Our global arts team works with the best of British creative talent to develop innovative, high-quality events and collaborations that link thousands of artists and cultural institutions around the world, drawing them into a closer relationship with the UK.

The areas we cover include music, drama, dance, visual arts, design, architecture, fashion, film, literature and the creative economy. Arts Group is based in the British Council’s head offices in London, but we also have multi-disciplinary arts specialists based in our offices in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast. We work closely with in-house experts in education, science and other disciplines, with colleagues in over 100 countries in which we currently operate, and with a very wide range of partner arts and culture organisations and practising writers, filmmakers, performers, designers, artists and creative and cultural leaders in the UK and around the world. Throughout all our work we aim to give a modern, diverse picture of the United Kingdom, and to promote the debate of issues and ideas by challenging opinions and increasing understanding between cultures.

The British Council is not a funding body. However we are partners in the Artists International Development Fund, which is administered by Arts Council England, and we do offer some small grants for film makers via the Short Film Promotion scheme.