Arts Council England to launch The Creative Case – a new approach to diversity
Published 26 July 2011
Arts Council England will launch the Creative Case - a new approach to diversity, during a day-long public symposium in Manchester on Monday 12 September.
The Creative Case is the Arts Council’s new approach to diversity and equality, setting out how diversity and equality can enrich the arts for artists, audiences and our wider society.
Development of The Creative Case approach has been informed by a Third Text report entitled Beyond Cultural Diversity – the Creative Case, commissioned in 2010 by the Arts Council. Alongside the 2010 Equality Act, The Creative Case will form an integral part of Achieving great art for everyone – the ten year vision for the arts.
Keynote speakers at the Creative Case Symposium include Alan Davey, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, Sue Caro, Head of Diversity at the BBC, Alistair Spalding, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Sadler’s Wells, and Deborah Shaw, Associate Director, Royal Shakespeare Company. Discussion sessions will examine historical examples of how diversity has led to cultural innovation and look at contemporary models of best practice in equality. All those with an interest in the subject are invited to attend and to take part in the discussion.
The free event includes seminars that will outline an inclusive definition of diversity and provide practical advice on how to encourage excellence and resilience through equality practice. The information will be tailored for a wide range of arts organisations from international touring companies and national venues to creative businesses and community projects.
The day will end with the world premiere of FIREBIRD, a new commission from leading UK jazz organisation Tomorrow’s Warriors. Performed by The Nu Civilisation Orchestra, FIREBIRD explores the musical dialogue between the Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky and African American jazz musicians such as Charlie Parker, who influenced each other’s work in Harlem, New York.
Alan Davey, Chief Executive of Arts Council England said:
“The Creative Case Symposium is an unmissable opportunity for all arts organisations to reflect on the contribution diversity and equality make to their own development. It will give artists and arts organisations an invaluable insight into our vision for the next ten years.”
Tony Panayiotou, Head of Diversity at Arts Council England said:
“Arts Council England believes that the contribution of diverse artists to British cultural life is, and has always been, vital to a flourishing, vibrant and resilient arts ecology. Diversity has the unique ability to refresh, to replenish and to stimulate the arts by encouraging new work that challenges, innovates and takes risks. It is not possible to talk about a modern and relevant arts sector without talking about diversity and equality.”
The Symposium will be followed by the Arts Council’s flagship diversity focused event, the biennial decibel Performing Arts Showcase, also in Manchester, from 13-16 September. Showcase embodies and illustrates the Creative Case in practice and over the years has proved that diverse artists are at the forefront of artist innovation, risk taking and the harnessing of new technologies.
The Creative Case Symposium
Monday 12 September 2011
Symposium: 10.30am – 4.30pm
Tomorrow’s Warriors performance: 5.30pm – 7.00pm
Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
Click here to register your FREE place for The Creative Case Symposium
Click here to order a copy of Beyond Cultural Diversity – the Creative Case
National Rural Touring Forum and Sonia Sabri Company
Published 6 July 2011
Since members first attended in 2007, the National Rural Touring Forum has built a close relationship with the decibel Performing Arts Showcase. So much so that the umbrella body, which represents rural and community touring schemes in England and Wales, has established a bursary scheme for rural promoters to attend the event and in 2009 held its AGM during Showcase in Manchester.
Sian Kerry runs the Arts Alive rural touring scheme in Shropshire and Herefordshire. She feels it is vitally important that artists from a variety of cultural backgrounds are represented in these areas, so Showcase has now become biennial fixture in her calendar. “It’s a chance to see a lot of work in a short period and to have those initial conversations, which can lead onto partnerships,” she said.
Showcase artists who have successfully adapted their work for rural tours in the past include Rasa Theatre, Cleveland Watkiss and Charlie Dark. Many of these artists are accustomed to performing nationally and internationally in relatively mainstream venues, often with cosmopolitan audiences with some familiarity or knowledge of the genre.
Selected for showcase in 2009, Sonia Sabri took her Kathak dance company on tour with Arts Alive and admits that there was a little apprehension at first. “Although as a company we are confident about our work, we were just a little concerned whether it would be different – because WE were unfamiliar with the setting. Some of the venues we performed for had never programmed Indian dance and as a company we did wonder how the show would be received, especially being in a rural area.”
Despite such fears, the company found the tour hugely rewarding and were very well received. “The most wonderful aspect of performing was the warmth of the audience during and after the performances,” she told decibel. “It almost felt I’d lost track of reality – or rather it’s the city life that has made me sometimes forget it’s good to smile once in a while and pass a compliment!”
Rural touring presents some unique challenges. Performing in non-dedicated performance spaces can present some challenges and companies may have to think about how their work can be adapted to work in churches, village halls and schools. Sonia has this advice for companies thinking of rural touring “Be imaginative and flexible in your production, for example, simplify your lighting design, economise on the use of stage area (if you can), don’t worry if your entrances and exits are not on the left and right side. One just has to be accommodating and go with the flow! I would recommend rural touring to any artist who wants to get a kick out of their performance.”
National Rural Touring Forum Annual Conference and Showcase takes place from 12th - 14th July at Caerleon Campus, University of Wales, Newport. The conference is now fully sold out. Schedule and Delegate lists are at www.nrtf.org.uk
Arts Alive is a Charitable Trust dedicated to providing local people in rural areas with the opportunity to choose and promote professional arts events in Shropshire and Herefordshire. For more information visit www.artsalive.co.uk/
For more information on Sonia Sabri Company visit http://www.ssco.org.uk/
For conference videos and blogs http://nrtf.wordpress.com
