Culture Cumbria Either kill it, or make it work. James Rebanks

A few words on partnerships

“Partnership is the suppression of mutual loathing in the pursuit of public funding”  

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Everyone expects you to fail…

The ‘Culture Cumbria’ brand is damaged goods.

“This sector cannot co-ordinate itself in Cumbria, its like trying to herd cats”

Where is the cultural voice?

E.g. Is culture and creativity in the LEP or RGF bids?

Nuclear Agriculture Tourism Manufacturing Food Retail Third sector (other) … Culture Creative industries

þ þ  þ  þ  þ  þ  þ    

ý  ý   NO

If Culture Cumbria can’t become effective it shouldn’t exist No appetite for the old model This has to change (a lot) or cease to exist Current board being given benefit of doubt

Everybody wants something better

Everybody agrees on the theoretical ‘need’

“We don’t need Culture Cumbria as it has existed. But we do need an organization to effectively champion culture and creativity in Cumbria.”

People want three functions from Culture Cumbria… Leadership and Advocacy The intelligence function Doing Stuff (that only a collective or partnership can do)

WHAT?

Leadership and advocacy… Advocate Powerful Intelligent Engaged Champion Alternative vision

Focus High quality Innovative Coordinated

Intelligence function… Developing the ‘proposition’… Identifying efficiencies and potential… Making the case that isn’t being made at present.

Doing stuff… Doing what? Coordination of assets + talent Curating of assets + talent Shaping/steering arts development Professional development Coordinating fundraising Fusion with other sectors/initiatives

Two alternatives… (and one of them is not fit-for-purpose)

The Cultural Dissident Model

“No one will pay you to throw stones at them”

The Pragmatic Model

Transformation… How?

Eight Actions…

Cultural and Creative Manifesto

Select and mandate leadership…

Charge champions or cells with tasks…

Create a new organization…

Secure investment… This isn’t possible beyond the basics without investment… But it should be valued by… Arts Council… and others

Develop intelligence… Develop proposition for 2013… The bits… And the greater whole that might be possible…

Coalesce around ‘landscape’

Develop ‘proposition’ for 2013 Post-Olympics Realistic lead-in What you can do – existing resources What you could do – additional £££ Presented as outputs/evidence

Structure and governance Chairperson Chief Executive Board members and structure Working cells/champions

Tasks: (Actions strategic + tasks short-term tactics)  

 Action 1 – Develop and agree the cultural and creative manifesto Task 1 – Write it. Agree it. Support it. Sell it. Action 2 – Select and mandate the leadership Action 3 – Charge specific champions or cells with developing initiatives Task 2 – Mandate provisional leadership to engage with CT, CCC, LEP, ACE on your behalf Task 3 – Support champion to submit ACE developmental bid for Jan 2011 Action 4 – Start to create a new organization Task 4 – Start re-creating Culture Cumbria as an organization with new terms of reference Task 5 – Recruiting members and champions from the creative industries Task 7 – Identifying likely candidates for the role of Chairperson Action 5 – Secure investment or it becomes impossible Task 3 - Support champion to submit ACE developmental bid for Jan 2011 Action 6 – Start to develop the intelligence function Task 6a – Develop the basic proposition for 2013 around the theme of experiencing landscape – by establishing what 2013 could look like – with current resources, + additional Action 7 – Coalesce around the subject or theme of ‘landscape’ Action 8 - Start to coordinate the sector through a ‘proposition’ for 2013 Task 6b – Develop the basic proposition for 2013 around the theme of experiencing landscape

Implications Strategy and tactics Talk is cheap New name, new brand New ways of working

Tactical delivery

Tactical opportunity 1 Local Authority CE Group Tactical opportunity 2 Regional Growth Fund bid Others…

Conclusion

A simple calculation… Is this worth the effort it will take? If it isn’t lets go home.