Milton Keynes Arts Centre one of 990 organisations nationwide to be offered investment funding from Arts Council England.

Milton Keynes Arts Centre is delighted to have been offered three years investment funding from Arts Council England on Friday 4 November 2022 to support our work from 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2026.

Arts Council England Chief Executive, Darren Henley, said:

“Together, each of the 990 organisations that have been offered funding today will contribute to a portfolio that is rich, varied and truly national. This is our widest ever spread of investment across the country, ensuring that many more people will have access to a wider choice of exceptional art, culture and creative opportunities on their doorsteps. We are in tough times but we must remember creativity brings with it extraordinary dividends, boosting our country’s economic growth, creating jobs, bringing communities closer together, and making us happier as individuals. Everyone deserves to enjoy the benefits it brings, and with this investment, we believe we’ve taken a decisive step towards making that vision a reality.”

This funding enables Milton Keynes Arts Centre to continue to provide opportunities for people across Milton Keynes to work with artists and to engage in high quality creative activities. We recognise that Covid-19, and now the cost of living crisis, has adversely affected the lives of everybody living in the city, as elsewhere. It has however particularly exacerbated pre-existing inequalities. Milton Keynes Arts Centre’s application for funding outlined our plans to reduce our overheads in order to invest our grant funding where it may have greatest impact: to work in collaboration with MK communities in developing artist-led projects in their neighbourhoods and in response to the issues they are facing. Our vision is of an Arts Centre fit for the needs of the 21st century: one not bound to a particular location but networked across MK, developing projects designed to change the physical environments in which people live for the better, which support social cohesion and wellbeing, develop new skills, raise aspirations and attract inward investment.

Photograph by Cat Lane

We are hugely grateful for Arts Council England’s endorsement of our work in awarding us another three years of funding. Nevertheless, our annual funding has not increased since Milton Keynes Arts Centre first joined the Arts Council’s portfolio of organisations in 2017. Rising business costs and declining earned income have combined to make the reduction of our overheads all the more critical. Whilst we recognise the pleasure our creative courses and the specialist facilities we offer on our site bring to the many people who visit us, the cost associated to this offer is no longer viable for our organisation.

From 1 April 2023 therefore, we will regrettably be ending the artist-led creative courses that currently take place on our Great Linford site and will be supporting Milton Keynes City Council in scoping out how the Radcliffe Building, in which these courses currently take place, may be redeveloped to ensure that it may continue to provide a creative hub for use by everybody in the city for many years to come.

Milton Keynes City Council will explore interim creative uses of the Radcliffe Building in early 2023, whilst a wider feasibility study encompassing the entire suite of Milton Keynes City Council-owned buildings occupying the Great Linford site is undertaken.

We invite everybody to book onto our last term of Winter Courses starting in January 2023, now live, offering classes in ceramics, jewellery, textiles, painting and drawing.

Further information about creative opportunities both in Great Linford and across Milton Keynes beyond 1 April will be published in the new year.

Thank you to all Milton Keynes Arts Centre’s supporters. We look forward to continuing to work with you and to developing art together.

Warm Wednesdays

Starting Wednesday 9 November 202, 10am – 4pm
Milton Keynes Arts Centre, Free, all welcome

In association with Great Linford Parish Council, Milton Keynes Arts Centre is delighted to offer a warm space in our historic barn for people to come together every Wednesday over the winter months. A free hot drink and savoury or sweet snack will be provided as well as art activities for people of all ages to enjoy.

Please note
The Arts Centre is closed from 19 December 2022 – 2 January 2023. We apologise, but Warm Wednesdays will not be available on Wednesday 21 & 28 December 2022.

Artists Listening Event

Friday 18 November 2022, 10am – 12.30pm
Milton Keynes Arts Centre, Free, all welcome

In association with Arts for Health MK and the Arts & Heritage Alliance MK, Milton Keynes Arts Centre is inviting artists to join us for a session exploring the lived experience of working in the community and how we can work together in supporting artists’ health and wellbeing. The session will include discussions on the subjects of safeguarding; education and training; best practice and peer support. The event is free and refreshments will be provided. Booking essential, please email hello@miltonkeynesartscentre.org

We’re in it Together!

Join us for a day of making in the lead-up to Christmas, with opportunities for people of all ages

Find out more and book your place