Labour Party general election manifesto pledges £1bn culture boost

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Labour Party general election manifesto pledges £1bn culture boost | The UK Labour Party has unveiled its manifesto for the general election on 12 December, which promises a £1 billion Culture Capital Fund ‘to transform libraries, museums and galleries around the country’, investing ‘in the towns and communities neglected for too long’. The party has also pledged to spend an additional £160 million annually on creative subjects taught at school, as well as creating greater transparency with the distribution of National Lottery funding, and maintaining free entry to museums. The latter objective is shared by the Liberal Democrats, who launched their party manifesto last night.

Biennale de Lyon names Yves Robert as new chief executive | Yves Robert has been announced as the next chief executive of the Biennale de Lyon, taking over from Sylvie Burgat, who has directed the organisation since 1999. Robert announced his departure from the Centre national des arts plastiques, where he was appointed director in 2014, earlier this year. In Lyon, Robert will oversee the organisation of two biennial events dedicated to dance and contemporary art.

Anonymous Was a Woman announces recipients of $25,000 grants | Anonymous Was a Woman, a grant scheme funded by the artist Susan Unterberg, who launched the programme to support women artists over the age of 40, has announced the recipients of its 2019 awards. The list of grantees, who will each receive $25,000, this year includes Diane Simpson, Elia Alba and Nona Faustine. Since its inception in 1996, Anonymous Was a Woman has awarded more than $6 million in grants to 240 artists. Unterberg only revealed her identity as benefactor last year.

MOCA in LA to introduce free admission across both sites | The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles has announced that it will be offering free admission to both its sites from 11 January 2020. The initiative has been made possible by a donation of $10 million from MOCA board president Carolyn Clark Powers. Museum director Klaus Biesenbach said ‘offering free general admission is essential for MOCA to be an active, civic-minded institution, open and inviting to our communities’.