Worcestershire Arts Partnership

Dear All

 

A group of  some 22 arts organisations from across the West Midlands who include  the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Coventry Belgrade Theatre to Talking Birds, Dancefest and Ironbridge Gorge Museums have come together under the umbrella of the nationwide What Next campaign about the future of  arts and culture within the UK. The group which includes representation from Worcester University have come up with the idea of an online  24 Hour Cultural Survey to take place across the whole region from noon on Friday 24 October to noon on Saturday 25 October which aims to show just how rich and diverse the experience of arts and culture is in our local communities. What would our lives be like if all this activity suddenly disappeared?  If participants have read a book, sung in the neighbourhood choir, watched a film, taken part in a youth theatre, played a musical instrument, taken part in a pottery or painting or dance class we would like to know. Of course it also includes the experience of theatre or concert-going or visiting an art gallery or museum, but the point is to show just how fundamental the arts are to the health and happiness of our daily lives.  From a specifically Worcester and Worcestershire perspective it would be great if all the local arts groups plus individuals could participate. There are various ways to take part—simply going to the website  on the days of the survey to flag up what you’re doing or if your organisation wishes to promote itself more fully there are other social media options which are outlined in the website www.24hourculture.co.uk

20 August 2014

 

Major survey to discover what arts and culture

means to people in the West Midlands

 

·         24 Hour Cultural Survey to take place from noon 24^th to noon 25^th October

·         People to be asked what arts and culture means in their everyday life

·         Survey will find breadth of activity that takes place in one single day

 

 

A major survey will take place this October to discover how people experience arts and culture in their everyday lives in the West Midlands. Repondents will be asked what cultural activities they have taken part in during one 24 hour period, from noon 24^th to noon 25^th October.

 

Residents across the region, from cities to rural areas, will be encouraged to fill in the short questionnaire at www.24hourculture.co.uk, which will go live in October 2014.

 

The survey has been commissioned by 22 of the West Midlands’ arts organisations including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Compton Verney, mac birmingham, the Belgrade Theatre Coventry, DanceXchange, Ironbridge Gorge Museums and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. It is hoped that the findings will be used to inform arts policy in forthcoming years, both by the organisations themselves but also by local authorities and government.

 

Joanna Reid, Director, Belgrade Theatre Coventry explained: “We want to encourage people to realise what arts and culture means to them in their normal everyday life. They may not think that they take part in arts and culture but my hunch is that most people do some kind of cultural activity as part of their weekly routine – from being part of a book club to playing a musical instrument for pleasure, to take part in a dance class. It all counts.”

 

She continued, “We have an amazing diversity of cultural life here in the West Midlands. Our hope is that the 24 Hour Cultural Survey will help people to value the part that arts and culture already plays in their life, rather like how the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Survey has made many people appreciate the bird life in their gardens. We hope that by valuing arts and culture, they will want to protect it and participate more in it.”

 

Findings from the 24 Hour Cultural Survey will be analysed by experts at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Audience Insight team, and will be released before the end of 2014.

ENDS.

For more information contact:

Helen Stallard, Co-ordinator, 24 Hour Cultural Survey

T: 0774 033 9604      E: helen@helenstallard.co.uk

 

1.    The 24 Hour Cultural Survey will be live from noon on Friday 24 October to noon on Saturday 25 October 2014 at www.24hourculture.co.uk . Further information will be posted online prior to the survey.

 

 

2.    The 24 Hour Cultural Survey has been commissioned by the West Midlands’ What Next? group and will be promoted by many arts organsations in the region. The main partners are:

·         Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

·         Birmingham Hippodrome

·         Birmingham Repertory Theatre

·         Birmingham Royal Ballet

·         Compton Verney

·         Culture Coventry

·         Dancefest

·         DanceXchange

·         DASH

·         Eastside Projects

·         Fierce Festival

·         Ikon

·         Ironbridge Gorge Museums

·         Live & Local

·         mac birmingham

·         New Vic Theatre

·         Phizzical

·         Royal Shakespeare Company

·         Talking Birds

·         Warwick Arts Centre

·         Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

·         Worcester University