A new vision for cultural and higher/further education partnership

A new vision for cultural and higher/further education partnership

Culture Forum North

A vision fuelled by consultation and research

Culture Forum North’s new vision has been developed in collaboration with the Midlands Higher Education and Cultural Forum and the South East Cultural Innovation Forum. The three forums look forward to working together in areas of shared ambition in the future.

The programme was funded by Arts Council England.

Our vision and goals are fuelled by consultation with diverse cultural organisations and higher/ further education institutions across the North, and with sector leaders, networks, institutions, and funders at a national level.

The Forum makes it possible The cultural and higher/further education sectors have ambition, expertise and experience. There is a recognised need for a place where this can be shared, connected, and nurtured into meaningful partnerships. Created in 2016, Culture Forum North was developed and is led by cultural and higher/ further education organisations because our sectors recognise the model’s relevance and potential.

We have a growing membership of over 700 arts and heritage organisations, universities, further education colleges and local authorities across the North, plus national and regional sector bodies.

We have undertaken a comprehensive literature review of knowledge created since 2009 and have explored live case studies of partnerships and partnership activity between 2019 and 2021.

We have also created a summary of the findings.

With success in capturing the contemporary zeitgeist, sharing knowledge, and facilitating partnership, Culture Forum North is well-placed to use its convening power to facilitate relationships across and beyond this open network, to aim high and transform our society, together.

“As champions of the importance of collaborative work between education and culture, we welcome this new vision from Culture Forum North. We know that partnership working can bring with it a diversity of voices leading to innovation in research, skills development, and civic leadership – all of which will play a significant part in helping us to deliver ‘Let’s Create’, the Arts Council’s 10-year strategy.”

“Culture Forum North’s new vision promises to show how research can address society’s challenges through arts and culture. Enabling collective excellence in research and practice to come together in equitable partnership to create and share knowledge will identify routes to more prosperous communities.”

Darren Henley Chief Executive, Arts Council England

Professor Christopher Smith Executive Chair, Arts and Humanities Research Council

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Our Vision Widespread, meaningful partnerships between cultural and higher/further education sectors that transform society.

Our Mission We catalyse and support partnerships through a dynamic platform across the North, instigating opportunities to do more and better together, and championing the unique potential of partnerships to understand impact, deliver relevant research, foster career ready creatives, and engage the broader public.

Culture Forum North

It is time to properly embed partnerships between the cultural and higher/further education sectors “It is essential to work in an interdisciplinary way to meet global grand challenges. Educational and cultural organisations working in partnership with decision-makers and communities will mobilise the diversity of voices fundamental to addressing issues in our society.”

Esme Ward Director, Manchester Museum, University of Manchester “Supporting the cultural sector’s understanding of the value and potential of research would make for informed decision-making and valuable, long-term research partnerships.”

Professor Dinah Birch Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Cultural Engagement University of Liverpool

The turbulent events of 2020-22, including the Covid-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and an increase in gender violence, brought unprecedented challenges that forged and reinvigorated partnerships, revealing new ways of seeing and working that are rich in long-term potential.

Education and culture are cornerstones in our communities, though provision is imbalanced.

Partnership can help address social and economic inequalities.

The pandemic has exacerbated a shift in workforce profile.

Partnership can identify skills gaps and increase employability through co-created learning programmes.

Robust knowledge to address contemporary challenges and inform decision-making is difficult to access.

Partnership can assist in identifying and realising research potential.

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Our goals 2022 - 2025

Our goals have been developed around the three key themes emerging from our research - skills development, knowledge sharing and creation, and civic impact.

We aim to: Facilitate widespread understanding of societal challenges and the potential to address them through partnership, reflecting the objectives of the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Enable the building of a strong workforce with skills relevant to the future cultural landscape, through partnership models that increase diversity and respond to the ambitions within Arts Council England’s ‘Let’s Create’.

Support the strengthening of community wellbeing and the UK government’s ‘Levelling Up’, through partnership frameworks that enable understanding, good practice, and long-term impact.

We will develop relationships with sector bodies and networks to avoid duplication, to connect on shared priorities, and to maximise impact.

“In terms of social isolation there are challenges for which we as a society don’t have an answer. We know culture can help – we need ongoing research in partnership with arts practitioners and communities to evidence the right approaches.”

Moira Sinclair Chief Executive, Paul Hamlyn Foundation “We’re talking about diverse communities when we’re looking at future skills in the arts – there is an invisible talent pool that we need to focus on and invest in, and we need research to understand how we can do that.”

James Joseph Black Association for Arts UK Chair “Good evidence is fundamental to developing the right strategy and leveraging support. Collaboration and joint research between cultural practitioners and academics can help build this evidence base – we need real-world evidence combined with excellent research, working through partnerships to support the cultural and heritage sector’s recovery from the pandemic.”

Isabel Hunt Executive Director, Business Innovation and Insight, National Lottery Heritage Fund

OUR G

2022 -

CIVIC IMPACT WE AIM TO

WE WILL

WHAT SUCCESS WILL LOOK LIKE

•

Strengthen the cultural infrastructure by sharing cross-sector knowledge and expertise.

•

Increase opportunity for students and communities to shape the civic agenda.

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Create toolkits, work with civic agencies and provide a library of case studies that help partnerships to engage diverse communities.

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Broker relationships that connect universities with practitioners embedded in communities.

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Facilitate partnerships that strengthen governance in cultural organisations.

More partnerships having meaningful impact on placemaking and community wellbeing.

GOALS

- 2025

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT •

Break down barriers to entering the cultural workforce.

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Facilitate models for skills development that support learning through co-delivery.

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Explore barriers to the cultural profession for those from underrepresented backgrounds, and support new frameworks that facilitate routes to entry.

•

•

Enable understanding of future skills needs in the cultural sector to inform curriculum design.

Share models of good practice for skills and knowledge transfer.

Widely accessed learning opportunities that attract a more diverse cohort of emerging cultural professionals.

KNOWLEDGE CREATION •

Increase understanding and application of research for decision-making and impact.

•

Broker research partnerships that address societal challenges.

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Provide opportunities to develop relevant inter-disciplinary research partnerships.

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Deliver sessions to demystify the purpose and potential of research for cultural organisations.

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Share partnership research and REF2021 impact case studies.

A growing body of relevant knowledge, used extensively to understand societal challenges and inform decision-making and practice.

Culture Forum North

A delivery framework built around equity, ambition and excellence

The collective expertise and experience of the cultural and higher/further education sectors point to the need for a ‘third space’ – a Forum in the true sense – where our sectors meet equitably to explore mutually relevant themes, where we share excellence and identify prospects, where conversations start, and new partnerships begin.

A voice for the value of partnerships, a portal for a wide audience to access our collective insights, and a vehicle for relevant bodies to progress their organisational ambitions.

We seek to support the rebalancing of socioeconomic and geographic variances in cultural provision and the cultural workforce, with diversity and environmental responsibility woven through all that we do.

Underpinned by shared principles We are committed to bringing together excellence in practice, learning and research to work in innovative ways to build a prosperous, inclusive cultural sector that is relevant and responsive to the diverse communities we engage.

“Partnership and representation are critical to developing pathways for the new generation of cultural practitioners.

Forums need time and space to bring practitioners, academics and strategic heads together with historically ‘missing voices’ to develop the right continuum from education to profession.”

Skinder Hundal Director of Arts, British Council

“The hardest partnerships for Further Education to develop are with the Cultural and Creative industries. If those sectors are genuinely looking to connect with the talent pipeline of young people from diverse backgrounds, we have developed mature employer engagement structures and are ready to work with you.”

Professor Lisa O’Loughlin Principal, The Manchester College

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The new vision for cultural and higher/further education partnership was developed by Culture Forum North in partnership with the Midlands Higher Education and Cultural Forum and the South East Cultural Innovation Forum. It was created in consultation with multiple cultural and higher education organisations and sector bodies across the North and nationally.

We would like to thank everyone for their contribution, including representation from the following organisations in workshops, discussion groups and interviews.

ARC, Stockton Arts and Humanities Research Council Arts Council England Axisweb Black Association for Arts Bristol Culture British Academy British Council Bury Art Museum Cap-a-Pie Civic University Network Coventry University Curious Minds Department of Media, Culture and Sport First Story Go Higher, West Yorkshire

Funded by Arts Council England.

cultureforumnorth@leeds.ac.uk

James Doeser, consultant King’s College London Liverpool City Region Liverpool John Moores University National Lottery Heritage Fund National Museum Directors Council NCACE New Writing North Northern School of Art Open College of the Arts Open Eye Gallery Opera North Paul Hamlyn Foundation People’s History Museum Rotherham ROAR Sheffield Hallam University The Maltings (Berwick) Trust UCEN, Manchester Universities Alliance Universities UK University of Chester University of Durham University of Kent University of Leeds University of Leicester University of Manchester University of Newcastle University of Sheffield Wellcome Whitworth and Manchester Art Galleries

MIDLANDS HIGHER EDUCATION & CULTURE FORUM

Designed by Holly Carter hollycartersheen@outlook.com www.hollycarter.co.uk