What we’ve learned moving from London to Essex

Carnival dancers parading through Tilbury, Thurrock adorned in brightly coloured garments accented with a keyboard pattern
29 Aug 2019

Relocating Kinetika’s work in carnival, outdoor and participatory arts to rapidly-changing Thurrock has allowed the company to renew its purpose and increase its impact, says Ali Pretty.

Community theatre at its best

Audience watching ‘Coram Boy’ with Gloucester Cathedral in the background
29 Aug 2019

A play at Gloucester Cathedral with a cast drawn from local people sparked real change among participants and spectators alike, writes Fiona Crouch.

Businesses aren’t investing in culture, research finds

Photo of Hull City of Culture
23 Aug 2019

Employers think that arts and culture make places more attractive for workers – but see salaries, transport and schools as more important factors.

£5m boost for ACE’s Creative People and Places scheme 

Photo of festival
15 Aug 2019

The extra money has been allocated above the programme’s planned budget “in response to the incredibly strong applications received”.

Live music in the Midlands ‘rapidly declining’

Photo of musical performance
07 Aug 2019

An undersized musician population, a lack of artist support and performance space pressures: why live music in the Midlands is falling behind the rest of the UK.

The power of collaborative communities

A photo of the atrium of the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal
05 Aug 2019

To unlock the full value of culture, Arts Council England needs to support villages, towns and cities across the country to work together more closely, says the funder's Deputy Chief Executive Simon Mellor.

London Borough of Culture: Council U-turns on funding commitment

Photo of Waltham Forest District
02 Aug 2019

Waltham Forest has backtracked on an offer of £35k funding for a festival whose legacy formed part of the evidence used to support the council’s winning bid.

Three comments that reveal Tristram Hunt’s approach to cultural inclusion

A photo of V&A Dundee
05 Jul 2019

The V&A Director warned against getting “too romantic about what Stratford was like before the Olympics”.

The feelgood factor: making flagship programmes work

A photo of an Asian women with a suitcase, a Black service man and two white women on their phones sitting on a bench in a station
27 Jun 2019

Artistic excellence and effective governance are key to the success of major public cultural programmes, writes Nigel Hinds.

Shining a light on local culture

Photo of a transgender person getting ready at a vanity table as a audience watches on.
27 Jun 2019

The LightNight festival initially aimed to showcase Liverpool's artists to outsiders - but it is now more concerned with galvanising the local cultural scene, writes Laura Marie Brown.

Great Place scheme urged to scale down ambitions

Photo of Gloucester Carnival
21 Jun 2019

A report into the pilot placemaking programme says beneficiaries “should review the ambition of their projects against practicalities”.

Creative processes at the heart

Photo of a wall graffitied with the words "Together We Create!"
12 Jun 2019

The place in which a cultural organisation finds itself can determine how it thrives, survives or even dies, but many organisations are now taking the lead in helping places reinvent themselves. Anne Torreggiani explores the rise of place-shaping.

Weaving a rich tapestry

A graphic of Asian dancers, a woman playing a guitar and two people using a switchboard
12 Jun 2019

Kirklees in West Yorkshire has a vision for local development rooted firmly in its historic links to the textile and music industries, says Kath Davies.

Flourishing cultural eco-systems

A photo of a member of Merseyside Police force working in a local chip shop
12 Jun 2019

Jonathan Gross and Nick Wilson reflect on their recent research into cultural ecology and suggest what the future of progressive place-based policy and practice could look like.

Without help, without permission

A photo of Pride of Princes, an interactive performance
12 Jun 2019

A perpetual, community-led art project is transforming neighbourhoods in Exeter, street by street. JoJo Spinks explains why handing control of commissioning to local people has been crucial to its success.

Redefining the City of London through culture

The House of Wayward Plants: The Smithfield Greenhouse, as part of Culture Mile’s Play the Mile
12 Jun 2019

The global finance hub is forging a new identity through risk-taking alliances between its commercial, public and cultural sectors, writes Tim Jones.

UK must correct ‘very strong London bias’ in cultural provision, says report

Photo of the Riverside Museum in Glasgow
07 Jun 2019

Cultural leaders have expressed dismay that Lord Kerslake’s inquiry into the UK’s economic imbalances did not make more specific references to the arts and culture.

Rediscovering a role for artists

A photo of the Media City footbridge in Salford Quays
30 May 2019

A series of informal surgeries for creative artists in Salford uncovered widespread disillusionment, says Steve Slater - as well as suggesting new ways foward.

Arts projects land £4m to boost social impact

A photo of two children painting
17 May 2019

The Creative Civic Change programme has granted multi-year funding to communities with a track record of using the arts to address social need.

Artist studio complex opens in south London Enterprise Zone

17 May 2019

Workspaces for more than 100 artists and an Enterprise Hub supporting creative entrepreneurs will be at the heart of the newly opened Creative Enterprise Zone for Deptford and New Cross.

Pages

Subscribe to Placemaking