Fonds GB 0210 WELARTS - Arts Council of Wales Records,

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0210 WELARTS

Title

Arts Council of Wales Records,

Date(s)

  • 1863-2002 (accumulated 1994-2002) / (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

8.847 cubic metres (245 large archival boxes, 64 box files, 1 small archival box at August 2004); 41 R-Kive boxes and 1 large archival box received April 2006, and 1 file October 2006; memory stick no. 110 collected October 2010; 47 R-Kives boxes (April 2011) ; 5 large boxes (December 2012) - uncatalogued; memory stick received January 2012 - uncatalogued.

Context area

Name of creator

Administrative history

The Welsh Arts Council (WAC) was established by Royal Charter in 1946. In 1994, the Council merged with the three Welsh regional arts associations to create the Arts Council of Wales (ACW). At the same time the Arts Council of Great Britain separated its responsibilities for England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. It was set up by Royal Charter, with four main objectives, to develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and practice of the arts; to increase the accessibility of the arts to the public; to advise and co-operate with other public bodies; and to work through the medium of Welsh and English.

Since 1999 the Arts Council of Wales has been an Assembly Sponsored Public Body (ASPB) and receives its money to fund the arts in Wales from the Welsh Assembly. ACW is therefore responsible to the Assembly for the way the money is spent.

ACW underwent further restructuring in 1997 when five new divisions were created: Access Development Division, Artform Development Division, Lottery Division, Planning and Public Affairs Division and Finance and Resources Division; and again in [2002] when recommendations made in an action plan were implemented and a new structure was imposed.

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Deposited by the Arts Council of Wales, 1997-2000, 2005, 2006, 2011 and 2012.; 1997-2000C1997/30, C1998/16, C1999/4, C2000/4 and 0200512052

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The 1984, 1987, 1990-1992, 1996-1997 accruals, listed as Welsh Arts Council Archives (Groups I, II and III) respectively, comprise mainly papers from: the Drama Department, 1961-1994, including papers relating to drama and theatrical companies, theatres, arts centres, revenue clients, the drama committee, theatre in education, community theatre, festivals, projects, funding and financial matters, housing the arts, playwrights and writing, arts marketing, societies, and the Drama Association of Wales; the Dance Department, 1968-1988, including correspondence and papers of dance committees and panels, together with papers relating to dance projects, companies & groups, dancers, community dance, projects, festivals and events, productions and funding; the Visual Arts Department, 1946-1987, including exhibition files relating to various exhibitions, together with papers relating to commissions by the Welsh Arts Council, regional arts associations, funding matters, competitions, projects, and Oriel gallery exhibitions; the Literature Department, 1953-1991, including papers relating to journals, publications, societies and associations, publishers, competitions, funding matters, scholarships, authors and poets, events, festivals, awards, children's literature, and literature committees; the Music Department, [1963]-1985, including papers relating to the Welsh National Opera company, eisteddfodau, festivals, funding, societies, policy matters, concerts, competitions, together with general papers; the Film Department, 1960-1963, including papers relating to committees and working groups, funding, awards, the British Film Institute, festivals, education and training, and the film archive; the Finance and Administration Department, 1961-1993, including minutes and policy papers, financial returns, financial reports, and papers relating to projects, arts centres, societies, theatres, galleries, revenue clients, together with papers relating to drama, dance, literature, visual arts and music matters; Director files relating to various arts organisations and Welsh Arts Council departments, 1970-1992. The accrual described here comprises additional records, 1863-2002, including papers of the Finance and Administration Division, the Chief Executive Division, the Access Development Division, and the Artform Development Division, which consists of papers of the Visual Arts, Literature, Drama, Dance and Music Departments, and papers inherited from its predecessor body, the Welsh Arts Council.

An additional collection of forty-seven R-Kive boxes of papers were received in April 2011. This collection remains uncatalogued. -- Also, a further memory stick was received in January 2012. This collection remains uncatalogued (see Sub-sub-fonds AG). A further 5 boxes were received December 2012 from Ms Helen Williams, Colwyn Bay.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

Accruals are expected.

System of arrangement

Arranged at NLW into four groups: Artform Development Division, Access Development Division, Chief Executive Division and Finance and Resources Division.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to sign the 'Modern papers - data protection' form.

Conditions governing reproduction

Usual copyright laws apply

Language of material

  • English
  • Welsh

Script of material

Language and script notes

Predominantly English with some Welsh unless noted otherwise.

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

A hard copy of the 1997-2000 accrual is available at NLW. Hard copies of previous accruals, Welsh Arts Council vols 1 (Manuscripts) (1968-1972), 2 (1984 & 1987), 3 (1990-1993), 4 (1996-1997) and Welsh Arts Council: Autobiographies (1989), are also available at NLW.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Photographs and exhibitions catalogues from the papers of the Visual Arts Department have been transferred to the Special Collections Department, and cassette recordings of the Friday Review at the Oriel Gallery have been transferred to the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales at NLW.

Also in NLW are Welsh Arts Council Manuscripts (NLW 20770-20809), deposited between 1968-1971, a collection of manuscript papers of work by well known authors and poets including some correspondence, [1918]-[1971]; and papers relating to the Welsh Arts Council autobiographical writing competition, 1987-1988, donated in 1989.

Related descriptions

Notes area

Note

Previous title: Welsh Arts Council.

Alternative identifier(s)

Virtua system control number

vtls004159721

GEAC system control number

(WlAbNL)0000159721

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

This description follows NLW guidelines based on ISAD(G) Second Edition; AACR2; and LCSH.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

1984; 1995; 1997; July 2003; 2010.

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

Sources

Archivist's note

The first group, donated in 1984, was compiled by Dafydd Ifans; the second group, donated in 1987, was compiled by Eirionedd Baskerville; the third group was compiled by Sally McInnes; deposits made between 1997 and 2005 was compiled by Nia Wyn Dafydd; the 2006 deposit was compiled by Rhys Davies; the 2010 deposit of electronic folders was catalogued by Ifor ap Dafydd.

Archivist's note

The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: http://www.artswales.org.uk/home/location_e.asp (June 2003); Annual Report 2001/02 and Annual Report 1997/98.

Accession area

Related people and organizations

Related genres

Related places

Physical storage

  • Text: Arts Council of Wales Records.