falls into the
following categories: land; buildings; pictures; books; prints;
archives; manuscripts; works of art; furniture; craft objects;
historic objects; scientific objects; technological objects; and
other such items. Objects may be accepted if the Secretary of State
agrees to their pre-eminence in terms of national, scientific,
historic or artistic interest as well as their valuation and
condition. Objects may also be accepted where they are associated
with a particular building and where the Secretary of State believes
it desirable for the object to remain associated with the building or
acceptance may be agreed where objects have a significant association
with a particular place.
The Secretary of State has the power to direct where accepted
property is placed and this includes provision to decide whether
property may continue to be kept in a place with which it has a
significant association. (This latter power enables the Secretary of
State to decide if accepted items may be publicly displayed in situ.)
The public has access to all items accepted under the procedure -
chattels go to public collections and land, building and in situ
offers must allow public access.
12. Under the arrangements announced in the Spring Budget 1998, no
acceptances in lieu will in future require expenditure by the
Department. Instead, the Revenue will accept items in lieu of taxes
without seeking reimbursement from the Secretary of State. The new
arrangements will operate from financial year 1998-99 onwards.
13. The Commissioners of Inland Revenue accept property in lieu of
tax and any interest thereon following agreement by the Secretary of
State to that acceptance. In previous financial years the Secretary
of State used powers in the National Heritage Act 1980 to compensate
the Commissioners of Inland Revenue for the tax forgone through
acceptance in lieu. Such payment (by the Department for Culture,
Media and Sport) to the Revenue was treated by the Revenue as if it
were a payment on account of the tax liability applying.
14. The Revenue's Capital Taxes Office (CTO) refers competent offers
of putatively "pre-eminent" or "historically associated" objects to
the Museums & Galleries Commission (MGC). The MGC, having taken into
account the views of independent experts, advises the Secretary of
State on whether property offered is suitable for acceptance in lieu
by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, in terms of its pre-
eminence, condition and valuation as well as any condition in the
offer as to allocation. The MGC also advises the Secretary of State
on questions of the allocation (both temporary and permanent) of such
property. Where land or buildings are offered, the CTO refers direct
to DCMS who consult advisers such as the Countryside Commission, the
Forestry Authority and English Heritage. The Royal Commission on
Historical Manuscripts advises the Secretary of State direct on the
permanent allocation of records, archives and manuscripts.
# = pounds sterling
COI
DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
DCMS 83/98 20 April 1998
THE 24-HOUR MUSEUM
CHRIS SMITH ANNOUNCES NEW SCHEME TO PROVIDE
ACCESS TO MUSEUMS
Round-the-clock access to UK museums through Information
Technology will be provided by The 24-Hour Museum, to be
co-ordinated by Loyd Grossman, Culture Secretary Chris Smith
announced today. It will put information about UK museum collections
on-line as an educational resource.
Chris Smith said:
"The UK's museums hold collections of unparalleled richness and
diversity. Recent developments in new technology, including the
World Wide Web, have the potential to raise public awareness of these
treasures and to build new audiences for our museums. I have asked
Loyd Grossman, who is widely respected as a champion of museums, to
co-ordinate the development of The 24-Hour Museum. This project has
the ultimate aim of improving round-the-clock access to information
about museum collections."
Loyd Grossman commented:
"This is an opportunity to bring the educational, intellectual
and cultural treasures of our museums and galleries to the widest
audience at home and abroad. We are determined to make The 24 Hour
Museum an exciting and easy to use gateway to our museums and
galleries."
"I am confident that this project will reinforce my belief that
museums and galleries are an essential part of building a decent and
creative society for the future. I am thrilled to have the support
of the Museums & Galleries Commission and the Museum Documentation
Association and will be consulting other museum bodies."
The Government is providing #10,000, through the Museums &
Galleries Commission, to support development work on the scheme, the
concept of which was originally devised by the Campaign for Museums
and the Museum Documentation Association.
NOTE TO EDITORS
1. The Secretary of State has commissioned Loyd Grossman to
co-ordinate the initial development of The 24-Hour Museum project,
which is intended to provide on-line, round-the-clock access to
information about museum collections.
2. Loyd Grossman was born in Boston, Massachusetts and educated at
Boston University and the London School of Economics. He has
presented a number of highly successful television programmes,
including Masterchef, Junior Masterchef and Through the Keyhole.
During his career in journalism he has been Design Editor of Harpers
& Queen (1981-84); Contributing Editor, The Sunday Times (1984-86)
and restaurant critic for Harpers &Queen from 1981-89 and 1991-93.
He has written for most leading British publications, including The
Sunday Times, The Times, The Sunday Express, The Financial Times, The
Literary Review and Tatler. Mr Grossman is Chairman of the Campaign
for Museums, and is a Commissioner of both the Museums & Galleries
Commission and English Heritage.
3. The Campaign for Museums was created in 1995 by Loyd Grossman
with the objective of promoting museums, mainly through what has
become an annual Museums Week. The Campaign advocates the virtues
and value of museums and galleries throughout the UK. Its aims are
increasing visits, broadening public support and raising the profile
of museums with the media and opinion-formers. Museums Week 1998
will take place from 16 to 24 May; a record number of 1,000 museums
throughout the UK are expected to participate. For more information
please telephone Ylva French on 0171 233 6789. The Museums Week
website address is: www.museumsweek.co.uk.
4. The Museum Documentation Association is the lead body in the UK
for museum information management and is supported by the Museums and
Galleries Commission and the respective Museum Councils in Northern
Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Its role is to provide standards and
advice to ensure accountability of, and accessibility to, museum
collections information. Further information is available from
Louise Smith, Director of the MDA, on 01223315 760 or from the MDA
Website on http://www.open.gov.uk/mdocassn.
5. The Museums & Galleries Commission (MGC) exists to safeguard and
promote the United Kingdom's 2,500 museums and galleries. The MGC's
central roles are to provide expert and impartial advice, to raise
standards and to act as an advocate for museums and galleries
throughout the UK. The MGC operates a range of grant schemes and
allocates 80 % of its annual budget in revenue funding. For more
information please contact Julie Taylor on 0171-233 4200.
# = pounds sterling
COI
DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
DCMS 84/98 21 April 1998
CHRIS SMITH SETS OUT DETAILS OF #5 MILLION BOOST FOR THE ARTS
Further details of the #5 million New Audiences fund announced
on 24 March were given today by Culture Secretary Chris Smith.
The New Audiences programme will provide:
#2 million for projects to enhance audience development including
initiatives to encourage young audiences through voucher schemes,
concessionary tickets and other innovative approaches. From this
#300,000 will go to Sheffield Theatres for a project to build
audiences through new approaches to ticket pricing and discount
schemes;
#500,000 to support orchestras building new and enhanced links with
young audiences;
#750,000 for a regional challenge fund aimed at areas of historic
under-provision and to assist regeneration. Within this, #100,000
will go to the London Arts Board to support projects in areas of
deprivation while South East Arts will get financial backing for
their Making Art Matter scheme to commission new work and the Eastern
region will get backing for a cultural diversity scheme;
#1.75 million for a touring fund to be managed by the Arts
Council of England.
Chris Smith said:
"The New Audiences programme is a new and exciting way of
helping deliver access for everyone. It is new money which will be
targeted to help arts organisations broaden their audiences, bring
new people to the arts and encourage young people in particular to
participate."
Notes to Editors
1. The New Audiences Fund contains #5 million. The key proposals so
far are:
Touring #1,750,000 should be allocated to touring, in two strands:
'Arts Plus' - direct support for additional touring weeks, combined
with additional support to touring companies to mount wider
programmes of ancillary work in the 'Plus' weeks, targeted on
audience participation and education work. A specific emphasis on the
North East and West will enable the fund to address cross-border
touring (ie by Scottish and Welsh National companies into England);
'New Contexts, New Places, New Audiences' - taking the arts to the
places young people frequent (eg nightclubs) and presenting them in a
format they feel comfortable with (eg short performance sessions).
Orchestras #500,000 for 'Music on your Doorstep'. This programme
would have two elements:
Work in inner city boroughs: building in particular on work
undertaken in London and extending it to other parts of the country
including the North West and Birmingham. ACE believe that significant
partnership funding can be levered in this area both from local
authorities and the private sector.
Rural areas and market towns: demand exceeds supply significantly
in rural areas and this initiative will help to redress the balance.
It is proposed that it should concentrate on one or two regions, such
as the South West.
Key criteria will include: evidence of a relationship with the local
community; a strong track record in education work; and the
participation of local people.
Regional Challenge A fund of #750,000. There are already three
specific proposals on the table, others will follow:
London - London Arts Board wish to invest #100,000 in a series of
major arts projects in areas of proven cultural and social
deprivation. Each project will involve an artist or group of artists
and will result in a new piece of work created through a
collaborative process within a local community;
The South East - South East Arts will, under the banner 'Making Art
Matter', sponsor a series of projects to bring creative digital and
multi-media work to rural areas, enable digital artists to work in
secondary schools and effectively turn the whole region into an art
gallery. The projects will involve commissions both from artists
based in the region and international artists, reflecting the
region's identity as a gateway to the continent;
The Eastern region - a cultural diversity scheme aimed at local
promoters in the Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities in Luton,
Watford and other population centres.
Access and audience development, tickets and transport The largest
allocation of funds - #2 million. It has already been agreed to fund
the Sheffield Theatres audience development project (#300,000). The
additional proposals are:
Test Drive the Arts - This programme works on the premise that
no-one buys a car without first taking it out on a test drive - so,
why not test drive the arts? Building on a small pilot that has
already been successful, this programme will encourage young people
to try out a range of arts activity in a sample of urban and rural
environments. Participating arts organisations will target people who
do not currently attend the arts and attract them to specially chosen
arts events through exciting promotional offers. Existing performing
arts attenders will also be encouraged to "test-drive" other art
forms, such as visual arts exhibitions.
Sampling the Arts - This project is aimed directly at school
leavers and includes a voucher scheme. In partnership with local
education authorities, a series of "taster" evenings will be
organised throughout the final school year to encourage students who
are leaving to sample arts activity at participating venues with
workshops, talks and performances. At the end of the school year,
pupils will be issued with a special arts pack to include vouchers
which can be redeemed at the box-office. Research by individual
theatres has shown again and again that regular arts attenders have a
positive experience of the arts early in life. This programme aims
to introduce young people to the arts in a stimulating and proactive
way. As school leavers they would be encouraged to make their own
decisions about future arts activity with the introduction of a
voucher-led incentive programme.
Artsride - One of the difficulties for people in overcoming
barriers to attending the arts is that of inadequate transport. It
is costly to run a car - and, in urban areas, car crime can also act
as a deterrent. In rural areas, the infrastructure of public
transport is often not good enough to make arts attendance a
possibility - especially for young people who do not drive. The aim
of this programme will be to pilot two transport schemes - one urban,
one rural, to encourage new would-be attenders to experience the
arts.
2. For more information on the Sheffield Theatres project please
contact the Chief Executive of Sheffield Theatres, Graham Morris, or
the senior marketing officer, Stella McCabe, on 0114 276 0621.
3. Further information on the touring fund and on support for
Orchestras is available from the Arts Council of England (Press
Office 0171 973 6452).
4. Further information on the regional projects outlined above is
available from London Arts Board (0171 240 1313) and South East Arts
(01892 515210).
5. The New Audiences fund was announced on 17 March by the Secretary
of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS News Release 45\98).
# = pounds sterling
COI
DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
DCMS 85/98 22 April 1998
CHRIS SMITH ANNOUNCES SIMPLER SERVICE
FOR LOTTERY BIDS
National Lottery distributors in England are working towards
setting up a simpler, one-stop service to deal with applications for
small grants, Culture Secretary Chris Smith said today.
The distributors envisage a trial in the East Midlands at the
end of this year leading to the introduction of a nationwide scheme
next April. It will follow a pilot scheme to be launched in Scotland
next week.
Mr Smith said:
"This scheme follows the proposals set out in our White Paper
'The People's Lottery' to improve co-ordination and co-operation
between distributors so that the process works better for applicants.
"I welcome the determination of distributors to make the
application process simpler and more straightforward.
"Next week I shall be in Edinburgh to launch the 'Awards for
All' scheme. The National Lottery Charities Board, Heritage Lottery
Fund, Scottish Sports Council and Scottish Arts Council are working
together to run this pilot scheme for one year. It will offer a
one-stop service for applicants such as small voluntary organisations
and community groups that are looking for lottery money ranging from
#500 to #5,000 to fund small-scale projects. The intention is to pay
the first grants in early July.
"The English lottery distributors are working towards launching
'Awards for All' in England in November 1998, with a trial phase in
the East Midlands followed by wider implementation from April 1999.
"Typical of those organisations eligible for grants will be the
many thousands of charitable, sports, arts and heritage groups which
form the very fabric of community life, such as pensioners' groups,
sports clubs, scouts and guides. community bands and choirs, drama
societies, conservation and local history groups."
Speaking at Charityfair '98 in London, Mr Smith said the
National Lottery Charities Board had made nearly 14,000 grants
totalling #817 million. Other lottery distributors had offered grants
worth #1.27 billion to registered charities.
In all, 51 per cent of the total money distributed to the good
causes had gone to registered charities, non-registered charities and
voluntary organisations - ranging from #2.5 million from the
Millennium Commission to Help the Aged, to
#330,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to Farms for City Children.
Mr Smith said:
"The National Lottery has been good news for charities and the
voluntary sector. But we intend to make changes which will spread the
benefits even further.
"The National Lottery Bill now before Parliament requires all
distributors to produce strategic plans showing how they are
addressing real needs on the ground, and gives them new powers to
improve their distribution. In parallel, we are currently consulting
on new policy directions which set out new priorities - such as the
need to ensure a fair geographical spread of grants, the need to pay
particular attention to area of social deprivation, and the need to
support people and activities rather than just bricks and mortar.
All of these changes will transform the way lottery funds can be
used to support grass-roots community activity."
Mr Smith also encouraged voluntary organisations and charities
to work with distributors - including the proposed sixth good cause,
the New Opportunities Fund to bring lottery benefits to every
community throughout the country.
# = pounds sterling
COI
DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
DCMS 87/98 23 April 1998
OUTCOME OF MEETING WITH FRENCH SPORTS MINISTER
Secretary of State Chris Smith and Sports Minister Tony Banks
today met with French Sports Minister Madam Marie-George Buffet.
Following the meeting, Chris Smith said:
"We had a constructive meeting, with a wide-ranging discussion
covering a number of difficult issues. We talked about the
employment opportunities that can be generated in sporting
organisations, and we will be looking at how the New Deal programme
here in the UK can be developed along these lines. The French
Government have had an imaginative employment programme in the
sporting field for some three years, and we can learn from their
example on this.
"We discussed the problem of drug-taking in international sport,
and agreed to explore ways of increasing research collaboration
between our two countries, in order to enhance the battle against
illegal doping in high-level sport.
"We expressed our concern at the difficulties fans in Britain
were facing in trying to gain access to the new tickets for the World
Cup which became available yesterday (we were informed that 2,000
extra tickets were available for each match). We were told that the
tickets could not be distributed through the relevant Football
Associations because the European Commission's rules did not permit
such a distribution.
"We have asked the French authorities to consider allocating a
specific telephone number to each specific game, in order to
eliminate the chaos that has occurred in the last two days, with
everyone across Europe trying the same number at the same time. The
French authorities have agreed to consider this possibility".