ARTSATTHEHEARTSustaining CommunitiesThrough the Arts

Working for localgovernmentartsandcreative industriesThe nalgaoMagazineIssue 17 Autumn 2006

This page is available for advertising. nalgao can alsomail-out direct promotion flyers with the newsletter.Advertising rates are very reasonable, starting from as littleas £65 for a quarter page.

If you are interested in reaching over 650 local authoritiesand arts organisations in a targeted mail-out, please contactthe nalgao administrator on Tel/Fax 0116 267 1441or email at nalgao@aol.com

The next copy deadline will be 30th January 2007.If you would like to contribute copy to our next edition,write to us with:

• Any good practice case studies• Issues or problems that other members may assist with• Send us information on arts projects in your area• Send us letters for a letters page

If you would like information about nalgao, please contact:

Pete Bryan, nalgao Administrator,OakVilla, Off Amman Road, Lower Brynamman,Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, SA18 1SNor Tel/Fax: 01269 824728.You can also e-mail us at nalgao@aol.comwww.nalgao.org

Any opinions or statements expressed in this newsletter arethose of the individual and not necessarily those of nalgao.

Designed and produced by Northbound.Studio A207, LCB Depot, Rutland Street, Leicester LE1 1RETel. 0116 253 3437 www.north-bound.co.uk

Living in a world of increasedjustification and measurement, it issometimes possible to lose sight ofwhy we do what we do. But if youset aside all the CPAs, LAAs, PIscommentaries and inspectionsthat increasingly clog the life ofthe local government arts officer,there are two concepts that Ithink sum up why we are hereand what our role is; and those arecommunity engagement and creating change forthe better. Both are, of course, specific to place and time. But whereveryou are and whatever your circumstances, neither are going to go awayand we need to continue our commitment to both.

This issue of Arts at the Heart highlights both community and change.It contains some vivid and inspiring case studies showing how artsofficers can help sustain and grow communities at a time ofconsiderable change.We also have some practical information on someof the policy issues that are changing the landscape we live in and onthe government initiatives which need our serious response.

Local Government is not alone in facing these challenges. Bodies likethe Arts Council are also having to rapidly adjust to new politicalrealities. nalgao warmly welcomes the Arts Council’s new strategicpriorities with their focus on participation and the creative economy.For the first time that I can recall, the two principal public funders ofthe arts in England have really closely aligned objectives.We now justneed to agree how to measure outputs and outcomes in a way that issimple, efficient and effective.

nalgao is continuing to make the case at the highest national levels forthe unique role that local government arts officers play in cultural,community and economic regeneration.We know it’s not always easyon the ground. As you head from a warm, and I hope restful summerinto the busy Autumn season, I hope you find this issue of Arts at theHeart both practical and inspiring.

Sue IsherwoodChair of nalgao

It’shellofromme…!

Welcome to another packed issue of Arts atthe Heart, and many thanks to everyone whohas contributed. I’ve had great feedbackabout our last issue and I hope you enjoythis one just as much. If you’ve got anycomments or thoughts on what we aremissing or how we can make it even better,please email Pete Bryan at nalgao@aol.com.And if, as I suspect, you are planning orimplementing great projects, why not writean article for the next issue?We expect it tobe out in April 2007.

…and it’s goodbye fromhim

Arts at the Heart is seeking a new Editor. I’vehad great fun re-shaping the magazine andputting the last two issues together. I thinkwe’ve now got a really good product withroom to grow and improve further. But I nowneed to step back to create the time to focuson other projects. It’s a really satisfying andworthwhile project to take on.You get to hearall sorts of news before anyone else.You get achance of shaping nalgao’s national voice,reflecting the wide range of work going onacross England andWales and it’s a valuableway of enhancing your cv. If you’d like to takeon this worthwhile challenge, contact PeteBryan on 0116 267 1441 or email him atnalgao@aol.com

Paul Kelly, Editor, Arts at the Heartand Secretary, nalgao

Changingtogrownalgao is to change its status and is seeking tobecome a charity. The proposals wereunanimously supported at nalgao’s AGM earlierthis year. The organisation is currently anunincorporated association, and this willcontinue, but charitable status will help us tofurther our development programme. In orderto raise the funding it needs to grow, nalgaoneeds charitable status and that has prompteda wholesale review of its structure. Thedevelopment will also have one further

significant implication. Up to now the nalgaoExecutive Committee members have beenregional representatives voted for by theirpeers and responsible back to them.Executive Members will become Trustees of thenew charity, with personal liabilities andresponsibilities under the Charities Act. Theconstitutional change is likely to be takingplace by the end of 2006.

BiddingtosucceedA £77,000 Grants for the Arts bid means thatnalgao’s members services will be enhancedover the next three years.The three year bidseeks funds to develop a three-year conferenceand case study development programmerecording local authority case studies acrossEngland andWales against the 7 sharednational priorities, with progression recordedon a year-by-year basis to give a longitudinalprofile of development.The annual nalgaoConference will serve as a vehicle to profilecase studies, with the conference being furtherdeveloped and improved to meet needs. Casestudies will be collated and published as aninteractive website and as a Case studiesreport at the end of the 3 year period.

Licencetokill?Following our report in the last Arts at theHeart on the impact of the new Licensing Acton live music, nalgao has been researching theimpact and will shortly be passing its findingsto the DCMS.The picture, says JaneWilson, isstill confused and it will take some furthertime for the impact to clearly emerge. Peoplereport that they are seeing slightly less livemusic locally.Where this is the case it seemsthat this may be down to the complexity ofthe application process and possibly also dueto cost implications. The trends seem to morepronounced in the amateur music sector thanthe professional sector. The findings, whencomplete will be highlighted in the nalgaoezine, and posted on the nalgao website.

Change,CultureandCommunity

0102

Contentseditorial 1nalgaonews 2

nalgaoreportsLocal Authority Arts Budgets:The gloom continues 3Good practice andshouting about it. 4Countdown to 2008 5Looking to Liverpool 5Make the arts Olympicfit in just 5 years 6featuresCulture and Local AreaAgreements 7In it to win it ...The Lincolnshire approach 9A Dream of an event 10You never forget an Elephant 10Cravin’ Culture in Shropshire 12Sustainable Communities 13case studiesBurnley:The Universe in the Centre 17Remember Filey –The Butlins Oral History Project 18Film in the Community:Back To The Future 19Embracing Change inWalsall 21Larkin’ about in Richmond 23Breathless in Havering 24nalgaoWales:Dancing in theValleys 24partnershipnewsChanging Places 25Inspiring By Degrees 26Drawing Inspiration 27reviews 29nalgaoExecutiveMembership2006/07 30

0102

nalgao

news

ART

SAT

THEHEA

RTnalgao

Magazine

Autum

n20

06

“Twoconceptssum

upwhy

weareherean

dwhat

our

roleis;commun

ityen

gagemen

tan

dcreating

chan

geforthebetter”

0304

nalgao

reports

ART

SAT

THEHEA

RTnalgao

Magazine

Autum

n20

06

nalgao

news

0304

nalgao

Magazine

Autum

n20

06ARTSAT

THEHEART

worrying 8% over the 2005-06 figures.Given that the impact of the 2012

Olympics and the likely shift of emphasishas probably yet to fully bite, the longer-term trends are worrying. 83% of thosesurveyed expected budget cuts orstandstill budgets in future years.Arts Council England and presumably

the DCMS are keen to encourage the artsto form part of Local Area Agreements(LAAs) thus servicing a regenerativesocial purpose.Yet LAAs do not come

with upfront funding and if these trendscontinue, Arts Officers may lack theessential resources they need to shiftfocus in this direction.nalgao is keen to receive data from

more of its members about their 2006-07 budget settlement and to hearon-the-ground anecdotal stories of theimpact of budget freezes and servicecuts. Email the nalgao administrator,Pete Bryan at nalgao@aol.com •Pete Bryan and Paul Kelly

Goodpracticeandshoutingabout it.How to fight your corner in the political framework

At the nalgao seminar – Good practiceand shouting about it - in Nottingham inApril delegates discussed the challengesfaced by Arts Officers working in anincreasingly politicised environment.The seminar covered the following

topics:1 The role of arts within the Councilsservices

2 The public profile and perception ofthe service

3 Member perception of ways theservice addresses the needs of thearea and responds to issues raised

4 The perception and support fromothers within the council

5 Views of the regional agencies forcommentaries

6 What to do if you feel your service isunder threat

The chief role of the arts service was seenas increasing participation in the arts andthe ways of doing this were seen as:1 Actively including participation in thearts policy and planning process thusensuring that the arts community aresigned up to and deliver on this.

2 Working with planners to ensure thatthe arts are included in the planningprocess.

3 Ensuring the arts are included in thecouncil’s information andcommunications strategy.

It helps if you can get the arts onto theagendas of the Departments with thebiggest resources. Senior managersneed to be persuaded that arts work isfrequently groundbreaking.The seminar looked at what to do if you

feel your arts service is under threat. Hereare some bullet point tips they came upwith:• Get into other people’s ‘play parks’• Use their language• Talk to the Chief Executive and leader ofthe Council

• Meet and challenge ‘difficult’ politiciansand senior managers.

• Become aware of how members readcouncil reports – ask them!

• Make personal connections• Take advantage of any training inpolitical influencing and member-briefing skills

• Become a cross-directorate champion –lead on cross-departmental projects. Talkto people with different agendas.•

Fuller notes on this seminar session are onthe nalgao website – www.nalgao.orgAndy O’Hanlon and Doff Pollard

Artsat theHeartofLearningIf you are looking for examples of howthe arts can engage with young peopleand how your arts service can developan effective partnership with Children’sServices, look no further than Stoke-on-Trent. In March of this year theyproduced Arts at the Heart of Learning,a new Arts strategy for Children andYoung People’s Services full of casestudies and project examples.The attractively illustrated 25 page

document proposes clear outcomesthat could come from young peopleengaging with the arts and manypractical ideas.You will find the strategy on Stoke-

on-Trent’s website www.stoke.gov.uk ifyou have difficulty in accessing anddownloading it contact Paul Bailey,Community Arts and PerformanceOfficer at Paul.Bailey@civic2.stoke.gov.uk

NewExecutive

A new nalgao Executive was elected atthe AGM earlier this year. Andy O’Hanlonstood down as co-Vice Chair and isreplaced by Lorna Brown. Paul Kellyreplaces Lorna as nalgao’s Secretary.

The nalgao Executive covers all of EnglandandWales except the North East wherethere is a long-standing vacancy.The fullExecutive is listed, with contact details,on page 30.

The nalgaoadministrationoffice is moving!The nalgao office has moved toWales.The new address for nalgao is now:

OakVillaOff Amman RoadLower BrynammanAmmanfordCarmarthenshireSA18 1SN

The new administration telephonenumber will be 01269 824728, althoughthere will be a divert placed on the oldtelephone number (0116 2671441) forthe next 3 months if you forget the newnumber. The email address will remain thesame at nalgao@aol.com.We will be sending out a circular with

this nalgao magazine, and would begrateful if you can inform your accountssection of the change of contact details.

LocalAuthorityArtsBudgets:

ThegloomcontinuesIn 2005-06 nalgao, worried by reports ofcuts in Local Authority arts services,undertook a national survey of LocalAuthority arts expenditure. The resultsmade alarming reading, prompted articlesin the trade and national press and arecited in John Holden’s acclaimed recentpolicy paper Capturing cultural value- thecrisis of legitimacy.We reported thefigures in the last Artsat the Heart.nalgao has now updated its survey

to cover the likely scenario in 2006-07and the findings are as follows:

Position 05-06 % 06-07 %Servicebudget cuts 26 30.6% 16 38%Servicestandstill 40 47% 15 36%Servicebudgetincrease 19 22.4% 11 26%TotalSurveyed 85 100% 42 100%

Whilst the 2006-07 sample is smallerthan the 2005-06 survey, it representsaround 10% of all English andWelshLocal Authorities and it shows that thetrends are not getting better.In 2005-06 77% of those surveyed

indicated budget cuts or standstillbudgets (which taking inflation intoaccount equals a budget cut).Whilst the figure of cuts or standstill in

2006-07 is slightly less than in 2005-06,80% of 2006-07 respondents reportedbudget cuts in the previous two years –so what we are seeing is not a series ofsmall one off reductions but a year-on-year financial degradation of artsservices. And the rate of budgetcuts in 2006-07 has risen by a

With multi-million pound constructionslike the Paradise project (worth £920million at the last count and the biggestretail construction project in Europe), it’seasy to forget the smaller scale projects.But to the people involved on the smallerbudget constructions, the work is no lessvital. In the latest project to be finished inthe Toxteth area of Liverpool, artists wereintegral in the revamping of a row ofeight shop units, totally transforming ablighted area. In just a couple of weeksfeedback has been amazing and there arehopes for the economic boost to thebusinesses concerned.Initially, the shop owners were

consulted extensively about what theywanted from the transformation, andartists were brought in to help achievethis. An exhibition of work kept the publicinformed and involved so there was greatcommunity engagement with the project.Shops Upfront is a scheme funded by

Neighbourhood Renewal Fund moneyfrom Europe through the LiverpoolCulture Company. The shopkeepers wereconsulted about the revamp, with artistsworking on their designs before they werebrought into reality.

‘Theshops lookamazing’Roller shutters, graffiti and grime havebeen stripped away to reveal a brighterlook for owners and shoppers. A similarscheme has already been carried out inGlasgow, and the Liverpool CultureCompany hope to repeat theeconomic success.Project manager from the Liverpool

Culture Company, Alicia Smith, workedwith co-ordinator Sonia Bassey from TICconsultancy. Alicia Smith said: “Theshops look amazing and it’s a realsurprise to see the difference betweenthe before and after pictures. It’s beenwell worth doing and I’m sure the

neighbourhood will benefit from thisproject for years to come.”Partners in the Shops Upfront project

include the Liverpool Culture Company,Liverpool City Council’s Regeneration andSouth Central NeighbourhoodManagement team, alongside AgencyServices and the Liverpool Biennial.Another way the city was made to

look fantastic in the run up to 2008was masterpieces by Liverpool studentswhich are being used to create thelargest outdoor art gallery in the city.Construction sites provided the

background for innovative paintings anddrawings to give budding young artists thechance to display their art publicly.Two projects with students from

Liverpool John Moores Universityproduced almost 300 square metres ofart for the Milligan ‘Met Quarter’development on the site of the city’s oldpost office. The project is now part of theuniversity’s course syllabus.Rapid change within Liverpool is the

theme of the pieces, looking at how thecity is being transformed for its year ofcelebration as European Capital of Culturein 2008, with the first series of vinylbanners set to be unveiled next month.

Artwork insteadofFlypostingIt is hoped that the success of this schemewill encourage other developers to makecreative use of their hoardings anddevelop a welcoming environment forlocal people and visitors alike. Anothermajor bonus of the scheme is that

flyposting is expected to be drasticallyreduced by displaying artwork instead.This scheme complements the CityCouncil’s ‘Community Postering’programme, which provides designatedsites for promoting events and productswith posters.The Look of the City project is

supported by the Liverpool CultureCompany and Cityfocus alongside theNeighbourhood Renewal Fund. Finally,the cleanliness of the city is beingaddressed with grants for groups whowant to run creative environmental

projects, everything from making publicart works from items that wouldotherwise be thrown away to fashionparades of recycled outfits have beencarried out so far.

For more information about any of theprojects, please visit www.liverpool08.comor email clare.trenholm@liverpool.gov.uk

Sir Thomas Street, Stanley Street andWhitechapel sites were set aside forartwork, free of charge by Milligan.Documentary Illustration students at JohnMoores University’s School of Art & Designwere the artists responsible. • na

lgao

repo

rts

0506

nalgao

Magazine

Autum

n20

06ARTSAT

THEHEART

Countdownto2008Claire Trenholm

It was a process, writes Paul Kelly, thatfor a short period at least, got thenation talking about culture. The biddingwas intense; would it be Newcastle-Gateshead, Bristol, Birmingham orLiverpool?Who would win the covetedcrown to be capital of Culture in 2008?And would it be a crown of cheer or,ultimately, a crown of thorns?Well thenational news will report more speedilyon the latter than Arts at the Heartpossibly could. But that old sportingphrase about taking part rather thanwinning being the most importantcomes to mind. And whatever the finaloutcomes and judgements, incrementaldevelopments are bound to happen thatwill change Liverpool – and Britain – forthe better. And with just over a year togo till it all starts, Arts at the Heart willbe carrying a regular feature on some ofthe less obvious developments andoutcomes of Liverpool’s successful2008 bid.•

LookingtoLiverpool

Make the artsOlympicfit in just 5 years

It hardly seems believable, but in lessthan six years Britain will have the largestcultural festival/spectacle/event that weare likely to see for a lifetime.Yes theOlympics are coming!Whilst there is fear that 2012 will focus

on sports to the exclusion of all else,London’s gain can also be of benefit thearts, especially the participative arts. Anew document: “Getting in shape: how

local authorities can maximise thebenefits of London 2012” with ideas asto how the Olympics can benefit a widerange of cultural areas has recently beenpublished by The Local GovernmentAssociation and a report has beendeveloped by the London OrganisingCommittee for the Olympic Games(LOCOG) and is available as adownloadable file on the LGA website at:http://www.lga.gov.uk/Documents/Agenda/Regeneration%20Board/270306/Item%203.pdf. It’s not too early tostart planning. •

nalgao

repo

rts

0506

nalgao

Magazine

Autum

n20

06ARTSAT

THEHEART

Local Area Agreements (LAAs) are oneof the most significant public policyinitiatives of recent years. They seek tosupport the development of genuinelysustainable communities and devolvedforms of local governance through thebuilding of a new, more flexible andresponsive relationship between centraland local government. Artists, artsorganisations and arts officers havean important role to play within thisdevelopment and the opportunity toalign cultural and community planningobjectives should be looked upon not asa matter of concern but as an opportunityto further embed arts and culture at theheart of public life.LAAs are essentially three-year

agreements that set out the prioritiesfor a local area as agreed betweenCentral Government, represented by theGovernment Office (GO), and a local area,represented by the lead local authorityand other key partners through LocalStrategic Partnerships (LSPs). Drawinginto one the plethora of public fundingstreams currently available, they seek to

‘join up’ public service delivery and givecouncils and their partners more flexibilityto make decisions about how they tacklepriority issues within their locality.Guidance issued by the Office for theDeputy Prime Minister (now theDepartment for Communities and LocalGovernment - Ed) for the pilot round ofLAAs acknowledged the uniquecontribution of culture to thesustainability of a local area and itscross-cutting impact across all fourof the statutory LAA blocks- (EconomicDevelopment and Enterprise, HealthyCommunities and Older People, ChildrenandYoung People, Safer and StrongerCommunities).With some isolatedexceptions however, the pilot round ofLAAs (signed off in March 2005) failed toelevate the status of cultural concernswithin an integrated local area agreementplanning process.Lessons have since been learnt and

many round two authorities have begunto address arts and culture in anincreasingly ambitious way throughreflecting the cultural contribution to a

features

ART

SAT

THEHEA

RTnalgao

Magazine

Autum

n20

06

wide range of shared priorities. In light ofthe imminent arrival of round three (dueto be signed off in April 2007), in whichLAAs are to be rolled out to all countyand unitary authorities, the Office of theDeputy Prime Minister has releasedguidance which lists an optional culturaloutcome to “Enrich individual lives,strengthen communities and improveplaces where people live through cultureand sport, including libraries and thehistoric environment”.With the supportof an approved indicator set this optionaloutcome reflects a breakthrough for thecultural sector, but is not one that shouldbe taken for granted.There will still bemuch advocacy work to do.Artists, arts organisations and arts

officers within third round LAA authoritiesneed to demonstrate the contribution ofarts and culture to local public life andembed this thinking within the corporateheart of community planning processes.But we cannot do this alone. At a locallevel leadership and direction from our keycultural non-departmental public bodies(including Arts Council England, Museums,

Libraries and Archives, and Sport England)has varied significantly to date in both inits form and effectiveness, leaving manyauthorities without adequate levels ofsupport. At a regional level we must seizethe opportunity generated by the 2012Games to work in closer unity with oursectoral partners within the broadercultural field. Our regional culturalconsortia must surely be held accountablefor this task. At national level we mustcontinue to work with DCMS to highlightthe realities of the rhetoric as we worktoward the creation of a transferablecultural evidence base and a unifiednational message, as promoted throughprogrammes such as the DCMS/LGACultural Pathfinders project.nalgao exists at the core of this complex

dynamic. Already our seminars havefeatured the work of our members inWest Sussex and Dorset where arts andculture are well embedded in their LAAs.nalgao is also producing a set of casestudies which will provide strong evidenceof the impact of local authority arts workthrough using the Cultural Pathfinder

evaluation framework.We have startedcollecting material already and will bepromoting the programme through ourown website and the IdeA.The message has been made clear that

LAAs are here to stay. In the performancemanagement controlled world of localgovernment their significance can onlycontinue to expand. It is the responsibilityof artists and arts organisations to rise tothe challenge of LAAs and to ensure thatthe contribution of culture to thedevelopment of sustainable communitiesis rightfully claimed.This is not simply anargument for justifying why the arts aregood or why they should receive publicsupport. Nor is it an argument for the artsas tool for achieving broader governmentalobjectives. Rather, it is an argument for theinherent and unique value of culture andfor the role it can, and must, play at theheart of public life and local governmentcommunity planning.•

Adam Coleman is Arts Co-ordinator forthe London Borough of Richmond uponThames. He can be contacted ona.coleman@richmond.gov.uk

LAAs0708

Culture and LocalArea AgreementsAdam Coleman

features

0910

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

features

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

All over the UK, Cultural Services Officersare grappling with the new challenge ofLocal Area Agreements, and how toensure the work of their Departments arereflected in these new delivery-orientatedcontracts with Government. Theimportance of the - still relatively new -LAAs is becoming obvious to those of uswho toil in public service from withinLocal Government; it still has a way to goto ensure understanding among theagencies and client organisations outsidethe local authority “family”.So, there are two primary challenges for

the cultural sector; the first is to ensurethat Culture as a whole – creative activity,museums and archives, tourism, sports,the natural and built environment andanything else that we human beingschoose to engage with – is reflected in thelanguage and outcomes of the LAA.If we cannot achieve that, we are at asignificant disadvantage; to quote fromthe Minister for Local Government“Partnerships should be so close andseamless that to the customer, the area isthe brand delivering local public services”.The LAA will become the governingstrategy for resource allocation, so, to putit crudely, we need to be in it to winit….Cultural Officers will rightly claim thatthe work they are responsible for – artscentres, libraries, sports developmentteams, visitor attractions, architecture andso on - are at the heart of the local brand,and defines what makes Lincoln differentfrom Worksop, for example. So the firstchallenge is to ensure the LAA reflectsthose realities, and that the evidence basefor their impact on local peopleis available.

Reinforcing the silosThe second challenge is one that will

become of greater importance as existingLAAs get “refreshed” in the light ofexperience – how Cultural Services can bepart of the process of creating draftingand developing the LAA? In most cases todate, arts officers have been striving toshow how their work impacts on theprescribed outcomes of one or more ofthe four Blocks – how arts and healthimpacts on Health Communities, howdeveloping Creative Industries impactson the outcomes of the EconomicDevelopment block, and so on. The dangerwith this approach, important though itundoubtedly is in these early days, is thatit reinforces the silo approach that LAAsare designed to shake off.In Lincolnshire, the LAA will become an

operating document from 2007, so the06-07 year is a crucial one in laying thefoundations and learning from theexperience of those authorities who havetrod these paths already. LincolnshireCultural Services recognised the dangers,but also the opportunities that a coherentapproach to the Lincs LAA would bring.With the support of the regional culturalagencies – Arts Council, Museums andLibraries Association and SportsPartnership - they brought together aCultural Advocacy Team of 3 people withindependent specialisms in the areas thatmarked Lincolnshire’s distinctiveness as anarea: its diversity of arts, libraries andsports. The role of the team is to advocateto the four blocks for the role of culture indelivering Safer & Stronger communities,Economic Development, Children andYoung People and Healthier Communitiesand Older People. Already one significantsuccess has emerged, in that Culture isnow perceived to be a cross-cuttingtheme against which the 4 blocks willbe measured.

Intrinsic valueThe team is designed to work from itsown specialist knowledge, but also towork as a coherent package with theemphasis on culture. This offers thechance to negotiate around a culturalvision for the emerging Agreement, topropose cultural outputs for inclusion inthe Agreement, and to argue for theintrinsic value of culture in the County(not just for what it produces in outputs).Crucial to this will be consultation with,and the engagement of, the culturalagencies in the County who are muchmore likely to be key partners if they cansee how their role is of value in deliveringthe Agreement. The Agreement, in otherwords, will be stronger for the buy-in fromkey cultural deliverers and theprofessionals (and volunteers) that theyrepresent – in the arts, the 100 voluntarygroups who regularly stage rural artsprogrammes, the Youth Music Action Zoneprogrammes with immigrantcommunities, the impact on tourists ofthe Public Art Network. These will bemirrored and extended by the work of theCounty Libraries and Archives Division, aswell as the Lincolnshire Sports Partnershipand the Cultural Advocacy Group plans aconference this autumn to ensure a two-way flow of communication between thewhole sector, and the Local AreaAgreement.The Lincolnshire LAA will be signed off

in March 2007 and become operationalfrom April. At that point, we can measurethe extent to which culture is part of thenew Agreement, and the impact of theLincolnshire approach. •Watch this space...Tim Harris, Arts and Culture Consultant,and Member of the Lincolnshire CulturalAdvocacy Group

In it to win it ...theLincolnshire approach

Bournemouth town centre, late oneSeptember Saturday evening, and a man’sgot caught up in a procession crossing themain square, nearly one hundred localpeople and professional performers pullingilluminated sculptures and vehiclescarrying animated screens and dancersejecting ribbons and fire streams acrossthe pavements, and all of it throbbing toBhangra rhythms. The man doesn’t knowwhere he is, he’s being carried along until,after ten minutes, he finds himself in adark park with the promise of fire andlight over by the perimeter trees. Hephones his mates, waiting for him in thetown centre. ‘Sorry I’m late, I’msurrounded by light and fire, there’s a steelelephant, dancers and fireworks. It’samazing; I can’t believe it. I’ll see youlater.’ Nearby, another man: it’s the end ofa hard day spent on a building site, andhe’s been relaxing for a while in the pub.Now, he’s also caught in the stream of

light and music and sculptures, and he’sworrying that his wife wont believe himwhen he tells her he’s late home becausehe followed a life size steel elephant andsome crazy horsemen to a park lit withflares and...Almost four thousand other people

watched the processional performance ofEmergency Exit Arts’ Runga Rung show, asit passed through the town centre and upinto Meyrick Park for the dynamic finaleof fire and light. People came out of barsand pubs, stood on the pavement withtheir drinks, on their front door steps, asthe parade went by.

Bournemouth BelleThe event was programmed byBournemouth Borough Council’s ArtsDevelopment Unit with three clear aims:to raise the profile of good qualityparticipatory arts work in Bournemouth;to highlight how suitable the town centre

A Dream of an event

You never forgetan ElephantThe Editor writes:The arrival in London this summer of the “The Sultan’s Elephant”, thespectacular and gargantuan piece ofstreet theatre by French companyRoyal de Luxe, quite literally stoppedthe traffic. It transfixed all Londonerswho saw it, from MPs to shopworkersand through the media coverage spreadits impact to many more who liveoutside the capital. But the Sultan’s animal was not the

only artistic Elephant to have turned

heads.Our first two case studies reporton another elephant, a British animal,created by the London basedEmergency Exit Arts, (EEA) also working in a multi-cultural context, butwith and for local communities. ‘TheSultan’s Elephant’ was inspirational,majestic spectacle at its very best.But creating sustainable

communities and lasting communitycohesion needs a longer, deeper andmore diversified approach. As thefollowing two articles show EEA’sRunga Rung has created a localimpact that we hope will last ratherlonger and drill a little deeper thannational newspaper headlines.

0910

Tim Harris

Gill Horitz

features

1112

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

is for this kind of event (‘Better thananywhere in Europe’, according to LesSharpe, EEA’s Artistic Director) and, mostimportantly, to persuade decision makers,sponsors, and the public that this couldbecome an annual event with economicimpacts to benefit the local economy.Emergency Exit Arts spent two weeks

in the town (funded by Arts Councilof England’s Grants for the Arts andBournemouth Borough Council,Soundstorm at Dorset Music Service andWave), leading free open workshops inthe Lower Gardens and the town square.They also worked with groups alreadyinvolved in arts participation throughexisting arts development projects:TOPS, a theatre group of actors withlearning disabilities, and a group ofwomen attending Sure StartBournemouth, who made a 15 footBournemouth belle in a blue and whitestriped bikini. New groups also took part:parents and children from BoscombeNeighbourhood Nursery, and students

from Portchester School.And new artists were offered paidplacement opportunities to work withexperienced workshop artists. Nothingspecial about that; good quality artsdevelopment practice has a duty to workin this way, without making a song anddance about issues such as inclusion,mentoring, new audiences andcultural diversity.

Touched by an experience of communitasSo what was the trigger for peoples’special reaction, their raised spirits, andtheir engagement? What provokedsuperlatives, caused a ‘buzz’, a ‘thrill’, anexperience like ‘an extraordinary andmagical dream’, where people were‘entranced by the sheer brilliance of it all’,and the ‘beauty’ of the finale, the visualfeast of it all? Firstly, the quality of artistic design,

direction and vision of EEA’s imaginativefusion of British urban life with

contemporary British Asian culture andIndian legends; plus the exuberance ofbeing connected en masse, as participantor viewer, to the movement, noise and spectacle. And something less tangible occurred,

something inside touched by an experienceof communitas? Of provocation? Of ritualand festival? A sense of the arts keepingfaith with the enjoyment of creative actionfor its own sake, for the intrinsic qualitywhich gives people a sense of being aliveand spirited. That’s what the arts are goodfor, which we know, having been ourselvesparticipants and audience; but also, as artsprofessionals, having listened to the viewsof participants and audience. Based on this,the imperative is to build a case, gathersponsors and committed partners, andembed the event into the town’s culturalcalendar. Watch Bournemouth’s space! •Gill Horitz, Arts Development OfficerBournemouth Borough Councilgill.horitz@bournemouthlibraries.org.uk01202 451805

As an Arts Development Officer it isn’tvery often you have the pleasure ofdoing a project that achieves all yourexpectations and much more besides.For each project we undertake we haveour aims and objectives and then ourprivate hopes and dreams. For me thisproject was a milestone in thedevelopment of the County Council ArtsService because in just one day ourprofile within the organisation wasraised by demonstrating the unique rolearts can play in delivering corporatepriorities whilst inspiring communities. Runga Rung, the colour of colours is

an ambitious, large-scale productionconceived and performed by EmergencyExit Arts. It had previously beenperformed in major cities in the UK andEurope and this was the first time it hadbeen performed in a rural venue.

Giant flowersOver 200 children, young people and theirparents attended arts workshops duringthe Easter holidays and on the nightcarried their lanterns, flags, giant flowersand puppets through the streets tocelebrate their community and the richcultural heritage of Shropshire. Theprocession led the 3,000 strong audienceto a finale performance site where theshow unfolded with a fusion of imagesfrom different countries and cultures.Bringing this unique experience to the

people of Shropshire delivered activitieswhich contributed to the corporatepriorities which at the time were • Supporting inclusive communities • Promoting lifelong learning• Stimulating a thriving economy

Pride in the communityKey to the success of this project was thehigh quality of the artistic product of theshow itself and the quality of theworkshops offered to the community. Theability to bring work of this calibre toShropshire has enabled the Arts Service toachieve the following for the communityof Craven Arms and surrounding villages:

• Stimulated people’s imagination andinspired them to join in with localcommunity activities thereby increasingtheir participation and creating socialinclusion.

• Created a sense of pride in theircommunity, a sense of worth andwellbeing.

• The opportunity for a Shropshirecommunity to embrace, explore andcelebrate a diversity of cultural imagesand traditions alongside their own.

The Arts Service plans to build on theachievements of this project by creatingthe partnerships and resources to roll outa programme of performance based artsprojects that engage directly withcommunities. We evaluate the outcomesof our work through a methodology called‘The Value of Culture’ which measuresoutcomes against four quality of lifeindicators. To measure the impact of thisproject we produced a DVD of feedbackfrom people who took part in this project .

Runga Rung: ‘thinking outside the box’The Craven Arms Minority and DiversityGroup are now planning their ownproject called ‘Face It’ with the aim ofencouraging community cohesion andpresenting a positive image of the townto residents and visitors through aphotographic project documenting thefaces of 3,000 residents.From the day I saw Runga Rung being

performed in Bolton town centre it tookus four years to bring this large-scaleshow to a rural community inShropshire. Significantly the event wasattended by our Chief Executive, theDirector of Community Services and theAssistant Director for Learning andCulture was a volunteer stewardchaperoning a policeman on stilts! Thisled to theAsian Bollywood dancers being invitedback to ‘Celebrating Shropshire Day’at the Abbey in Shrewsbury where theywere warmly welcomed by the CountyCouncil members.

The film of the participantfeedback has been a very useful tool forus in communicating the impact of theproject long after it took place. Itenabled us to present it as part of theCouncil’s successful bid for the BeaconAward for services to rural communitiesand the project was praised as a uniqueapproach to addressing equality anddiversity in rural communities. Even now13 months later people talk about theproject and often use ‘Runga Rung’ asanother word for ‘thinking outside the box.’ •Sue Goodwin, Senior Arts DevelopmentOfficer, Shropshire County CouncilThe Value of Culture Methodology isavailable from the websiteSue.goodwin@shropshire-cc.gov.ukwww.shropshireonline.gov.uk

Project BenefitsThe Runga Rung project provided thefollowing benefits:• Artist-led creative workshops forparents and children to work together.

• Opportunities for people with specialneeds to work collaboratively.

• Opportunities for the elderly to beincluded in a project involving a rangeof ages.

• Development of local partnershipsbetween Shropshire County CouncilServices and voluntary organisations.

• Training for local artists.• Economic benefits for local businessesthrough employing their services andthrough visitor spend.

Cravin’ Culture in Shropshire

features

1112

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

Sue Goodwin

features

1314

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

Where and how did you grow up? Whoand what framed the values you holdtoday? Who lived next door to you?How well did you know yourneighbours? If you were a teenager inthe 1960s and 1970s the answers tothese questions, unless you lived in aninner city area, will quite possibly paint apicture of a stable community with somechange. But essentially of a place thatknew itself and its inhabitants andmaintained an orderly progress that hadnot changed significantly for many years.By the mid-1980s this idea of an

unchanging, timeless community was influx. Much was changing and thatchange continued through the 1990s.Industrial restructuring, populationgrowth, increased mobility through

transport, education and wealth andimmigration, including that from EUenlargement has changed many of thevery streets we live in. Some, if not all, of the work you are

doing as a Local Authority arts officerconcerns communities in one way oranother. Your work is probably beingdirectly or indirectly shaped in someway or form by the Government’ssustainable communities plan. But unlikethe CPA or Local Area Agreements orBest Value it is possibly a less tangibleprogramme and you may not be fullyaware of it.

The backgroundIn 1999, the government commissionedthe architect Richard Rogers to examine

how to address the needs of anestimated 3.8 million new householdsby 2021 (multiply by 3 or 4 for thenumber of people) – an increase of 19%.There was allied concern of afragmenting of Britain’s cities with themiddle classes moving out to suburbia,creating addition pressures on greenbeltlands and leaving behind ghettoes. Rogers delivered his report, “Towards

an Urban Renaissance”. Some felt it wassidelined, others, including Rogershimself, that the government just cherrypicked bits of it and failed to adopt itsmore radical aspects. Then a year later, John Prescott

launched the Sustainable CommunitiesPlan and an allied report “Sustainablecommunities: building for the future”.

Prescott then asked Sir John Egan to review the skills required to buildsustainable communities, resulting inThe Egan Review – “Skills for SustainableCommunities” (see end of article fordownload addresses).Then the government supported

the establishment of a SustainableCommunities Academy, whose interimChief Executive was Chris Murray,formerly of CABE and before thatPrincipal Arts Officer with Milton Keynes Borough Council.

Finally this work has been picked up by Regional Spatial Strategiesexamining where population growth islikely to occur (and be encouraged) andthe planning and transport implications of this.

What is the sustainablecommunities plan? - Part 1The sustainable communities plan waslaunched by John Prescott, Deputy PrimeMinister in February 2003 with an initialbudget of £22 billion. Its initial three yearfunding programme came to an end inMarch 2006. But it’s far from completeand the reason you may not have heardof it is that, on the surface at least, muchof it is and was about housing.But the background is somewhat more

complex. The notion of ‘sustainablecommunities’ is an environmental oneand stems from a growing realisationthat the current model of developmentis unsustainable and the concept ofsustainable development. But theconcept of sustainable communities is

not just about the physical environment.It has a more rounded approach and thatis what makes it relevant to arts andcultural professionals.

So, what do we mean bysustainable communities? - Part 1“A sustainable community,” says theAcademy of Sustainable Communities, “is a place where people want to live andwork now and in the future. A place thatis prosperous and vibrant, that willimprove everyone's quality of life.”“Places where people want to live – andthat are sustainable”, says the EganReview (see below) “do not happen bychance. They are the product of visionarythinking and commitment by highlyskilled civic and national leaders,

Sustainable Communities A bluffer’s guide

features

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

1314

Paul Kelly

features

1516

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

developers and professionals, with the fullengagement and support of local partnersand communities.”

So, why the sudden need for‘sustainable communities?’ Well, it’s because of some of the factors

we outlined above. Because of wealth,population growth, immigration andincreased mobility, communities havestarted to become more diverse andhybrid, less fixed and more fragile.And this has huge economic and socialimpacts. It also raises questions. “…whatsort of communities are we trying tocreate?” asks the Egan Review, “and howshould we measure achievement; whatare the most effective delivery processes,and who is responsible for these; andfinally what skills are needed to make theprocesses work effectively, and how do webridge the gap between our current skillsbase and the skills we want?”

Defining sustainablecommunities – part 2“Sustainable communities, says the EganReview, “meet the diverse needs ofexisting and future residents, theirchildren and other users, contributeto a high quality of life and provideopportunity and choice. They achievethis in ways that make effective use ofnatural resources, enhance theenvironment, promote social cohesionand inclusion and strengthen economicprosperity.” And they then define sevencomponents (see table at end) that areneeded to make a sustainablecommunity. You will of course notestraight away how similar these sevencomponents are to the ODPM’s seven

priority themes and the subsequent fourLocal Area Agreement themes. It is alsogood to see that a social and culturalcomponent is included in the seven. Anexpansion of their understanding of therole is set out in the box below and itacknowledges a role for culture.

The sustainable communitiesplan - Part 2The 2003 Sustainable Communities plansought to address seven issues:• Accelerating the provision of housingand creating four growth areas in - Thames Gateway- London-Stanstead-Cambridge corridor- Ashford- Milton Keynes-South Midlands

• Creating affordable housing especially for“key” public sector workers(nurses, teachers, policemen etc)

• Tackling homelessness• Addressing low demand and ‘housingabandonment’ - in 2003 there werearound 1 million abandoned homes,especially in the North and Midlands,with consequential effects on localcommunities,

• Bringing social housing up to a decent standard

• Improving the local environment of all communities with better parks and public spaces

• Protecting the countryside – by usingmore brownfield sites rather thangreenbelt land.

Who is driving the sustainablecommunities agenda and whatmessages are emerging?Aside from the government, IDeA is nowinvolved and they say, “Local governmentis playing a lead role in the delivery of thisvision, tackling the practical challenges ofthe policy framework. These challengescan include the provision of decenthomes, creating access to employment,protecting the environment andregenerating community spirit. In short,the stewardship of both human andnatural resources.” IDeA’s role is to providesupport and guidance to local governmentand to use its pivotal role between centraland local government to foster alliancesand partnerships.Sustainable communities, says IDeA is

about “giving ordinary people morecontrol over the decisions that affectthem, focusing on delivering solutions toproblems that communities themselveshave identified and working to tacklesocial, economic and environmentalconcerns in a balanced, constructive andsustainable way. It may not be absolutepower to the people, but it is aboutarticulating a vision that local people mayactually recognise... the essence of asustainable community is likely to be onecharacterised by: “a sense of community,a sense of place and a sense of directionor vision”. The Academy of Sustainable

Communities is a new national and

international centre of excellence for theskills and knowledge needed to createcommunities fit for the 21st century. Thereare, it says, , there are huge gaps in the skillsand knowledge required to create thesecommunities across the country - inparticular, generic skills such as communityengagement, leadership, projectmanagement and partnership working.

So why is this relevant to the artsand culture and what are theopportunities?First, there is much attention in manyLocal Authorities on Local AreaAgreements. But as you will gather, this ismerely a mechanistic delivery tool to helpdeliver sustainable communities. Trying tothink sensibly about LAAs without anawareness of the sustainable communitiesagenda is like a sauce without the meal.Secondly, as we said at the start, some,

if not all, of the work you are doing as a

Local Authority artsofficer concernscommunities in one wayor another. Thiscontextualises that work.And it gives you an

opportunity. Whilst social and culturalmatters get a mention in the Egan Review,we suspect that they are still peripheral.Housing brings people to a site, yet it isculture that normally brings themtogether and defines a place. Withoutculture your sense of place is like a housethat lacks the trappings of a home. Thirdly, where new communities are

being built, especially in the fourdesignated areas, there are massiveopportunities for arts and culture.Communities need facilities, schools,health centers, libraries and communitycenters. Arts Officers are already at worktrying to influence developments throughpublic art, new facilities, dual-use facilities[see “Jewel in the Crown” – last issue- Ed]and provision of arts services. In Swindona substantial video project was recentlyundertaken to help integrate people intonew housing developments throughhelping them tell and share their stories.Finally, places are made by people.

Engage with them and get them engagingwith each other and the places will comealive and that’s a key component insustainability. And what better vehiclethan arts and culture to achieve that? •Paul Kelly is Principal Arts Officer forPlymouth City Council and Secretary fornalgao

ResourcesIDEA – www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk -sustainable communities pages are under

the ‘Improving your Council’ section ODPM - the ‘Sustainable Communities:building for the future’ – the ODPM report of 2003 is at:www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1139870The Egan Review – ‘Skills for SustainableCommunities’ is at:www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1502251The Academy for SustainableCommunities is at: www.ascskills.org.uk

The seven components insustainable communities• Governance• Transport and connectivity• Services – public, private, voluntary• Environment – quality of• Economy – quality of• Housing and the Built Environment• Social and cultural

SOCIAL AND CULTURALDimensions of SustainableCommunities – Expanded• Vibrant, harmonious and inclusivecommunities

• A sense of community identity andbelonging

• Tolerance, respect and engagementwith people from different cultures,background

• Friendly, co-operative and helpfulbehaviour in neighbourhoods

• Opportunities for cultural, leisure,community, sport and other activities

• Low levels of crime and anti-socialbehaviour with visible, effective andcommunity-

• All people are socially included andhave similar life opportunities

features

1516

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

Remember Filey – The Butlins Oral History ProjectYou may never have been on holidaythere, but for nearly 70 years Butlins hasplayed a major part in the lives of manyordinary British people. Before the rise ofpackage holidays, and worldwide travel,Butlins afforded an annual chance torelax, to socialise, meet new people,and have fun. In 2005, Yorkshire Council’sEast Riding Arts Development Servicereceived a grant of £43,900 from theHeritage Lottery Fund to run an oralhistory project that aimed to documentButlins’ Filey camp’s history from itsopening in 1939 to its final closure in1983. The project started in September2005 and ran through until May 2006,when a final exhibition took place inBridlington, East Yorkshire.Butlins is a familiar part of British

culture and at one timecentral to theBritish Holiday

experience and it has been the aimof the project to document the Fileycamp’s existence in an innovative andaccessible format for future generationsby researching and recording itsunique history.

Developing oral history skillsThe project has given East Riding residentsthe opportunity to recount their holidaymemories from the former camp, whichhave been captured through the use ofphotographic, video and audio methods.The grant also enabled artists to work in alocal primary school, using the oralhistories of Butlins, to increase thechildren’s understanding and appreciationof the local heritage.

Work has also taken place withSeaside Radio - a local community radiostation with the aim of engaging localpeople and encouraging them to developtheir oral history skills through trainingopportunities in interviewing, recordingand editing.The project culminated in a final

celebratory exhibition of all the workproduced which includes a book ofmemories with an attached, CD or DVD.Alongside the exhibition was a weeklongcommunity radio broadcast, ‘Filey ButlinsRemembered with lots of memoriesgathered during the project. •There is a project website atwww.rememberfileybutlins.co.uk Samantha Schneider,– Arts Development Worker, East Riding of Yorkshire Counciltel. (01482) 392653/ 07795657056 and e-mail samantha.schneider@eastriding.gov.uk ca

se studies

1718

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

features

1516

nalgao Magazine

Septem

ber 2

006

ARTS AT

THE HEART

When Artist Liam Curtin was chosen byproperty developers The Eric Wright Group,Burnley Borough Council and the Burnley,Pendle & Rossendale Primary Care Trust tocreate an eye-catching piece of artworkfor the new LIFT-funded St. Peters Health& Leisure Centre in Burnley, little did thecommissioners suspect that he wouldpromptly set up a studio and laboratoryin the local squash courts. Designed byarchitects Nightingale Associates, the St.Peter's Centre provides a new £27millioncapital investment into the town centre ofBurnley, with the new facilities promotingthe regeneration of the eastern side ofBurnley Town Centre.Liam Curtin, who is responsible for award

winning projects such as Blackpool's HighTide Organ and the Great PromenadeShow, has an enigmatic approach to publicart. Holding open house for the public inthe squash court, he and Burnley-basedartist/collaborator John Gilbertexperimented with light, shadow, colour,reflections, movement and materials. Theartwork was developed through this openworkshop process that invited the public,staff of the centre and various consultativegroups to take part, influence and discussideas as they emerged.

Moonlike crescentsThe work is a 3 metre diameter wovencopper sphere weighing over 60 kilos thatwill be suspended in the main atrium,illuminated by a range of light sourcessequenced to create changing moonlike

crescents and colourful shadows on theinner walls. It will have a strong visualpresence whether experienced from insideor outside the building. The spherical piece designed specially

for the centre is now being woven - orrather plaited – by the artist and his teamof collaborators - globe makers ArabellaHeskett and John Gooding; lightingdesigner Neil Foster, and artist JohnGilbert - in 10mm copper tubing on siteat the new health and leisure centre, stillunder construction. It is hoped that thepublic will be able to observe theinstallation of the lights later in theprocess via video link. The concept of a woven sculpture may

be seen as an oblique reference toBurnley's weaving tradition, but the workis far from a monument to tradition;rather, it is a curious, unusual and verylyrical form - a geometric totem for goodhealth and fitness that will be relaxing towatch. The health connection helpedsecure additional funding for the workfrom Arts Council England. Artist Liam Curtin commented “The

work is enigmatic and allows people tocontemplate it and develop their owninterpretation as to what it might meanto them.” Victor Jull of the Burnley PatientGroup says, “The Burnley Patient Groupare justly proud to have been involved inthe St. Peters Centre public art project andare pleased that varied views have beenlistened to and acted upon. This was anobject lesson in consultation.” •

The Universe in the Centre

Burnley: case studies

ART

S AT

THE HEA

RTnalgao

Magazine

Autum

n20

06

1718

Samantha Schneider

case studies

1920

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

case studies

1920

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

Spanish films and German beer with theaward winning film “Downfall”.

Attracting loyal audiencesThe films prove to be not only visuallyexciting but also an opportunity to meetup with friends and chat, a feature whichis noticeably absent from any run-of-the-multiplex screening. A large proportion ofthe audiences are made up of olderpeople who haven’t visited a cinema forover 30 years. Having a chance to walkto their local village hall to see a film hasmade a great deal of difference to thequality of their lives, especially during thelong winter months.The people screening the films have not

only developed technical skills in filmexhibition, research, marketing andpublicity, they are also attracting loyalaudiences. All of the comments from localpeople have been very positive and verycomplimentary. Cinema has been broughtback to some villages for the first time in50 years.

The project uses portable state-of-the-art cinema equipment including a digitalprojector, a 12ft by 10ft big screen, adrape kit, sound mixer, two speakersand stands, and a DVD and VHS player.Everything is housed in a flight caseand hard-wired so that operating theequipment is very simple. All of theequipment fits into the back of anestate car.

Animated film is popularDerbyshire is served by only 2 cinemas.This project has proved that there is anappetite for film screened at local venueschosen by local people. Some of thevillages have gone on to successfully applyfor grant aid to buy their own digitalprojection equipment. The attraction ofthe mini-cinemas is that local people havecontrol over what they choose to watchand are not forced to put-up with whatthe nearest multiplex offers. Quite oftenfilms are shown a year after being shownat the nearest multiplex, merely because

the distance and expense and themultiplex venue is not to everyone’s taste.When given a choice of walking to thelocal village hall, having a glass of wineand nibbles and watching a film on thebig screen, rather than the blander moreexpensive option of the multiplex, manypeople choose the latter. A number of artist-led workshops have

run alongside the screening of films. Thishas helped develop the audiences. TheFilm Animation workshop wherebychildren get to make their very ownanimated film was the most popular. Thisalso meant that their short films could bescreened before the main feature and alsoencourage a different audience to attendthe film night or afternoon. •If you would like to find out more about thisproject check out the Derbyshire filmwebsite on www.derbyshirefilm.org.uk orcontact Kay Ogilive Derbyshire Filmfieldworker on 01629 823495 orkay@derbyshirefilm.org.uk for more details.Kay Ogilvie, Film Fieldworker

There was a time when cinema goingwas a mass popular occupation. The riseof multiplexes, DVDs and individualhi-definition television has changed allthat. This may be fine if you are anurban dweller, but it puts ruralcommunities with few cultural facilitiesat hand, at a disadvantage.Derbyshire Film is a project developed

by the Derbyshire Arts Officers’ Groupthat brings cinema to local communitiesthat may not otherwise have access tothe big screen. It has been an outstandingsuccess in its first year having sold over3,000 tickets and screened nearly100 films.The project provides a fieldworker, three

sets of digital film projection equipment,training and technical back-up to makeeverything run smoothly. Workshops witha ‘film’ theme are also available for thegroups to book to help promote theirseason of films.The fieldworker works closely with each

group providing support and advice to

help them through their first film seasonand subsequent seasons. She organisestechnical training in the use of theprojection equipment, audits each venueand provides advice on improvements. TheFieldworker helps with the set-up of thegroups, provides advice in the form of aregular newsletter as well as being onhand for one-to-one discussions. Shemanages the storage and booking out ofthe shared equipment and also organisesartist-led workshops, training sessions andnetwork support meetings.

More than just a cinemaDerbyshire Film uses local venues, mostlyvillage halls in rural areas, to create a minicinema for the night. Everything to dowith the evening, including selecting films,liaising with film distributors, using theprojection equipment, publicising the filmsand providing a bar and refreshments - isdone by volunteers. Local people turntheir chosen venue into a temporarycinema – be it for an afternoon matinee

with popcorn for children, or a big nightout in the village hall for adults. The villages show an eclectic mix of films(anything from “Brief Encounter” to “TheMotorcycle Diaries”) to an equally eclecticmix of audiences the length and breadthof Derbyshire. When local people discoverthat “Pride and Prejudice” or “TheConstant Gardener” is showing in theirlocal village hall, (usually just a walk away)– they turn up in droves. This is the realstrength of the project – the fact that it isonly just a walk away. No public transportneeded. This also makes it a veryinexpensive outing for most people,especially families. Refreshments add tothe evening and are always much cheaperthan at a pub or multiplex and usuallyhome-made. Some villages theme theirrefreshments to the film so for“Sideways”, Calver village organised a winetasting. For “Chocolat”, Holymoorsideraffled a box of chocolates and providedchocolate biscuits with tea. Other villageshave provided Sangria and tapas with

Film in the

Community:

Back To The Future

Kay Ogilive

case studies

2122

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

case studies

2122

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

people a chance to speak out in an informal and non- threateningenvironment, as well as having theiropinions and ideas ratified in moreformal arenas. People from Walsall, Moxley and

Brownhills took part in creativeworkshops exploring their area's history,identity and hopes for the future. Theycreated their own site specific pieces asanother part of the 'gateways' project -again agreed and ratified at localmeetings and in the council house.The Gateways project supports a

number of Vision priorities, including'encourage everyone to feel proud ofWalsall' and 'make it easier for people to get around'.The final phase of the project was

due to be completed in August 2006.

The 'ConfrontingChlamydia' projectChlamydia is one of the fastest risingsexually transmitted infections (STIs)amongst Walsall's young people,reflecting a national trend. Walsall’sTeaching Primary care Trust (tPCT) andHealth Action Zones, in partnership with

Walsall Council's creative developmentteam identified a clear need for betterways of giving young people theinformation they need to stay safe. A project steering group led by the

creative development team included staffworking in sexual health, youth workersand health development workers. The matter was brought to the

attention of the tPCT by a youth worker,who wanted to explore ways she andher colleagues could answer specificquestions about sexually transmitteddiseases being asked by young people in their youth clubs. The steering groupinvited artists to come up with ways of getting appropriate and accurateinformation to young people in a funand non-threatening way.Walsall Youth Arts won the commission

to deliver the project and set upworkshops with young people, sexualhealth professionals and youth workers. Initially the sessions, led by arts worker

Kate Green, focussed on self-esteem andpositive self- image. This led to anexploration of different creative methodswhich could help approach issues aroundsexual health. These methods had to beaccessible for the workers implementingthem and young people. As a result four different prototype

packages were developed, a board game,website, video and drama game.

Endorsed by Senior HealthProfessionalsOnce the raw materials had been made,an evaluation day was set up. Some 50people attended including original projectparticipants, other health professionalsand youth workers. All were invited togive their feedback on the effectivenessof the prototypes. Crucially, the factualinformation presented in each pack wasinformed by experts and includedreference to local venues and sources

of information and support foryoung people.The project received match funding

from Sure Start Plus. Evaluation andconsultation will now develop of a finalchlamydia 'toolkit 'and trainingprogramme for those working with youngpeople to deliver the material. This willhappen by the end of 2006.This creative approach has been

endorsed by senior health professionals,who are using creative ways of workingand participation in the arts to informservice development and planning.‘Confronting Chlamydia’ is part of awider programme of initiatives led by the creative development team around sexual health.The project is part of the effort to fulfill

Walsall Council's pledge to 'make Walsalla healthy and caring place' and issupported by a number of partners fromthe voluntary sector, social services, tPCT,youth service and community services. Creative work in Walsall has blossomed,

as people who run and deliver serviceshave been able to work together with thecouncil on clearly set out objectives.The creative development team is being

asked to deliver 'in house' creativethinking sessions as people realisethinking differently and pooling creativeideas is a practical way forward. After all,expecting to get a different result fromalways doing things the same way isunlikely to achieve much. Walsall is usingthe arts to embrace change. •Glen Bluglass with Leah Wilkes and Moya Lloyd

Walsall’s 10 pledges1 Ensure a clean and green borough2 Make it easier for people to get

around3 Ensure all people are safe and secure4 Make our schools great5 Make Walsall a healthy and caring

place6 Encourage everyone to feel proud

of Walsall 7 Make it easier to access local services8 Strengthen the local economy9 Make it easier to access local services

10 Transform Walsall into an excellentlocal authority

Glen Bluglass outlines how one of thefastest improving Local Authorities inEngland has used culture and creativity to deliver its corporate priorities.Walsall Council has had to have a

long hard look at itself in its efforts toimprove as an organisation. The councilspent time and energy working withWalsall's people to draw up a vision to create a better borough. This vision has been created by

consulting with local people, partners and the authority's staff. The councilpublished 10 pledges aimed at improvinglife in the borough which driveseverything the council does (see table). Walsall's community arts team

embraced this vision. The council's

new corporate management team asked us to use our skills, within theorganisation and alongside the authority'spartners, to use participation in the artsand creative thinking as a way ofdeveloping borough-wide projects thatmeet the needs of the vision.

Walsall Creative DevelopmentTeamAs a result, we changed our name toWalsall creative development team andare now taking on work that usescommunity arts techniques to move oncorporate agendas, whilst keeping ourpeople- centred, participatory focus. Described below are two projects.They

are very different in their set up anddesired outcomes but are similar in thatthey both use the arts in consultationwith people to achieve results. Bothtackle difficult problems. They areborough-wide projects rather than justa concern of one community. Both havebeen created and developed throughconsultation and creative workshopswith local people.

The 'Gateways' projectThe Borough of Walsall was created byboundary changes in the 1970's and lacksthe gravitas of the shires or weight of thecities. It has no clear time-honoured ideaof itself as a place. Walsall wasconstructed from bits of other regionsclustered around the old Staffordshiretown of Walsall creating a unitary'Metropolitan' local authority. Few areasin the borough have any naturalaffiliation governmentally with Walsall.

Funded by the Walsall BoroughStrategic Partnership of which WalsallCouncil is a key partner, the 'Gateways'project is a £250,000 public art project,aimed at improving the visual impact ofentering the borough and helping addressthe problem of identity in Walsall. At the start of the project there was no

consistent 'look' as people entered theborough via its 'gateways' on the edge ofthe borough and it is in these very placesthat resistance to being a part of Walsallwas most vociferous. A steering group ofthe funders, the council’s seniormanagement team and politicians fromthe Cabinet was brought together tooversee the project.

Creating Entrance FeaturesThe creative development team managedthe project. Its main aim was to create avisual package for the borough throughagreement and consensus. A creativeway of working was thought to be thebest approach.Artist Tim Ward of Circling the Square

was employed to work with us oncreating entrance features for main roadroutes in and out of the borough as wellas six 'district centre' markers. During theproject's 18-month lifetime workshopshave been held with all nine LocalNeighborhood Partnerships in Walsall tocreate and design 21 boundary featuresand six town centre markers. Consensus over style, size, look, images,

words and locations was agreed at publicmeetings chaired by electedrepresentatives as well as at other locallyheld workshops. These workshops gave

Embracing change in

Boun

dary

feat

ures

and

tow

n ce

ntre

mar

kers

: Art

ist T

im W

ard

Brow

nhill

s M

iner

: Art

ist J

ohn

McK

enna

WalsallGlen Bluglass

The London Borough of Havering has asmall but tremendously active arts teamcomprising an Arts Officer, ArtsDevelopment Officer, Arts Centre Managerand three part-time Arts Centre Assistants.Our aim is to enable and deliver arts at

the heart of everyone's life in Haveringand we do actually work with pretty wellevery part of the Council as well as awide range of the community.A snap-shot today shows Havering

Rock Band of the Year winding up for arecord number of heats in a local nightclub and Junior Artist of the Yearexhibition for 10 to 14s on show in TheQueen's Theatre foyer gallery. YoungMusician of the Year has just finished themasterclasses at The Music Centre andFairkytes Arts Centre is knee-deep inEaster Holiday kids creating.

Bob Carlton’s MacbethThe commissioned local history play

has been cast with nearly thirty speakingparts including the goal scorers of 1966who all lived in Havering at the time, andfor reasons too unlikely to explain, KingHarold on his way to Hastings (1066) andthe local churches are starting to buildoutdoor stages on The Queen’s TheatreGreen ready for three massive outdoorperformances of The Passion play overthe Easter weekend.Public art projects are coming to

fruition both with sculptor Rob Ollins inthe new regional hospital currently beingdecorated in Romford and the spaceoutside the huge new Asda developmentwhere Studio Three Arts are projectmanaging sculptor Stephen Stockbridge.Breath is being held by The Bubble and

by the local Romford Summer Theatregroup both of whom will be hoping forbetter weather for their performances inRaphael Park with Midsummer Night'sDream and Twelfth Night respectivelywhile The Queen's Theatre is currently inthe middle of a run of Bob Carlton's newtreatment of Macbeth. The special gift for the thirty fifth

anniversary of the Twinning AssociationPoems for Peace attracted over a hundredsuccessful entries and is being bound by alocal craftsman book-binder.There is more, but isn't it always the

way - I have to rush off now to a meetingabout budgets and this time next weekI'm off for a quick transit of the PanamaCanal. •Chris Cole. Arts DevelopmentOfficerLondon Borough of Havering

case studies

2324

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

Larkin’ About was a site-specific theatreproject which took place over one week inAugust 2005 delivered by the Arts Serviceat the London Borough of Richmond uponThames in partnership with the NationalYouth Theatre and the Parks and OpenSpaces Department.The Art Service’s annual programme

encompasses exhibitions, arts festivals andeducational projects in addition to aspecialist programme of targeted provisionthat aims to support personsdisadvantaged to accessing cultural

provision or at risk of social exclusion.Building upon the success of our annualLarks in the Parks children’s theatrefestival we were keen to develop aprogramme strand that would activelytarget excluded young people aged 13 to16 years with cultural opportunitiesavailable in their locality. Working inpartnership with the National YouthTheatre we decided to commission agroup of young people to respond to theircommunity, their history and theirenvironment through the use of theatreand we set them the challenging them tocreate a piece of site-specific theatre in

the space of one week. Theresult of that week was anoutstanding promenade site-specific performance whichwas attended by over 250members of the localcommunity in Hampton.The astonished reaction ofthe audience to theperformance is atestament to the creativetalent and personalcommitment of all thepeople involved and thecreative team whichhelped to shape thisunique project.

The outcomes for participants included,recognition of their achievements bypeers, family, project staff and generalpublic, learning to negotiate with theirpeers and to resolve conflict throughdiscussion, identifying new andappropriate role models, through directcontact with artists and project staff towhom the participants could relate anddevelopment of team work andcollaborative skills. The project also had a number of

valuable outcomes for the arts serviceand its project partners including, buildingnew relationships with young people whohad no previous contact with theorganisation and creating newrelationships with the National YouthTheatre and several freelance artspractitioners. The project also created asuccessful collaboration with the ParksDepartment and an innovative use of alocal open space.What were the measures of success for

the creative team? Peter Collins, NYTAssociate Artist said: “There were many, but chiefly, retaining

and actively engaging all participants forthe full week; creating an environment toenable participants to lead and thereforeown the creation of content for the pieceand enabling the young people to engagewith and reflect on their localenvironment and history plus, of course,building confidence, self-esteem andcommunication skills amongstparticipants. ““The content of the work”, he added,

“was always participant led and the piecereflected the concerns of those involved inthe light of research done by them. TheHatherop Rap in particular gave the teama voice they were proud of.” The last words belong to a participant…

“Larkin’ About during Summer 2005 wasone of the best experiences of my life.”said project participant Charles.

nalgao Wales:Dancing inthe ValleysThe Valleys Dance Initiative (VDI) hasbeen established since 2003 and is theoutcome of a pioneering partnershipbetween the Arts Development Officersof six South East Wales Valleys localauthorities - Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend,Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, RhonddaCynon Taf and Torfaen – and CommunityDance Wales (CDW). The 3 partnercommunity dance organisations in the SEWales valleys - Dance Blast, RhonddaCynon Taff Community Arts and Valleyand Vale Community Arts - and thecommunities they serve are an essentialingredient of the Initiative.The concept of the VDI came out of a

Feasibility Study jointly commissioned bythe six local authority Arts DevelopmentOfficers in 2000. The Feasibility Study wasa result of discussions between the six

ADOs on a way forward in the SE Walesvalleys for a collaborative approach to artsdevelopment. In these discussions dancewas identified as the art from thatrequired the most attention andinvestment. The vision for the VDI wasthat it would improve equality of accessto dance across the network of the sixlocal authorities.Valleys Dance Initiative provides a new

focus for dance development, withpriorities on improved communicationand co-operation, securing resources forjoint events and initiating partnerships incross-departmental working withinCounty Borough Councils in the SouthEast Wales Valleys and with externalorganisations.

Increasing access to professionalperformanceFunding from the Arts Council of Walesand the respective Arts Developmentbudgets of the six local authoritiesensured the appointment of a ValleysDance Co-ordinator in November 2003.This post holder is managed byCommunity Dance Wales on behalf of theInitiative and is responsible for the

delivery of an Action Plan addressing theidentified needs of each participating localauthority and its communities. A Steering Group – consisting of the six

ADOs or their representatives, CDW andthe community dance partners - has beenestablished to oversee the strategicdirection of the Initiative and take reportsform the Co-ordinator on the delivery ofagreed objectives. •The key aims of the Valleys DanceInitiative, as an unique partnershipapproach to dance development, are to:• Build on the dance infrastructureacross its entire spectrum, fromcommunity activity to professionalperformance, within each of the sixLocal Authority areas• Raise the profile and awareness ofdance within and across the six CountyBorough areas• Develop and maximise effectivepartnerships to create danceopportunities• Bring the very best dance experienceto people in the South East WalesValleys

Breathless in HaveringLarkin’

about

in Richmond

Chris Cole

partnership news

2526

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

How can the Arts Council and LocalGovernment get to know each other betterand work more closely in partnership?Jenny Rhodes describes a unique project inthe East Midlands. Whilst I was at Arts Council England, EastMidlands (ACE,EM) I had identified in mytraining plan the possibility of workingwith, or shadowing a Local Authority ArtsOfficer. In the summer 2005 when I wasseconded to Resource DevelopmentOfficer we put a call out to the EastMidlands Local Authorities suggesting aform of 'job swap' opportunity (we neverdid come up with a snappier title for it!)Newark & Sherwood District Council

(NSDC) came forward and in September2005 Heather Cooper, Strategic ArtsOfficer and I started a two day a weekswap. This involved one day a weekactual swap and one day a week wewould be together, alternating betweenNewark & Nottingham.Rather than covering each other’s roles

on those days, specific areas of work wereidentified. On her ACE days Heatherworked on the Arts Officer resource pack,which NALGAO are now involved in andis being rolled out regionally, with a viewto a national roll out and beingcoordinated by Tim Harris. Heather alsoworked on other areas such as ACE, EMengagement with the East Midlands SubRegional Strategic Partnerships, fundedthrough the East Midlands RegionalDevelopment Agency.

Enormous pressure for ACEI supported the Head of Culture at NSDCon a project to develop an historicallysignificant building in Newark town centreinto a cultural venue, tying in the

neighbouring theatre, the museum andthe ongoing programme of regeneration inthe town. This allowed me to see fundingapplications from the other side as I washeavily involved in an application to theHeritage Lottery Foundation. I also led onthe development of an advocacy tool forthe recently adopted arts strategy. Theresult was a small fold up brochurehighlighting the key priorities andoutcomes, with case study examplesfrom across the district.Heather and I knew from the outset

that we and our managers would have tobe flexible in our approach to datesplanned for the swap. Certainly for me itcame at a time of enormous pressure forACE Regional Partnership Officers, interms of round 2 Local Area Agreementsbeing drafted, the outcomes of the YEWConsulting Local Authority Partnershipsreport and the future of the partnershipsand Performance Indicators for the CPACulture Block being developed. I won'tpretend that it wasn't a ridiculously busytime for us both and that flexibility andunderstanding as well as a sense ofhumour was crucial to the success ofthe swap.

Identify objectivesWith this in mind, but without wanting to sound too much like candidates forbeatification, it did take a bigcommitment from both of us in terms oftime and a mutual appreciation that weare both people to get on with the job inhand what ever it takes! It was a hugelyvaluable experience, we both felt that itopened up communication between ACE,EM and Arts Officers, we both gainedgreater understanding of the breadth of

issues facing local authorities and ArtsCouncil. If anyone is thinking of taking part in a

similar initiative I would suggest that, as inour case, specific areas of work areidentified, rather than one trying to coverfor the other on swap days. ACE regions arebig and although in an ideal world theopportunity should be open to everyone, interms of the commute to your temporaryplace of work it is important to be realistic!Identify what you want to get out of it

from the outset and make sure the workyou cover whilst you are there covers theaims, then evaluate the process with yourline managers at the end. Work outcontracts which include all the little thingssuch as expenses, sickness, holiday leave,who will be your 'temporary' line manager,timing; current/ forthcoming workload andis there someone else who could coverareas for you / is this going to happen inthe middle of a major piece of work thatforms part of your substantive role?

I would certainly recommend it to otherACE regions and to other Local Authorities,particularly where an ACE officer has littleor no experience of working in localgovernment and for a Local Authority artsofficer to get a sense of the scale of workthat ACE is involved in through ourrelationship with the DCMS and othernational and regional departments andagencies. • Jennie Rhodes, ResourceDevelopment Officer, South East ArtsCouncil England, East Midlands.

With the launch last year of its FoundationDegree in Cultural Events Management,Bishop Grosseteste College (BGC), Lincoln,is leading the way in providing vocational,work-based training degrees for thecultural sector. Matthew Blades,Programme Leader, highlights the value ofthis approach.Did you know that 17.7 million workersacross the UK (63% of the workingpopulation) improved their skills last yearand/or went on to gain a formalqualification from their learning andtraining? And evidence suggests theFoundation Degree framework (FdA)might well have featured as a very viableoption with which the work force madethe connection between vocationaltraining and formal qualifications.Almost a year on, what has been the

impact on the UK cultural sector? Wellnews from the East Midlands, particularlyacross Lincolnshire, is positive. We areenjoying a vibrant cultural renaissance,across heritage, the arts, museums andthrough leisure tourism. This local revival,and indeed the renewed interestregionally, in what the local sector canachieve economically, artistically andsocially, is fuelling a demand for newknowledge and different skills. Vocationalwok-based training, and the ways in whichknowledge and skills are acquired, andused, has taken on a new significance forpractitioners throughout the sector.This is good news indeed, particularly

for a sector that tends to fall short in the

area of providing targeted trainingopportunities and where many hold theview that formal education and on thejob training are two distinct,uncomplementary routes. Well, let’s behonest, education and qualifications haveoften distanced cultural sector workersfrom acquiring marketable new skills andextending their knowledge. You have toremember, the sector is made up ofpractitioners who have only themselvesto rely on, to create, manage and extractvalue from their own work.

Bespoke response to particularneedsThey often lack the means or the time todevote themselves to learning, in thetraditional sense and the evidencesuggests this affects their long termeconomic and career prospects. But, withthe help of employers, sector advocatesand regional development agencies, BGCis turning this situation around, and theFoundation Degree framework provides avaluable route for engaging cultural sectorpractitioners in accessible, work-basedlearning programmes.Described by the Department for

Education and Skills as a “modern,vocational higher education qualification”,Foundation Degree’s can form a bespokeresponse to the very particular needs ofboth employers and employees and soreally should reflect higher education’ssupport for the strategic growth ofpractitioners and their organisations.

BGC’s own programme is largely derivedfrom training needs analysis research andaims to meet both current and futureskills gaps, which emerged from thatprocess. We have also come up with toolsto help practitioners analyse their ownpreferred learning style for use at work.An employer’s advisory group has beenenlisted to influence our thinking oncourse maintenance, business andprofessional development issues, as wellas innovation, research and enterprise, andwe have a carefully crafted mentoringprogramme running alongside Collegebased support. All features of theFoundation Degree ethos.

The workplace benefits are hugeFor Clare Freeman, an arts developmentofficer at one of Lincolnshire’s districtauthorities, and a participant on the BGCFoundation Degree, the result is a learningopportunity very different to the normalhigher education experience: “The coursehas everything I want . . . it relates directlyto the work I am doing at the Council.It’s allowed me to study at work, withprojects based on real workplaceexperiences. I can feel it’s giving me moreconfidence in my job and helping me tothink in new ways about how I couldmove my career forward”.By working closely with employers and

senior managers, BGC has also witnessedhow Foundation Degrees, through delivery,encourage management to champion thedevelopment of vocational, work-based

partnership new

sART

S AT

THE HEA

RTnalgao

Magazine

Autum

n20

06

2526

Inspiring By Degrees

ChangingPlacesJennie Rhodes

Matthew Blades

partnership news

2728

nalgao Magazine

Septem

ber 2

006

ARTS AT

THE HEART

partnership news

2728

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

often reveals colleagues’ hidden talents;choosing projects to match these skillsmeans they can be achieved ‘in-house’.Tom’s 2005 event, The Chain Gang, literallyunited libraries, parks and museums via amammoth paper chain, with lengths oflinks made in mobile libraries, communitycentres, scout groups and schools. Celia Houghton, Arts Development

Officer for Lichfield District Councilpromotes creativity by taking unusualactivities to popular locations. Hermonth-long programme was launched ina shopping centre, with children chalkingportraits on the pavement while beingthemselves caricatured by an artist. Thefollowing Saturday, crayons fixed toremote control cars proved irresistible tomale shoppers; adding favourite placesto a floor map of Lichfield and makingsand pictures appealed to others. Celiaalso used closed group events and artist-led workshops in nine schools to buildrelationships. Students with behaviouralproblems worked with a graffiti artist totransform an underpass into a bright,attractive space.Since 2004, participation of West

Sussex organisations has grown from5 to 35, with more expected this year,thanks to encouragement from ClareHalstead, Arts in Education Co-ordinator.‘The philosophy is very inclusive – youdon't need to be good at art to getsomething out of the Big Draw. It offersthe chance to work within formal andinformal education (schools, museums,stately homes, libraries, theatres) and tohelp others think about drawing in waysthat engage their audiences enjoyably’.We hope loyal supporters and first-

timers will join in the seventh Big Draw,so that it opens even more doors tomaking our heritage tangible andaccessible to children and adults. It’s freeto register online atwww.thebigdraw.org.ukYou will receive a book and CD crammedwith strategies and publicity materials. •Clare Hansen (Project and Web Manager)Campaign for Drawing 7 Gentleman's Row, Enfield EN2 6PTwww.drawingpower.org.uk admin@drawingpower.org.uk Tel/Fax: 020 8351 1719

training. Nicki Gardener, Senior ArtsDevelopment Officer and Clare’s linemanager writes: “What we were notexpecting was the fast return. In a matterof weeks the BGC course had an impact,which continues . . . providing Clare, andthe Council, with practical methodologiesto overhaul our systems, to plan newwork to better achieve key aims, or at thevery least checking that current practice iseffective and worthwhile . . .the workplacebenefits are huge, tasks that wouldordinarily be vital in principle, but all toeasy to overlook, have becomelegitimate”. As Nicki implies, done right,Foundation Degrees are effective becauseof the focus on day-to-day workexperiences and on the workplaceenvironment. At BGC we compliment these work-

based experiences by offering time oncampus to encourage the transfer ofknowledge from one context to another,and to allow experimentation with differentconcepts. As a result, the relationshipbetween workplace and problem-basedlearning becomes a catalyst for change anddevelopment, rewarding the organisationand the participant. Although Foundation Degrees are

employment-related we shouldn’t excludefrom the debate the needs of freelance,contract and self-employed workers, whomake up a considerable part of our sector.Through work-placements and workingalongside organisations as placement hosts,Foundation Degrees are able to equippractitioners who consider themselves andtheir work as a business with the skillsneeded by the employers.

We are now looking at the viability ofestablishing a bespoke centre for thecreative & cultural industries, specifically tobuild partnerships between the local sectorand regional sector support agencies andrelationships between the sector and highereducation. We envisage a centre that willnot only raise the profile of the culturalindustries through advocacy, but alsoprovide infrastructural support services tounderpin business growth and personaldevelopment, so that artist practitioners,cultural managers and cultural businessesacross our region can move closer towardsrealising their full potential. •Matthew Blades, Programme LeaderFoundation Degree: Cultural EventsManagement.Bishop Grosseteste CollegeTel: 01522 583717e-mail: matthew.blades@bgc.ac.uk

Drawing InspirationThe Big Draw 1 - 31 October 2006

The annual October Big Draw encouragescreative learning and cultural and socialengagement. 1000 organisers, includingrecord numbers of local authorities,supported last year’s initiative, reachingan estimated 300,000 people UK-wide.Drawing is a universal language,connecting generations and cultures:children draw to make sense of the worldbefore they learn to write; yet mostadults asked to pick up a pencil claim:‘I can’t draw’. The events described hereremoved this barrier, allowing people ofall ages to discover that drawing is funand always at their finger- tips! Theirorganisers won Drawing InspirationAwards – a prize of £500 or generouspacks of art materials – an additionalincentive. These accounts of successful2005 events may encourage others toparticipate. For detailed advice on runningyour own Big Draw, visit the Campaignfor Drawing websitewww.drawingpower.org.uk.

Arts Action, York’s community artsteam worked with four artists over one

month, to create ten projects – highprofile public activities and carefullytargeted community workshops. A groupof ex-offenders on a resettlementprogramme drew their first theatricalexperience, a dress rehearsal at YorkTheatre Royal and a group of adultlearners teamed up with an animator tomake their first pop video inspired byAladdin. Children listened to storytellingin the Theatre’s Studio and chalked theirresponses on the walkways. Crayons onlong poles were introduced into weeklywheelchair dancing sessions for adultswith disabilities.

Mammoth paperchainSheltered housing residents drew overfour weeks, inspired by a visiting artistand live music. At the National Centre forEarly Music, children made colourfuldrawings of the Jai Kapur brass band fromIndia; 300 people drew inside York Minsterand 20 York primary schools ran events.This project was funded by The UrbanCultural Programme as part of Illuminate.

Nottingham City Council Arts & Eventsand Hartlepool Arts, Museums & Eventsused the energies of young people toenthuse and encourage widerparticipation. In central Nottingham,4000 participants joined Beat 13 artistsand the teenagers who meet in the OldMarket Square in sketching their city ongiant paper rolls across the pavement,stairs and lampposts. Redcar’s Urban ArtFestival at the R-Kade Skate Parkcelebrated large ‘graffiti’ canvases madeby young people in response to threelocal museum collections.After his third Big Draw, Tom Flemons

Reading Development Facilitator forStaffordshire and Stoke on Trent, believesdrawing plays a big part in developingliteracy and that the enjoyment of staffand public are good reasons for adoptingthe Big Draw. ‘Consider an asylum seekerspeaking little English or a teenager withlearning difficulties, failing at school. Atwhat other event could they join such amix of people and contribute on equalterms?’ Another benefit is that the event

Clare Hansen

Building JerusalemThe Rise and Fall of the Victorian CityTristram Hunt

PhoenixISBN 0-75381-983-XPRICE £9.99

The core of modern British culture, andits post-war renaissance, is apredominantly city-based phenomenonfuelled by the theatres, museums,concert halls and galleries that are ourcultural anchors. Our fixation with theBritish city renaissances of the last 20years has left us rather blind to the factthat our great cities, especially placeslike Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford,Liverpool etc, are themselves modernphenomena whose significant growth isless than 200 years old. So a culturethat appears long-established is in fact,in historical terms, extremely new. What led to the rise of these new

British cities and what values informedtheir development? And what role didculture play in them? In one sense theanswers are obvious, the industrialrevolution and significant migration ledto their growth. But Tristram Hunt’sdiligently researched and highlyreadable study also points to somecrucial but less obvious causes;moralism and Methodism combinedwith entrepreneurial flair and vigourreshaped growing city slums into thepublic spaces and places that we know,love and take for granted today.But ‘Building Jerusalem’, first

published in 2004, is not just abouthistory; it has a contemporaryrelevance too. For Hunt, a formerLabour Party activist and governmentadvisor has a clear message for ournational and civic leaders. Our greatcities, built on the foundations ofentrepreneuralism have becomeclogged by government andgovernance. “We [have] lost anunderstanding that public buildingsshape the public realm…’ he says. Andthis has been accompanied by adismantling of Victorian civicautonomy. The new post-war state hassought to run the country from thecentre with an almost Jacobin vigourwith an adherence to a uniform,geographical equality of public service.We need, says Hunt, “to try to ensureurban culture is a truly indigenousproduct and not simply a high-endedmarketing tool. For that civic leadersneed to think more creatively aboutgenerating a stronger ethic ofcommercial and philanthropicpatronage…” Whether you work in a big city, a

town or a rural area, if you want toknow how and why modern Britishculture has developed since the 1830sand the values that informed it, then‘Building Jerusalem’ is fascinating andanecdote-packed read. And if you wanta short and intelligent critique of post-war politics and culture then itsEpilogue is both thoughtful and bangup-to-date. Highly recommended. •Paul Kelly

review

sART

S AT

THE HEA

RTnalgao

Magazine

Septem

ber

2006

2930 29

30

nalgao Magazine

Autum

n 20

06ARTS AT

THE HEART

Name Officer position Authority Telephone Email

Sue Isherwood Chair of nalgao and Strategic Lead 01749 871110 sue.nalgao@btopenworld.com

Lorna Brown Counties Representative and Vice-Chair West Sussex CC 01243 756770 lorna.brown@westsussex.gov.uk

Mark Homer Treasurer: nalgao Lincolnshire County Council 01522 553300 Mark.Homer@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Paul Kelly Secretary: nalgao Plymouth City Council 01752 307016 paul.kelly@plymouth.gov.uk

Lorna Brown Counties Representative West Sussex CC 01243 756770 lorna.brown@westsussex.gov.uk

Susan Goodwin Counties Representative Shropshire County Council 01743 255078 sue.goodwin@shropshire-cc.gov.uk

Jane Wilson Eastern Region Representative: nalgao Arts Development in East Cambridgeshire (ADEC) 01353 669022 jane.wilson@adec.org.uk

Sharon Scaniglia EM Regional Rep: nalgao (job-share) Nottingham City Council 0115 9158604 sharon.scaniglia@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Sara Bullimore EM Regional Rep: nalgao (job-share) Lincoln City Council 01522 873844 SaraB@lincoln.gov.uk

Abby Vines London Regional Rep: nalgao (job-share) London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea 020 7361 2916 Abigail.viner@rbkc.gov.uk

Caroline Dawes London Regional Rep: nalgao (job-share) London Borough of Camden 0207 974 1647 c.dawes@camden.gov.uk

Katherine West North West Regional Rep: nalgao (job-share) Vale Royal Borough Council 01606 867522 KWest@valeroyal.gov.uk

Andrea Bushell North West Regional Rep: nalgao (job-share) Tameside MBC 0161 342 2412 andrea.bushell@tameside.gov.uk

Vacant North East Regional Representative: nalgao

Michael Johnson Southern Region Representative Test Valley Borough Council 01264 368844 mjohnson@testvalley.gov.uk

Nickola Moore South West Region Rep: nalgao (job-share) Borough of Poole 01202 633973 n.moore@poole.gov.uk

Jonathan Cochrane West Midlands Regional Rep: nalgao (job-share) Redditch Borough Council 01527 63051 jonathan.cochrane@redditchbc.gov.uk

Lizzy Alageswaran Yorkshire Regional Rep: nalgao (job-share) Rotherham MBC 01709 823636 lizzy.alageswaran@rotherham.gov.uk

Kate Strudwick South Wales Regional Rep (job-share) Caerphilly CBC 01495 228948 strudk@caerphilly.gov.uk

Carys Wynne South Wales Regional Rep (job-share) Caerphilly CBC 01495 224425 wynnec@caerphilly.gov.uk

Julie Meehan North Wales Regional Rep (job-share) Conwy CBC 01492 575086 julie.meehan@conwy.gov.uk

Ann Plenderleith North Wales Regional Rep (job-share) Flintshire County Council 01352 701562 anne.plenderleith@clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk

Chris Willison West Wales Regional Representative (job-share) Pembrokeshire CC 01437 775246 christine.willison@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

Pete Bryan Administrator nalgao 01269 824728 nalgao@aol.com

nalgao Executive Membership 2006/07

We particularly welcome new officers onto theExecutive, and would like to remind members thatthere is an opportunity at the 2007 AGM either tostand for regional representatives or for officerpositions on the Executive Committee. As you will seefrom the above list of present Executive members, weparticularly welcome job-shares as an effectiveway of sharing the responsibility that Executivemembership brings. Nomination forms will be

sent to nalgao members in 2007 and will also be available from the nalgao website at www.nalgao.org

We would particularly welcome declarations ofinterest from officers in the North East and if anyonewishes to find out more about becoming an Executivemember, please contact Pete Bryan, the nalgaoAdministrator 01269 824728 or emailnalgao@aol.com