Image credit: UK Rock Challenge
What is a Bridge Organisation?
In April 2011, Arts Council England announced a new national network of ‘Bridge’ organisations, to ensure all children and young people experience the richness of the arts both in and outside of school. These organisations will provide a direct ‘bridge’ between the work of arts and cultural organisations, schools and communities.
Artswork has been selected as one of the 10 Bridge Organisations across England to develop and deliver bridging opportunities between arts and cultural organisations, children and young people, families and schools. Arts Council England has awarded Artswork a grant of £4.7m over 3 years to deliver this role in and across the South East region and to help realise their goal that 'every child and young person should experience the richness of the arts'. The funding comes from £10 million a year of Lottery money which the Arts Council has allocated to support a cohort of bridge organisations, specifically to support strategic work with children and young people.
These are difficult times for all arts organisations, and whilst celebrating our new status, we understand and empathise with many excellent arts organisations that have been unsuccessful. Artswork was founded in 1987 and as we enter our 25th anniversary year we will be true to the vision and commitment to the development of arts for young people, not as the artists and audiences of the future, but as the makers of our society today.
(Rick Hall, Chair of Artswork)
This is excellent news for Artswork but a tremendous challenge too that we will face with excitement and relish.
(Jane Bryant, CEO of Artswork)