In this special four-page issue of Essential Audiences, the New Audiences Programme joins forces with decibel – Arts Council England’s year-long initiative promoting cultural diversity in the arts. We take a look at some examples of how artists and venues have tackled this issue, integrating it into their work, reaching new audiences and working with communities who have not previously engaged in the arts.
This also marks the beginning of a series of special features, which will appear in ArtsProfessional on a monthly basis, looking at cultural diversity in the arts and how artists, managers and practitioners from all sections of the arts are addressing issues of inclusion, finding audiences for black and Asian work and putting diversity on their agenda.
What is decibel and what is it doing?
decibel is Arts Council England’s year-long programme, focusing on cultural diversity in the arts. In 2002 Arts Council England published Ambitions for the Arts; its manifesto as the country’s national development agency for the arts. Cultural diversity is at the heart of the organisation’s policy and decibel provides a platform to launch this policy and provides a focus for activity.
Running from April 2003 to March 2004, Arts Council England has developed decibel as a short-term project with a long-term impact. Through activities, debates and campaigning, decibel intends to challenge the existing arts landscape and create change so that the arts truly reflect contemporary British society.
The decibel programme is working in a range of ways, responding to the needs of different artforms through profiling, strategic intervention and supporting artists. In creating showcase events to bring artists and promoters together, stimulating long-overdue debate and creating opportunities to profile culturally diverse art, decibel is putting in place some real practical solutions which will leave a legacy to be built on by Arts Council England in the future.
Whilst the programme cannot impact on every area of the arts, it begins to address issues in a range of artforms. Constantly evolving and changing in response to the needs of various sectors, the decibel programme is currently working in the following ways:
Theatre
• Performing Arts Showcase, bringing together culturally diverse companies and programmers from venues around the country
• Profiling at the British Council Showcase season at the Edinburgh Festival, through the production of a guide and CD promoting the work of British culturally diverse companies.
Visual arts
• A launch of the Visual Arts Platform in Bristol
• The media profiling of work by culturally diverse artists between October 2003 to March 2004
• The awarding of curatorial fellowships and traineeships to culturally diverse practitioners
• Six two-year artists’ awards to allow research and development of work
• A large-scale national debate to be staged in London.
Literature
• The production of an anthology of writing by contemporary Black & Asian British writers, including two new commissions in partnership with BBC Radio 3
• High-profile PR campaign and road-show to launch the book.
Music
• Interventions in the areas of classical music and music education.
Regional programmes
• decibel regional officers in every Arts Council England office are staging programmes of work which will have a regional impact.
Debates
• BBC Radio Three is hosting a series of debates around the artform themes of decibel
• On-going online debates at www.spiked-online.com
• Debates around regionally relevant issues in all Arts Council England regions
• A ‘disability and cultural diversity’ debate.
Networking
• Power lunches, bringing culturally diverse artists and important contacts together
• Business networking opportunities
• Board development activity
• Regional funding ambassadors, to bring new and disenfranchised artists and community groups into the new arts funding system
• Regular decibel newsletters share information about the programme and relevant activities around the country.
Education and training
• Training days for culturally diverse artists, including 30 places at the National Arts Fundraising School.
Profiling
• A supplement in a national newspaper to highlight issues around cultural diversity in the arts and to profile the work of the nation’s artists
• A constantly evolving website, to act as a point for promotion and information
• Sponsorship of events and debates organised by other organisations, which help to support and further the decibel aims
• A regular column in ArtsProfessional magazine to ensure that the decibel message is constant in the minds of the arts industry.
Audience development
• A new course and resource pack to help artists, marketing staff and administrators market culturally diverse work and market to culturally diverse audiences
• The dissemination of a brand new omnibus survey which examines the attitudes of culturally diverse audiences to attending the arts.