Audience Consultation In Winter 2019 Kala Sangam asked Armstrong Cameron to conduct a consultation exercise to help us understand more about how we are viewed by both those who are engaged with our work and those who are not. As well as seeking responses from a wide range of people via an online survey, Armstrong Cameron also spoke to a number of key stakeholders and invited people to take part in focus groups. The main focus of the consultation was to explore responses to the following questions.
- Who / what is Kala Sangam? - What do they do? - What would I like them to do?
A very war m welcoming place
Survey Results Respondents: • 295 people completed the survey • 61% identify as female, 38% as male and 1% identify in other ways • 53.01% were from BD postcodes, 45.86% from non-BD postcodes, 1.13% from overseas • 11.34% work in Bradford (but live elsewhere) with 39.53% neither living nor working in the district
0.35% - Under 16 0.35% - 75-79 7.09% - 70-74 5.67% - 65-69
0.71% - 16-19 3.19% - 20-24 3.55% - 25-29 7.09% - 30-34
6.38% - 60-64
8.51% - 55-59
17.73% - 35-39
10.99% - 20-24 12.41% - 45-49
15.96% - 40-44
Engagement with Kala Sangam Levels of engagement with Kala Sangam were high, with 90% having visited at some point and 50% visiting within the last six months. 56.83% had engaged with Kala Sangam in multiple ways – e.g. attended a performance and visited the café.
8.47% - Unknown Unknow n 9.49% - White - Other 39.66% - Asian or British Asian Indian
Opinion of Kala Sangam
28.81% - White - British
0.68% - Other 0.34% - Mixed - White and Asian 0.34% - Mixed - Other
8.81% - Asian or British Asian Other 3.05% - Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0.34% - Black or Black British - Other
Respondents were asked to rate various aspects of Kala Sangam’s programme and their experiences visiting the building on a scale of 1-5 (where 1 = poor and 5 = excellent).
A Bradford Arts Centre? When asked how important it is that Bradford has an Arts Centre, on a scale on 1-5 (with 1 = not important and 5 = very important), respondents rated this as 4.73. Kala Sangam’s programme is organised around three strands - South Asia Now, This is Bradford and British Diversity. To best gauge our success in meeting these strands, respondents were ask how well (on a scale of 1-5) they felt Kala Sangam’s programme reflected the following:
What should a Bradford Arts Centre offer? Responses to the open ended question about what a Bradford Arts Centre should offer can be broadly broken down into three categories. • 42.6% focus on a diverse programme of art forms that reflects the diversity of the Bradford population • 35.04% focus on an open, engaging and accessible arts centre • 17.35% show a desire for programming with a South Asian focus These responses align strongly with our three programming strands and with our overall organisational aims to bring together people and communities to create and experience high quality, diverse arts. It is worth noting that Kala Sangam has a broad interpretation of South Asian Arts and Cultures, as did many of the respondents to the survey, focus groups and stakeholder discussions. However, it is clear that this term is interpreted by some as meaning purely Indian Arts and Culture.
Focus Groups In total, 19 people took part in 2 focus groups to explore the key questions further. Participants in the second group were largely those who had strong connections to the Indian Classical roots of the organisation. Across both groups there was a desire for Kala Sangam to be the pinnacle of Bradford’s cultural offer and a feeling that it is in an excellent position to showcase and celebrate the city’s uniquely diverse talent. Another clear theme from the focus groups was the need for greater clarity about what Kala Sangam is and who it is for.
Stakeholders Armstrong Cameron spoke to 8 people representing a range of our stakeholders including representatives of BMDC, ACE, Community leaders, artists and audience members and the founders of the organisation. It is clear that for our major funders (the Arts Council and Bradford MDC) our commitment to meeting the Creative Case for Diversity and acting as a creative hub for the city are very important. As with the focus groups there was a sense that Kala Sangam needs to be clearer about what it is and what it stands for.
Photo credits: Rob Ford, Genevieve Girling and Karol Wyszynski