Creative People and Places

Creative People and Places
Name	Creative People and Places
Type	Cultural participation programme
Established	2012
Founder	Arts Council England
Region	England

Creative People and Places

Creative People and Places is a national initiative launched to increase cultural participation in areas of low engagement, framed by policies from Arts Council England and linked to programmes such as National Lottery Heritage Fund and Big Lottery Fund. The initiative intersects with projects championed by organisations including British Council, Nesta, National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Tate Modern, Royal Opera House and local partners like Manchester City Council, Birmingham City Council, Liverpool City Council and Leeds City Council.

Introduction

The programme responds to participation gaps identified in reports by DCMS and evaluations by The National Archives and draws on models trialled by Creative Scotland, Arts Council Wales, Creative Ireland and international comparators including Canada Council for the Arts, Australia Council for the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts. Early pilots referenced case studies from Annie E. Casey Foundation, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Clore Duffield Foundation and urban regeneration examples in Birmingham, Liverpool, Newham and Bradford. Strategic partners have included Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Goldsmiths, University of London, University of Manchester, University of Leeds and University of Sheffield.

Programme History and Objectives

Launched in 2012 under the leadership of Arts Council England executives and influenced by reports from Sir Tim Clark-era advisory groups and commissioners such as Maggie Gallagher and Sir David Bell, the programme sought to mirror outreach models used by Barbican Centre, Soho Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Roundhouse, Sadler's Wells Theatre and Glyndebourne. Objectives included increasing participation in the same tradition as initiatives supported by Heritage Lottery Fund and community engagement exemplars like The Eden Project and Manchester International Festival. Funders referenced frameworks from Nesta Challenge Prize Centre, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation when setting targets. Subsequent rounds tied into national cultural strategies such as those promoted by DCMS ministers and mayoral offices including Mayor of London and combined authority projects like Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Eligibility and Selection Process

Eligible applicants typically included constituted bodies such as charitys, community interest companys, not-for-profit organisations, arms-length partners of local authorities like Bristol City Council and educational institutions including Royal College of Art, University of the Arts London, University of Birmingham and museums such as British Museum, V&A, Science Museum and Imperial War Museums. Selection panels have comprised trustees and advisors drawn from Arts Council England, representatives from Nesta, members of Creative United and sector specialists from Culture Committee (House of Commons), All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing, and figures affiliated with Jerwood Arts and Wellcome Trust. Assessment criteria referenced precedents from National Lottery funding rounds and governance standards promoted by Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Funded Projects and Case Studies

Funded projects span a broad geography with notable examples in Newham, Bradford, Rotherham, Doncaster, Hartlepool, Blackburn, Blackpool, Kingston upon Hull and Southend-on-Sea. Case studies include collaborations with Tate Liverpool, Liverpool Everyman Theatre, Hull Truck Theatre, Oldham Coliseum Theatre, New Vic Theatre, Nottingham Contemporary, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens and community partners such as Creative Black Country and Wigan Deal. Projects have linked artists and organisations including Grayson Perry, Yinka Shonibare, Shakespeare Schools Festival, Kneehigh Theatre, Cardboard Citizens, The Big Lunch, Street Doctors and Streetwise Opera. International exchange and learning partnerships referenced European Capital of Culture projects like Liverpool 2008 and Hull 2017, and collaborations with institutions including Goethe-Institut, Institut Français, British Council and EU Creative Europe partners.

Impact, Evaluation and Outcomes

Evaluations conducted by bodies such as Nesta, Arts Council England, CLES (Centre for Local Economic Strategies), University of Manchester researchers and independent consultancies like Democratic Society and nef (New Economics Foundation) reported increased participation metrics in targeted localities including Blackburn with Darwen, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and Hull City Council. Outcomes referenced community benefits recorded alongside projects by Public Health England and social prescribing pilots run with NHS England and local Clinical Commissioning Groups such as NHS Manchester CCG. Economic and social impact studies drew comparisons with cultural regeneration documented for Glasgow and Belfast and cited methodology from What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth and Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Criticisms and Controversies

Criticism has come from commentators in The Guardian, The Telegraph, Financial Times and academic analyses by University of Warwick, Goldsmiths, University of London and University of Edinburgh who questioned measurement approaches used by Arts Council England and funding allocations similar to debates around Lottery funding and public subsidy for the arts. Controversies included debates over partnership models with local authorities such as Tower Hamlets Council, procurement disputes referencing EU procurement rules and outcome accountability raised by select committees in House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee and auditing bodies including National Audit Office. Defenders cited precedents from National Lottery Heritage Fund evaluations and impact frameworks used by National Endowment for the Arts and Creative Scotland.

Category:Cultural programmes in England