Creative Case North 2015/16
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Image: Participants perform at Sage Gateshead as part of GemArts East by North East project, by Colin Davison.
Eight organisations in the North have been awarded Creative Case NORTH bursaries to support them in exploring how they contribute to the Creative Case for Diversity.
The Creative Case for Diversity is the Arts Council's approach to diversity and equality, setting out how both can enrich the arts for artists, audiences and our wider society.
Creative Case NORTH is a sector-led programme of activity exploring the Creative Case for Diversity, developed by a consortium of North Area arts and cultural organisations and artists, supported by Arts Council England. GemArts is a key member of the steering group.
Eight North Area organisations have been awarded Creative Case NORTH bursaries, providing time, space and resource to develop their contribution to the Creative Case within their programming, collections or curatorial practice.
Rural Arts North Yorkshire, Helix Arts, CapeUK, Octagon Theatre, Prism Arts, Manchester Art Gallery, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums and Sage Gateshead will complete their bursary activity throughout February – March 2016, and share learning at a Creative Case NORTH National Event at Leeds City Museum on Tuesday 26 April 2016.
The event will welcome arts organisations, museums, and freelance artists, curators and producers from across the Arts Council Areas to listen, share, question and challenge their approaches to the Creative Case though case studies, group conversations and 1:1 exchanges.
Further information about the bursaries is available here, and you can register online to attend the 26 April Creative Case NORTH National Gathering.
For any queries please contact Louise Taylor, Creative Case NORTH Coordinator at north@zendeh.com. For more information on Creative Case North visit Zendeh's blog.
Creative Case NORTH Bursary Organisations
CapeUK - Reflective Diversity Lab Programme
To develop a 4-stage Reflective Diversity Lab process - consultations with diverse individual practitioners and organisations - that enables us to reflect on and develop our equality and diversity Bridge work with arts and cultural organisations. The process (reflect, plan, do, review) will be offered to NPOs and MPMs and other arts and cultural organisations across the Yorkshire and Humber region to engage with us in small groups on a termly basis throughout 2016 – 2018.
Helix Arts - Collaborative Curation & Learning Disabilities
Helix Arts aims to raise the profile of the art work created by adults with learning disabilities, many of whom feel their cultural voice is unheard. The bursary will enable us to develop our knowledge, expertise and networks of curation across platforms - onsite and online. This will transform Helix Arts' ability to showcase art work made by under-represented groups regionally and nationally – so that participants share an equal platform with other art makers.
Manchester Art Gallery - Building the context for diversity in Manchester with audiences and collections
'Inviting in, to connect out' describes our new way of engaging audiences regarding access to our programmes and collections. At Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester Museum and The Whitworth, we are working with groups from two charities, representing diverse audiences, to challenge our standard for access to our exhibitions and collections. Are there better ways to use collections to engage communities? Are there alternative methods of exploring exhibitions to encourage diversity?
@mcrartgallery / @MAGlearning / @MAGcurators
Octagon Bolton - Dinner Party
To programme a four day South Asian Arts taster event including poetry, theatre, music, art and dance to support the development of the Octagon’s Artistic programme to better reflect the communities it serves and broaden the cultural diversity of the Octagon’s audience.
We will work in collaboration with SAA-UK and leaders of local organisations to develop a strategic approach to engaging with the south Asian communities in Bolton and to develop sustainable two way relationships.
Prism Arts - Prims Arts Studio Theatre
Development of new devised theatre productions led by people with learning disabilities, and expansion of touring to National portfolio organisations. We will explore practice and production development of new work devised and produced by people with learning disabilities, and how we can expand touring to NPO theatres and venues. We will hold skills sharing, meetings and conversations with regional and national theatre companies and NPOs in Cumbria.
Rural Arts North Yorkshire - Exploring Diversity in Rural Touring
A collaborative project between a rural and urban organisation, Rural Arts North Yorkshire and Hidden Gems Productions seek to explore how diversity in rural touring can be strengthened and broadened. Looking at entry routes and barriers for diverse performance companies, and how diverse work can be relevant for rural communities in North Yorkshire.
Sage Gateshead - Exploration of the Creative Case in Relation to Musicians with Disabilities
Sage Gateshead will use the Bursary to develop our work and to identify new partners and networks and do some cross-organisation thinking on our approach to diversity and in particular about work with musicians/composers with disabilities.
This will sit within the context of our Vision 2015 planning – Sage Gateshead’s approach to its second decade, as well in relation to the organisation’s role within the region, to the creative sector and to the wider civic framework.
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM) - Reframing Disability at TWAM
We want to reframe our collections with regard to disability. The bursary allows us to review the ways we collect, what we collect and how we should present our collections.
Working with external partners drawn from arts and disability backgrounds we will rethink our approaches and review examples of practice in other museums and more widely in the cultural sector to ensure that we are thinking creatively about the diversity of our holdings.
Creative Case NORTH: Data Review & 2015-16 Programme
The Creative Case for Diversity is the Arts Council's approach to diversity and equality, setting out how they can both enrich the arts for artists, audiences and our wider society. Creative Case NORTH is a programme of sector led activity exploring the Creative Case for Diversity within a North Area context, developed by a consortium of arts and cultural organisations from across the North Area (North East, North West, Yorkshire), and supported by Arts Council England. GemArts is a member of the steering group.
Creative Case NORTH is currently delivering its fourth programme of activity, bringing together National portfolio organisations (NPO), Major partner museums (MPM), cultural organisations, freelance artists and a range of strategic partners. Activity since 2012 has included:
» 2012 - 13: 3 programmes in Yorkshire, North West, and North East, including events ranging from workshops and open space discussions, to presentation of innovative artistic work, and strategic research and development.
» 2013 - 2014: Commissioning of four Creative Case NORTHResidencies and 2 North Area events to share best practice in partnership working.
» 2014 - 2015: Programme of peer to peer exchanges and 6 commissioned Explorations/Residences, alongside 2 North Area Events to share learning and explore ambitions.
2012 - 2015: A Review
In 2015 the Creative Case NORTH Consortium commissioned Thinking Practice to undertake a review of 2012 - 2015 activity, to help identify achievements and inform planning for future activity. The executive summary of the review is available to download and read. To request a full copy of the report, please email Creative Case NORTH Coordinator, Louise Taylor at north@zendeh.com.
2015 - 2016 Programme of Activity
Informed by previous activity and the 2012 – 2015 Review, the current programme is providing an opportunity for:
» North Area NPOs to actively strengthen their work with the Creative Case in relation to 2015-18 Business Plans/Funding Agreements with Arts Council England;
» North Area MPMs to explore how the Creative Case is appropriate to them, how they can contribute to Arts Council England’s thinking on Creative Case and Museums, and highlight good practice in relation to diversity.
This will include over the period October 2015 - April 2016:
» 8 high profile Bursaries across the North of England enabling a step change in what the Creative Case looks like in the North of England;
» 1 Creative Case NORTH National Event in April 2016, to share learning.
