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Dafydd Owen FfotoNant

Wednesday 24 May 2023

 

Creatives across Wales and France are invited to apply for grants from the new Wales in France Cultural Fund announced today. A key part of the Welsh Government’s Year of Wales in France 2023, the £100k grant programme is available to artists and creative organisations to collaborate across the two countries.

Delivered by the British Council in partnership with the Arts Council of Wales, Wales Arts International, and the Welsh Government, the Fund is designed to spark new and refresh existing connections between Wales and France, supporting collaborations that build long-term relationships among artists, creative practitioners, & arts and cultural organisations.

The Wales in France year has put a spotlight on Welsh culture, language and identity, and the new Cultural Fund will support creatives to make the most of stellar global events including the Rugby World Cup and the run-up to the Paris Summer Olympics. The Year of Wales in France will run until March 2024.

Officially announcing the Fund, First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford said:

“Reinvesting in relationships between Wales and France to build the strongest possible cultural, social and economic ties is at the centre of what our Wales in France year hopes to achieve. I am delighted to formally open this fund, which will facilitate the development of Welsh artistic and cultural networks in France, and showcase Welsh culture, heritage and language to new audiences, building Wales’s reputation and recognition on the global stage. 

Wales and France’s relationship is centuries old, and these cultural connections are a major part in remaking that relationship in the contemporary world and helping us work together on the challenges that our two populations share.”

Maggie Russell, Chair of Arts Council of Wales is delighted that artists from Wales will be part of this exciting year of Wales in France, adding:

“It’s an opportunity to put a spotlight on Wales’s unique diverse culture and languages, and to collaborate creatively on rugby pitches, in showcase events or in local community centres in Lyon, Nantes or Marseilles and beyond. In Wales, the arts play an important role to promote our well-being, and that of future generations.”

“The Arts Council of Wales is pleased to co-fund a programme that builds on recent showcases or collaborations between Wales and France. National Dance Company Wales’s halftime performance at Stade de France during the France v Wales 6 Nations match or Hijinx Theatre’s learning and collaborating programme with France’s l'Oiseau-Mouche are two examples.” 

Ruth Cocks, Director, British Council Wales concluded:

The Wales in France year is already producing some fantastic creative work, and it’s wonderful to see new collaborations forming from Cannes to Cardiff, Paris to Prestatyn. The new fund is a fantastic opportunity for creatives across Wales and France to connect, and we look forward to following grantees and the impact that is generated from what I’ve no doubt will be remarkable collaborations.’

Open to individuals and organisations working in the field of culture, creativity and wellbeing, the Wales in France Cultural Fund is now open with a deadline of 30 June 2023 and applications must be a partnership between at least one organisation or individual in Wales and one in France. Find out more about the fund and full application criteria.

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Rosalind Gould, British Council: +44 (7770 934953 E: rosalind.gould@britishcouncil.org

To find out more about the British Council’s work in Wales visit https://wales.britishcouncil.org/ or follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram

 

Notes to Editor

About the Arts Council of Wales

The Arts Council of Wales is the country’s official public body for funding and developing the arts. Every day, people across Wales are enjoying and taking part in the arts. We help to support and grow this activity. We do this by using public funds from the Welsh Government and by sharing the money we receive as a good cause from the National Lottery. By managing and investing these funds, the Arts Council contributes to people’s quality of life and to the cultural, social and economic well-being of Wales. More information about us and the work we do may be found on our website: https://arts.wales/

About Wales Arts International

Wales Arts International is the in-house international agency of the Arts Council of Wales, the public body responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales. They provide advice and support to artists and arts organisations from Wales who work internationally and are a contact point for international artists organisations and agencies working in or connecting with Wales. https://wai.org.uk/  

 

About the British Council

About the British Council 
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021-22 we reached 650 million people.