OXFORDSHIRE 2007 WINS FURTHER FUNDING FROM ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND
Oxford Inspires, the cultural development agency for Oxfordshire, has won an award from Arts Council England to help the county’s millennium year end on a high note and ensure that the legacy of Oxfordshire 2007 will benefit arts organisations in future years.
A Grants for the Arts sum of just over £70,000 has been allocated to cover development work to evaluate the year-long programme and capture a sustainable legacy. Oxford Inspires will use these resources to exploit the year’s potential and secure a lasting positive impact in terms of opportunities for artists, arts organisations and audiences. Part of the grant will also be used for Winter Light, a series of finale events across the county which will create additional opportunities for artists and creative producers.
Oxford Inspires chief executive Sarah Maxfield said: “For Oxfordshire 2007’s closing programme we wanted to raise awareness that local communities across the county can collaborate with professionals to mount their own events, which are exciting and locally rooted, and that this work can happen outside Oxford too. In doing so we are building capacity in the county for future celebratory events as part of a Cultural Olympiad programme. We are extremely grateful to Arts Council England for their support.”
Arts Council England provided funding for Oxfordshire 2007’s major opening event Luminox in March which attracted wide acclaim and more than 20,000 people to Oxford’s historic Broad Street.
The theme of light and spectacle is continued in Winter Light with Symphonie Conique, an installation of giant illuminated cones which respond to light and sound. Symphonie Conique, by French company Airvag, will make an appearance in Oxford (as part of the city’s White Night, where galleries, museums and theatres will be opening late into the night, and public spaces will see street performance and participatory events), Henley and Chipping Norton. In Abingdon and Bicester, special light and sound productions by Oxfordshire company Pyro-Theatrix, local artists and community groups will highlight a thousand years of local history. Oxfordshire 2007’s Winter Light finale events are designed to enhance the festive celebrations already being arranged by local towns.
Richard Russell, Director of External Relations at Arts Council England, South East said: “Winter Light promises to be a series of visually exciting events across Oxfordshire, celebrating the culmination of 1,000 years of history and helping to place the arts firmly at the heart of communities throughout the county. The Arts Council is delighted to be working with local authorities, the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University to enable more people throughout Oxfordshire to enjoy the experience of art.”
For more information contact: Sarah Maxfield or Cath Nightingale, Oxford Inspires 01865 815525.
Winter Light is a series of events in five towns across the county designed to light up the end of Oxfordshire’s millennium year and add a special element to festive celebrations in each location. Spectacle, light, fire and sound are major ingredients of Winter Light – and everyone is invited to join in. The events are: The Cycle of Time (Bicester, Fri November 30); Chipping Norton lights up, featuring Symphonie Conique (Thurs Dec 6); Henley Christmas Festival, featuring Symphonie Conique (Friday Dec 7), White Night (Oxford, Friday Dec 7, Symphonie Conique, Dec 7 and 8); The Time Tellers (Abingdon Fri Dec 19).
Oxfordshire 2007 is a celebration of Oxfordshire’s 1000th birthday through a year of special events, anniversaries, festivals and cultural highlights. Oxfordshire 2007 showcases the remarkable array of talent that exists in every corner of the county and represents a collaboration between hundreds of cultural organisations, individuals and communities. Made possible by generous support from Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council the year is an endorsement of Oxford’s status as a European Centre of Culture and Oxfordshire’s reputation as one of the country’s most prized visitor destinations.
www.oxfordshire2007.com
Oxford Inspires is the county’s cultural development agency and is providing coordination and practical help to put on the celebration. It receives financial support from Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, the University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University and Arts Council England. It is also supported by a number of corporate members.
Arts Council England, South East is the South Eastern regional office of the national development agency for the Arts. Arts Council England works to get more art to more people in more places. We develop and promote the arts across England, acting as an independent body at arm’s length from government. Between 2006 and 2008 we will invest £1.1 billion of public money from Government and the National Lottery in supporting the arts. This is the bedrock of support for the arts in England.
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