CREATIVE BARKING & DAGENHAM THE ARTS, BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT, IN BARKING & DAGENHAM Art and active citizenship, confidence and civic pride - as an Arts Advisor to the Cultural Connectors and Creative Barking and Dagenham team since 2013, it’s been rewarding to see how successfully the project’s vision to engage local people in commissioning and programming has been realised. The team’s imaginative, consistent and persistent approach to building successful collaborations with individuals and communities has resulted in an ambitious range of artistic projects, festivals and creative partnerships. These have delighted and surprised audiences and participants, generated new partnerships and shifted perceptions of the borough, both regionally and nationally. To effect this change in perception CBD sought to ensure that the policy and strategy was rooted in local people’s interests and aspirations, so that it would be owned and championed by them. Placing consultation and collaboration at the heart of the process of change, right from the outset, has given value and status to the work of this Creative People and Places initiative. In Barking and Dagenham, the CBD staff team, the advisors and the local authority have foregrounded working with situated knowledge and insights of people who live and work in the borough. Over 100 voluntary ‘Cultural Connectors’ have been recruited, local residents who are the project’s advocates and decision makers. The arts commissioning is decided by panels where at least 60% of the voting power is held by these residents. This is meaningful participation and engagement with real roles, risks and responsibilities. The Cultural Connectors have built a strong critical frame of reference over the years, visiting theatre, festivals and galleries to see work across London and the UK. They observe the impact of their decisions on local audiences and the benefits of partnerships with artists and arts organisations on the local economy, vocational opportunities and the local arts and culture infrastructure. During 2016-19 it will be exciting to see how this creative local leadership is nurtured and developed. Proposals from artists will continue to be interrogated with confidence, insight and an open mind. Adventurous and bold choices will be made that connect exciting ideas with local interests and tastes. How can arts and culture commissioning continue to deliver on local authority priorities for regeneration, tourism and wellbeing? What can CBD learn from similar initiatives across the country and what can they share? What kind of new networks will be generated and how will the creative economy continue to attract new investment and partnerships? Elizabeth Lynch, CBD Arts Advisor CBD commissions high quality, ambitious, locally-owned, art projects across Barking and Dagenham and especially in areas with little cultural provision Different creative events, 800 workshops and activities People have attended 26000 or participated in our activities Volunteers have supported 1000 our programme Venues across the borough 27 have hosted CBD projects, events, performances and exhibitions Community groups have 60 been involved in our programme More than 200 artists and 200 arts organisations have worked with us £470,000 of CBD funding 45 has been given out to 45 different projects Local people have 115 joined CBD as Cultural Connectors CBD Local leadership and decision-making Through or Cultural Connectors network, local residents have majority voting power on all arts commissioning for the programme, working alongside local and artistic advisors. They are involved in every aspect of the CBD programme including arranging trips, being on commissioning panels, being an assistant to an artist, curating and producing festivals, leading workshops, photography and filming, performing, stewarding and helping recruit CBD staff and freelancers. We’ve commissioned 21 projects designed to strengthen the local arts sector including a local arts magazine, support for 5 new arts venues, fundraising, business development and marketing advice for local creatives, a range of new dance, crafts and fashion workshops and training, and a map of local creativity. 4 Cultural Connectors represent the interests of the network at the CBD Steering Group, working alongside our project consortium partners to make strategic decisions for the project. “Being a Cultural Connector is a chance to have your voice heard locally and to have influence on cultural and creative events in our area, what’s not to love about that!” Susanna Wallis, Cultural Connector, Artist and Dagenham resident. CBD Cohesion and civic pride • We’re developing a new creative community: more than 120 local people aged 17-66 from across the borough have joined our ‘Cultural Connectors’ (CCs) network; an open supportive and flexible group of local advocates and visionaries for the project. • Local people have been inspired and mobilised to discover new venues and take part in arts experiences across the borough and beyond. Through this they are developing a growing sense of cultural confidence. • We’ve supported CCs to create 2 new festivals: Dagfest in Dagenham Village and the No Fit State Circus festival in Barking Riverside. Festival goers told us: “This is just what this area needs”! “It brings the community together” “It gives confidence in knowing different cultures.” In July and August 2015 our summer festivals attracted over 10,000 people and animated spaces which had never been used as festival sites before. “I feel like I belong somewhere now, with like-minded people, people who want to do things. You are around people that “I never used to tell people where I lived invigorate you to do something with yourself when I was talking about my art, now I’ve or achieve something; also it’s a great way actually started to say I’m an artist from of meeting other people and connecting.” Dagenham” Hajara Hull, Cultural Connector, Founder of Refresh Miro Tomarkin, Cultural Connector, Artist and Magazine, Barking resident. Dagenham resident. CBD Art We’ve commissioned hundreds of original new works of art inspired by local people and places including: • Punchdrunk Enrichment’s theatre production ‘St Ethelberga’s Hallowtide Fair’ at Eastbury Manor House • Chad McCail’s mural ‘This Used to be Fields’ at Valence House • People’s Palace Projects’ ‘Becontree Hundred’ photographs in Becontree, Dagenham Heathway and Dagenham East underground stations • Close and Remote’s art-film ‘We Are What We Are’ about the last 50 years of working lives in Barking and Dagenham • Studio 3 Arts’ promenade Merchant of Venice production in Barking Town Centre • Harald Smykla’s artist stall on Barking Market • Geraldine Pilgrim’s performance journey ‘WELL’ at the Ex Sanofi Factory in Dagenham East Many of these artists have been invited back to work in the borough’s schools or to take part in other local projects and are forming long-term relationships in the area. • We’ve taken over 700 local residents on trips including to the: Southbank Centre, Royal Opera House, Tate Modern, National Theatre, Sadlers Wells, Barbican, Great Yarmouth Out There festival, Lumiere Festival and many more. Many of the people on these trips were visiting these venues for the first time. • We’re raising the profile of Barking and Dagenham as a creative destination through securing features in The Observer, The Guardian, New Statesman, Arts Professional, Aesthetica and Time Out. • We support artists to work on long term projects in neighbourhoods with low levels of cultural provision. Our 4 artist residencies so far have led to the creation of three new resident-led arts collectives and three new arts venues and have attracted follow up funding from Arts Council, Communities Can and Awards for All. CBD Local enterprise and economy • CBD works in partnership with Barking and Dagenham CVS and the Barking Enterprise Centre to provide support and advice to local people who aspire to start up or develop a creative group, project or organisation. To date 32 local organisations and individuals have been funded a total of £55k by CBD’s People Going Places and Reach Funds to explore new creative business, event and project ideas • CBD works in partnership with the Barking and Dagenham College Technical Skills Academy to design and deliver websites for local creative businesses and artists • CBD works as a catalyst to trigger interesting creative and business partnerships and programme art in unusual spaces • CBD has been the catalyst for attracting over £400k in cash and in kind into the borough for creative projects from sources including HLF, ACE Strategic Touring Fund, “I’ve never done anything like Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Bouygues, Film London, Wellcome Trust and Pinnacle. This is in addition to £1.6 million of investment for this before. I’m realising it’s all CBD over 6 years until 2019 from the Arts Council of England and about keeping on trying.” £212,000 from LBBD. Lynda Davey, Scrattons Farm • We’ve enabled 15 local people to access new paid creative jobs resident and founder of the Creative or contracts in B&D Farm creative group. Cultural Connectors Steering Group Alyson Agrawal Lisa Cameron Amanda Smethurst Anastasia Janulina-Vekaria Lisa Okafur David Harley Anita Adeshina Lucy Lée Elizabeth Lynch Anne Estlea Lurleen Lewis-Matthews Holly Donagh Ant Smith Lynda Davy Ian Griffiths Antonia Murphy Marta Rabikowska Jacqueline Otite Awele Odeh Matthew Benjamin Karen West-Whylie Biniam Ghide Mike Attridge Khushnood Ahmed Blayne