Norfolk Museums Service and Norfolk and Norwich Festival are among the key arts organisations across the region celebrating confirmation of major funding securing the future of projects up to 2022.
Seven organisations in Norfolk will in total receive £17,057,092 over four years after being named as Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisations for 2018 to 2022, meanwhile in Suffolk 11 organisations will receive a share of £19,363,784.
Norfolk Museums Service will be given one of the biggest sums - £4,812,680 in direct NPO funding along with a futher £1,745,128 for the service's Sector Support Organisation, SHARE Museums East, which manages museum development across the east. The funding will allow the service to move forward with its plans to transform Norwich Castle's keep back to its former medieval glory as well as continue to develop the temporary exhibitions programme and permanent galleries, and extend Norfolk Museums Service's events programme across all its museums.
John Ward, Norfolk Joint Museums Committee chairman, said: 'This significant investment from ACE – in the face of stiff competition – paves the way for a very exciting few years for the museums service. It will enable the service to deliver on its ambitious plans which include the transformation of Norwich Castle's iconic Norman Keep, an international exhibitions programme and growing visitor numbers to 500,000 a year by 2018.'
Meanwhile Norfolk and Norwich Festival will receive £3,258,108 in NPO funding, plus £2,000,000 in SSO funding for its Festival Bridge arm which aims to increase opportunities for young people to enjoy the arts across the east.
Brenda Arthur, chairman of the festival's board, said: 'We are delighted by the continued investment in the work of Norfolk and Norwich Festival by Arts Council England, which demonstrates an ongoing confidence in our success in bringing international quality work to this region and making it available to the broadest range of people. The investment will also enable our ongoing focus on the regional, national and international co-commissioning and co-production of new work, alongside an integrated community engagement and participation programme.'
THEATRE COMPANY'S DELIGHT AT BEING NAMED AN ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND NATIONAL PORTFOLIO ORGANISATION
Norwich-based theatre company curious directive is celebrating a funding boost that will support four new productions.
The company has become a National Portfolio Organisation for the first time and will be awarded £359,272. Artistic director Jack Lowe said: 'It's really exciting after all these years plugging away. What is so lovely about it is that so much of our new work has started here and gone national and then international, and it feels like there has been really positive feedback to the work. The Arts Council funding rewards all our hard work over many years. We are very, very privileged to be supported in that way.'
Some of the funding will help the company build on the Kindness of Strangers show performed in the back of an ambulance at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. Mr Lowe said: 'We are going to be carrying on our trilogy to the emergency services. We have projects about the police service and the fire service.'
FULL LIST OF NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK ARTS ORGANISATIONS RECEIVING FUNDING
Norfolk arts organisations receiving funding and the total investment they will receive include: Creative Arts East £600,000; curious directive £359,272; Norfolk and Norwich Festival Trust £3,258,108 (National Portfolio Organisation funding) and £2,000,000 (Sector Support Organisation funding); Norfolk Museums Service - £4,812,680 (NPO funding) and £1,745,128 (SSO funding); Norwich Arts Centre £728,284; The Seachange Trust £1,560,000; and Writers' Centre Norwich £1,993,620.
Suffolk arts organisations include: DanceEast £3,240,612; Eastern Angles Theatre Company £881,608; Gecko Theatre £881,608; HighTide Festival Productions £766,616; Museum of East Anglian Life £590,016; National Horseracing Museum £880,000; New Wolsey Theatre Company £3,744,416; Russell Maliphant Company £996,000; Snape Maltings (formerly Aldeburgh Music) £5,612,076; Suffolk Libraries £704,000; and The Robert Pacitti Company £1,066,832.
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