Olympiad funding

The long-promised and frequently derided Cultural Olympiad, which is intended to deliver a UK-wide series of arts events to accompany the 2012 Games, may yet prove to be less of a farce than expected (many presumed that it would rival the dismal failure of the last such 'spectacular': the Millennium Dome's year-long programme of unfocused and unvisited events). A cash injection of 16m [pounds sterling] from the Lottery and the appointment of some respected figures (who actually know something about the arts, rather than the advertising and design impresarios who oversaw the Dome) to a new Cultural Olympiad board signals at least a promising sense of intent and direction. The board will be chaired by Tony Hall, chief executive of the Royal Opera House, and will comprise Alan Davey, Arts Council chief executive; Vicky Heywood, Royal Shakespeare Company director; Nicholas Kenyon, Barbican managing director; Munira Mirza, the Mayor of London's adviser on arts and culture; Sir Nicholas Serota, Tate director; Mark Thompson, BBC director general; and Jude Kelly, Southbank Centre artistic director (who has overseen the project to date).

Meanwhile, one of the flagship cultural events tied to the Olympics, Arts Council England's Artists Taking the Lead, has announced the initial shortlist of 59 projects. The deliberately open-ended brief has produced the intended wide range of proposals, from London-wide bell ringing (Martin Creed) to artist-initiated beehives (Wysing Arts Centre), 12 of which will be selected in late autumn for completion before the 2012 Olympics. Other well-known artists in the shortlist, which was drawn from over 2,000 entries, include Alex Hartley, Kenny Hunter, Anthony McCall, Ivan & Heather Morison and Richard Wilson. Information on the shortlisted proposals can be viewed online. www.artiststakingthelead.org.uk .

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