Gloucester Guildhall joins Arts Council’s National Portfolio
As a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) Gloucester Guildhall joins many other respected arts and cultural organisations across the country.
The award recognises excellence, innovation and leadership in the arts with the Guildhall receiving £250,000 per year from 2023 making a total investment of £750,000.
The funding allows the venue to offer workshops and programmes that enable communities from across the city to develop and showcase new skills in dance, circus, live music and performance.
Masterclasses from experts will be delivered along with pop-up live music performances in the refurbished café-bar.
The Guildhall run by Gloucester City Council, will also be working with partners across the city and beyond to deliver a vibrant and engaging programme, that develops emerging talent and reach new audiences.
Councillor Andy Lewis, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure at Gloucester City Council, said: “We’re delighted that the work of the Guildhall has been recognised through this investment from the Arts Council. Combined with the support of the city council, being a National Portfolio Organisation will help the Guildhall go from strength to strength, and bring more live music, performance, dance and film to the city. Audiences will be better served by experiencing high-quality work and artists will have a platform from which to present new work. This is fantastic news for the city.”
Phil Gibby, Area Director, South West, Arts Council England said: “We are delighted to welcome Gloucester Guildhall into the 2023-26 National Portfolio. This well-loved city centre venue offers a bold and energetic programme of work, hosting 300 events a year, and major annual success stories such as the Strike A Light festival. The Guildhall is Gloucester’s cultural heart, and plays a pivotal role in the city’s cultural ambitions. As a priority place, Gloucester is really important to us, and the Guildhall is central to what might be achieved over the next few years.”
Gloucester Guildhall is the city’s main venue for live music, comedy, dance, and contemporary film as well as participatory workshops and art exhibitions, and sees over 50,000 people passing through the doors annually.
The grade II listed arts venue has recently undergone a huge renovation which saw the creation of a new dance rehearsal space with a sprung floor, the installation of super-fast broadband and Improvements to the lighting and audio equipment.
The building’s mosaic hallway was also exposed and brought back to its former glory.
Gloucester City Council is one of four organisations to be awarded ACE NPO funding in the city. The full list of NPO supported organisations can be found here.
More information at www.gloucesterguildhall.co.uk and room hire by emailing hireofguildhall@gloucester.gov.uk or by telephoning the room hire booking team on 01452-396372.
Keep up to date on upcoming events by following Gloucester Guildhall on Twitter @GlosGuildhall