🪩 Edinburgh Culture Minute: 3 - 9 April 2024
'Genocidally dirty money' funding row, Art Fest's birthday plans, £1m of bursaries for Fringe artists + new local creative jobs
Welcome to the 40th edition of the Culture Minute, a weekly round-up of Edinburgh’s local creative news, events, jobs and opportunities. It’s for paying subscribers only, so thank you for supporting this.
📮 If I missed anything, please this form to get your news featured.
🆕 News & happenings this week
💰 A new £1 million pot of funding for budding Fringe acts has been announced and will open to applications next week. The Keep it Fringe fund will offer 360 bursaries of £2,500 to UK-based artists bringing work to the August festival.
⮑ The two-year fund was launched by Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the Fringe Society’s honorary President, who said:
“All artists need is financial support and to otherwise be left alone to come up with whatever they are compelled to say. To have the Government support this fund is to feel the sun come out from behind a cloud. Thank you to the Fringe Society for endlessly campaigning for artists and thank you to those in Government for recognizing the cultural importance of the Fringe and the artistic freedom that defines it.”
⮑ More info about the Keep it Fringe fund will be shared at an online webinar on Tuesday 9 April at midday. Applications open on Thursday 11 April at midday. - Eligibility and assessment criteria are here.
⮑ The cash comes from the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport. - The Scotsman’s Brian Ferguson asks whether the Scottish Government will match-fund it.
⮑ Successful applicants from last year’s fund talk about their experiences here. Among them is performer Elisabeth Gunawan, who said:
”The Keep it Fringe fund made the difference between me being able to pay people and not lose money. It was also the difference between suffering and making way too many sacrifices to go to the Fringe than not.”
🇵🇸 The Quality Yard outdoor mural gallery in Leith will get a complete makeover this weekend as nine artists raise funds and awareness for the Medical Aid for Palestinians charity. - Find more details about the Maritime Street location here.
📸 Photographer Matthew Arthur Williams has postponed his exhibition at Stills Centre for Photography (on Cockburn Street), in protest against Baillie Gifford’s investments. He said:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Edinburgh Minute to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.