SUNDERLAND.- National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland has been awarded £1, 045, 891 as part of a joint bid with Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art. The funding has been awarded as part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio funding stream and will secure National Glass Centre’s future until 2018.

The timely announcement comes as National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland celebrates the anniversary of their re-opening last year, following a £2.3m redevelopment.

James Bustard, Director at National Glass Centre, said: “This is fantastic news for National Glass Centre and is testament to Arts Council England’s ongoing commitment to developing access to the arts and culture in the city of Sunderland. We are looking forward to working in close partnership with Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art over the next three years to further improve the city’s contemporary art and craft provision.”

Plans for National Glass Centre over the next three years will build on the successes of the past year and include:

· Bringing important collections of glass to National Glass Centre, including collections from Northlands and American glass from the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, USA;

· Delivering a collaborative show with NGCA and Museum and Winter Garden drawn from Arts Council and Crafts Council Collections;

· Plans to bring contemporary glass art festival GLASSTRESS to England;

· Continued work to deliver joint programmes aimed at children and young people, including a Sorrell Foundation initiative that gives young people aged 14–16 the unique opportunity to study art and design every Saturday morning at their local college or university, free of charge.