In our series of articles spotlighting new National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs), Christina Lewis explains how Hull-based Back to Ours works with local communities to engage new audiences in the arts.
Back to Ours first appeared on the arts scene during Hull UK City of Culture 2017, but the initial idea goes back to 2012 when (now Artistic Director and CEO) Louise Yates started thinking about a way to reach people using community assets as part of a touring circuit across the city.
How could incredible places, right in the heart of Hull neighbourhoods, become great venues? When Hull was awarded City of Culture status, Lou decided the time had come. If Back to Ours couldn’t engage people during a landmark cultural year, when could it?
A lot of chats, games of programming poker - Lou’s original way of engaging people with the idea of creating their own festival - and one successful bid to ACE strategic touring later, Back to Ours was produced as part of Hull UK City of Culture 2017, moving on to be Hull’s Creative People and Places (CPP) project in April 2018.
The Back to Ours programming model has remained flexible and responsive over the years. Its core aims are to use community assets and spaces - social clubs, schools, pubs, shopping centres – to bring people together to enjoy amazing arts experiences.
Two strands of programming
Originally a festival model produced during half-terms and school holidays, the programming has now broadened to encompass Right On Your Doorstep and Right On Your Sofa (born during the 2020 lockdowns to keep connecting with people).
Right On Your Doorstep brings events into the hearts of neighbourhoods, sometimes literally – as the name suggests – right onto people’s doorsteps. Comprising regular events that people now expect and look forward to – the Summer Sharrabang, regular Shindigs (a party afternoon for the over 55s), the annual Winter Parade – and other work throughout the year including half-term family shows, PlayDays and artist commissions, this large-scale engagement allows the team to be out and about listening to what people think and want.
A key element is working alongside hub members: the local people who live, work and have strong connections in these areas. Back to Ours currently has four key hubs based in East Hull, Bransholme, Derringham, and Orchard Park & North Hull.
The co-programming of events in these neighbourhoods, with a coordinator working with hub members to chat through programming decisions, is particularly innovative. For example, the Sharrabang – a bus filled with performers travelling around the city to hop off and perform cabaret-style in different neighbourhoods – is partially programmed with hub members.
What do neighbours want to see? Would a comedian or street theatre engage families with young children? What did residents enjoy most at the last event? These are all questions Back to Ours continually asks to shape and keep the offer fresh, appealing and engaging.
Right on Your Sofa comprises online and digital programming, bringing shows into people's homes. Including Bedtime Stories, films from poet Dean Wilson, and The Black Kings upon Hull documentary series, it was born during the 2020 lockdowns as a safe alternative for people to continue to (virtually) socialise, be entertained and connect at a time when it mattered most.
The Chat Shop
While these two strands weave through the year, a constant source of engagement is the Back to Ours Bransholme Chat Shop in North Point Shopping Centre, right in the centre of what was once Europe's largest housing estate.
A legacy of residents hosting the Gold Nose Shop - one of the City of Culture projects, Land of Green Ginger - residents started asking for a place to meet, somewhere all ages could interact.
When Back to Ours then became a CPP, Lou worked with locals to write a successful funding bid to The National Lottery Community Fund, explaining why a space would be so invaluable to them.
Now in its fourth year, the shop opens five days a week for chat and activities, giving local people the chance to experience different things with a multifunctional arts space showcasing everything from gigs, the world’s first Hologram Jukebox (created by multi-media artists and Back to Ours Associate Artists Davy and Kristin McGuire), exhibitions and family shows.
Our core principles
As Back to Ours embarks on a new stage of their journey as an NPO, these core principles continue to anchor what they do and how they do it:
· Always think about the invite and welcome: From a piece of marketing on a doormat to a smile and a wave as people pass the Chat Shop, the Back to Ours welcome is carefully considered and open to all.
· At the core are people: Hull communities, hub members, volunteers, audiences and the people who use the Chat Shop daily. It’s about broadening arts experiences, but it’s even more about deepening them. That only comes from connection with the project, the people behind it, the artists and the venue.
· Mixing the familiar with the unfamiliar: People might be surprised to see an Elvis tribute act singing over the carrots in Asda. But that’s just the start of the Back to Ours journey seeing new and diverse work - from an international circus to a touring artwork co-commissioned with hub members.
· Embracing the unknown: Back to Ours isn't scared of taking risks which are essential to the quality and creativity of our programme.
· Listening, learning and adapting: As an action research project within Creative People and Places, this way of thinking is now firmly embedded into the Back to Ours model. From listening to audiences to adapting programming based on volunteer feedback, it’s dynamic and keeps people and their experiences right at the heart of the project.
Christina Lewis is a freelance writer based in the North of England.
www.backtoours.co.uk/
@BTOHull
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