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The Creative Case for Brighton

Consultation

"...we live in one of the most diverse societies that the world has ever seen, yet this is not reflected in the culture we produce, or in who is producing it..."

McMaster Review - DCMS (2008)

"...the Creative Case for Diversity is very simple in essence...let's stop having a debate about diversity and equality on one side of the room and a debate about art and artistic expression, and how we produce great art (if that's the term you want to use) on the other side of the room.  Actually, let's just have a conversation about art with the true value of diversity at the heart of it.  It is a driver for innovation, for closeness, an authenticity, a dialogue with contemporary society.  We believe its that important..."

Hassan Mahamdallie - Senior Strategy Officer - Arts Council England

"..its not a strategy, not even a policy - its an approach...We are looking for agents for change - individuals, organisations, subsidised or commercial sectors, who can actively be involved in the evolution and delivery of this work, and who want to be artistic leaders in a progressive and inclusive arts future..."

Tony Panayiotou, Director of Diversity - Arts Council England

Creative Case for Diversity Symposium - Manchester, UK, 12 September 2011

 

A call to artists, creative professionals and cultural agencies in Brighton & Hove

As a follow-up to the South East region-wide consultation commissioned by Sustained Theatre in 2010,  Urbanflo will be conducting an independent survey throughout Black History Month (2011) to reflect on the developments over the last 18 months.  In response to Art Council England's recent Creative Case for Diversity Symposium (details), the research will also be exploring your views on this new approach to equality, and its potential impact on diverse artists in the area.

Whereas the scope of the initial consultation encompassed the 75 local and district authorities that constitute the South East region, this study will focus mainly on the Brighton & Hove cultural sector. We’re hoping to attain a holistic view of individual, collective and organisational perspectives on the various issues, so anyone interested in participating is welcome to give feedback - your contribution to the debate will be highly appreciated.  .

The consultation is an opportunity for you to think about how you can be involved in the design and delivery of future creative projects and spaces that genuinely engage with, and reflect the cultures and experiences of the UK’s changing and diverse communities, so please do take part.  We welcome your honest views on your experiences, your priorities, your needs and your expectations of the arts.

 

Objective

The purpose of this consultation is to establish the views of culturally diverse creative practitioners and other cultural professionals, in response to the following themes, which are aligned to Sustained Theatre's four national priorities:

a) Internationalism
b) Critical Debate
c) Leadership/Professional Development

d) Spaces (For more details about each of these priorities please click here)

Any interested party is welcome to contribute to this survey.  It is independently commissioned by Urbanflo and is not financed by any other agency.  When this consultation ends, we intend to summarise the responses for a report that will be shared with the ART:sync/Sustained Theatre, Arts Council and other cultural agencies in the area.  The feedback will also be used by Urbanflo to help inform future projects and developments.  Although your response will be made publicly available, unless you specify that you would like to be identified, please be assured that your name, contact details, and any other recognisable information will remain strictly confidential.

 

Background (Sustained Theatre Consultation)

Sustained Theatre is the result of Baroness Lola Young's 'Whose Theatre...?' report, and is an informal network of artists and companies from the Black, Asian and minority ethnic sector (referred to as 'culturally diverse') tasked with taking forward the recommendations of the report.  The network ensures that artists transform the future of our national landscape to reflect the rich and vibrant talent that exists in British society.  Sustained Theatre keeps issues relating to culturally diverse artists and practitioners alive and in the national debate.  It is led by a national core group, with nine hubs now established, one in each English region.  The South-East hub has been renamed ART:sync to reflect the incorporation of other artistic disciplines and the core ambition to mainstream diversity within the arts.

ART:sync is a multi-disciplinary group from across the cultural sector, with a common interest in democratising the cultural landscape, promoting diversity and sharing innovative concepts, good practice and leadership models.  The ART:sync vision is to align culturally diverse communities with high-quality arts activity.  The collective are committed to enhancing; skills, creative output, visibility and access to opportunity.  They aim to make diverse artforms accessible to diverse audiences; extending the existing range of opportunities for participation and inclusion to address the current gaps in provision.

ART:sync are currently seeking financial support to help produce a robust business strategy and organisational mandate, which will enable the group to develop membership, networks, partnerships, programming and professional development opportunities on a regional, national and international level.

ART:sync Aims

  • To generate greater visibility and opportunity for artists of culturally diverse backgrounds in the mainstream arts arena.

  • To develop successful, inspiring and sustainable campaigns to promote the wider engagement, representation and participation of diverse communities in the cultural sector.

  • To advocate for greater equity in the cultural sector.

  • To inspire and support the professional and creative development of artists.

  • To secure resources in order to maintain and increase inclusive arts activities.

In line with the national strategic objectives of Sustained Theatre, ART:sync’s core priorities are to engage culturally diverse artists and the wider arts community in critical debate, international working, leadership/professional development and developing creative spaces.  Please take a look the Sustained Theatre website at www.sustainedtheatre.org for more information and further background reading on the related reports can be found if you click here.

 

How you can take part

We’d like to hear what you have to say about each of the priority areas - Internationalism, Critical Debate, Leadership and Spaces.  We would also like to learn more about your own experiences and perceptions of the regional arts arena regarding arts practice and delivery for and by the culturally diverse sector.  For your convenience there is a range of options available for you to participate:

  • You can complete the online Questionnaire below - as a guideline there are a few questions included.  However, these are just prompts to help you think about what you may like to say and it is completely up to you to decide how much information you wish to share.
  • You may also wish to give your feedback more informally by simply writing to us or emailing your comments to info(at)urbanflo.com (please replace (at) with @), saying as much or as little as you want to about each topic.
  • If you would prefer to have a one-to-one conversation to discuss your views then we will do our best to accommodate you.  Please contact us to arrange a mutually convenient time - if we cannot meet in person we can arrange to call you for a telephone meeting.
  • You are also welcome to give feedback directly to urbanflo representatives at any of the Black History Month events

Responses

Please submit your feedback to us by 31 October 2011. You may also request a hard copy of the questionnaire by emailing info(at)urbanflo.com (please replace (at) with @).


Questionnaire

It is not necessary to supply your name and address details but it would be extremely helpful to us if you did so.

Name Phone
Address
Postcode
Email Website: http://

 

SECTION ONE

1) For Individuals
Please tell us your thoughts about each of the priorities and how relevant they are to your own professional development or creative practice (if applicable). The priorities are International Working, Critical Debate, Leadership/Professional Development and Spaces (click here for more info). Please type your responses in each relevant box below.

2) For Organisations
Please tell us about the relevance of each topic to your organisational strategies and priorities . Please also tell us about any initiatives that you may have set up in relation to each theme.

 

 

SECTION TWO

1) For Individuals
Please use the box below to tell us about your own experiences as an artist working in the Brighton cultural sector - you can use the questions below as prompts, and you may also use this opportunity to let us know about any issues of interest to you that have not yet been mentioned.

  • Have you had the opportunity to work internationally? If so where?
  • Is international work an important aspect of your creative practice? If so why?
  • Are you involved in any decision-making cultural forums in the region?  If so which ones?
  • Do you feel part of the creative community in the region? Do you feel represented?
  • Do you have a senior position in an arts organisation or venue?
  • Do you lead a community organisation or any projects involving the community?
  • Are you on the board or committee of any mainstream arts organisations?
  • Are you on the board or committee of any culturally diverse arts organisations?
  • Are you aware of any diverse cultural leaders in the region?
  • Do you feel you have adequate access to spaces that enable you to; create, learn, teach, rehearse, experiment, collaborate, perform or share your work?
  • Have you received any support from an organisation or venue in the region that has supported your professional development and/or the growth of your work?
  • Have you faced any barriers in the development of your creative practice?
  • Are there any effective formal or informal arts networks that you are part of?
  • Are you aware of any regional initiatives specifically for the development of your art form or discipline? If so do you have any opinion on how they work?
  • Are you aware of any regional initiatives specifically for the development of culturally diverse arts or artists ? If so do you have any opinion on how they work?
  • Do you participate in any cultural festivals in the region? If so which one(s)
  • Do these events serve a useful function in your area of practice?
  • Do you have access to information on regional cultural events, and on how you may participate?
  • Have you been awarded any grants for your work?  Are you aware of funding opportunities?
  • Could you give one example of something you would like to see developed in the arts sector in the future and your reasons why.

2) For Organisations & Strategic Agencies
Please use the box below to tell us about your own experience and knowledge of culturally diverse arts practice, delivery and leadership in Brighton.  You can use the questions below as prompts, and you may also use this opportunity to let us know about any issues of interest to you that have not yet been mentioned.

  • Is your organisation involved in any international exchange programmes?
  • If yes – do these programmes target and include local culturally diverse artists or involve any African, Caribbean or Asian countries?
  • What do you feel are the main considerations, challenges or barriers you face when developing a strategy to diversify your artists, audiences, boards and committees?
  • Have you been involved in a cultural diversity project or community engagement strategy that has been particularly successful or unsuccessful?
  • What do you consider makes a cultural diversity project or activity an example of good practice?
  • Have you developed any new creative programmes that specifically target culturally diverse artists?
  • Do you commission creative work that raises issues about social and cultural diversity?
  • Do you host seminars or workshops with local culturally diverse artists to debate the relevant themes relating to their identity and creative practice?
  • Do you have any members on your boards and/or steering committees from local culturally diverse communities?
  • Are any culturally diverse representatives involved in the negotiations for your development and/or programming strategies?
  • Are local culturally diverse communities included as target audiences in your standard marketing campaigns?
  • Do you host or participate in any culturally-specific arts events/festivals to engage the public in diverse creative practices?
  • Do you offer professional support to culturally diverse artists from the local community, eg mentorship, CPD programmes, artist networks, internships or work placements?
  • Do you feel your salaried workforce has proportional representation of personnel from culturally diverse communities?
  • Does your organisation offer low-cost space for artists to think about, rehearse, collaborate, experiment, share and perform their work?
  • Does anyone in your organisation advocate for artists and/audiences from culturally diverse communities?
  • Are you aware of any culturally diverse leaders operating within the Brighton cultural sector?

Please use this box below for your feedback

 

Thank you for taking part