We set up the
Valleys Creative Industries Forum
Supporting the creative industries requires different competencies and contacts. As arts officers, we have already begun to consider how we need to develop our skills and knowledge to better support the sector in our area. As a starting point, we are…
• Re-thinking our role. Be clear that with creative businesses our role is to support, signpost and facilitate. We are not a gate-keeper but an opener of doors! Sometimes we just need to get out of the way!
• Educating ourselves – there are now loads of websites and publications out there with the facts you need to demonstrate to colleagues in Economic Development and Education that a strategic, joined up approach is required. Find out what’s happening at a regional level too, through the Regional Development Agency or Regional Cultural Consortium.
• Asking people – what do local artists, arts organisations and creative businesses need from us? Let’s not assume we know, ask them! We are talking to related support agencies to find out what we can do to encourage creative people to use their services.
Park and Dare Theatre, Treorchy
Silesian Dance Theatre, Poland
• Building our networks
Our urban areas and cities have long-since seen the benefits of investment in the creative economy. In the dead traditional industries of South Wales Valleys, it was physical strength that mattered. It remains to be seen if we can help our workforce make the transition from ‘brawn’ to ‘brain’: but surely the best atalyst is our magnificent, intriguing, shared culture.
Finding out who is offering the best business advisory support in our area. If there isn’t a specialist service for the creative industries, then those offering support to the social enterprise sector are often a good starting point. Or, are there some good, mature a rts and creative organisations in the area who could offer mentoring to new start-ups and young entrepreneurs? Local further and higher education institutions are often good sources of support. And let’s not forget our regional nalgao grouping. nalgao Cymru members have proved to be a great source of support here in the Valleys – we really couldn’t do this work without them! The creative industries are seen as an important part of the new service-based and knowledge-based economies in the UK.
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Polly Hamilton 2006/07 Clore Fellow (supported by the Arts Council of Wales) Head of Cultural Services,. Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council polly.c.hamilton@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk Kelly Jones photo: Tom Sheehan Silesian Dance Theatre photo: Tomasz Zakrzewski
nalgao Magazine Winter 2007
Aspiring photo-journalist with The Lost Prophets, The Full Ponty 07
ARTS AT THE HEART
• Better make the case for the creative and cultural sector • Make the sector more accessible, particularly to a more diverse range of people • Create more, better quality, jobs in the sector • Grow creative businesses, enabling them to achieve their creative, business and social objectives. • Promote the Valleys as a great place to do business, because of its creative communities, beautiful landscape and distinctive culture.
creative industries case studies
to bring together local, sub-regional, and national partners with an interest in supporting the development of the sector. This creates critical mass, pools knowledge and helps spread time, energy and funding further. Through this forum, we are organising consultation and networking events for creative people and businesses in the Valleys, monitoring the development of Convergence and seeking a long term research partner to provide us with the information we need to establish a baseline and monitor improvement. We’re working in the long term to:
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