Halfway through the Leeds’ year of culture, Alan Lane ponders whether the city's cultural strategy will seize the momentum for future growth.
In Leeds the cultural sector, led by the City Council, have just begin to gather their energies to imagine what the future cultural strategy might be post the year of culture LEEDS2023. We’re just past the halfway mark of the year and there’s been a number of responses to the moment. Below are some thoughts about it all, partly as an artist who has made a piece of work for the year of culture, and partly as one of team who run a small arts organisation in the city who are exploring what all this might mean for ourselves and the community we serve in Holbeck.
One of the messages of LEEDS2023 is that in response to having Brexited and no longer qualifying for European Capital of Culture “Leeds did it anyway”. Of course, as I was reminded recently by LEEDS2023 themselves, there’s two ways to see this. The first is as a Fuck You to European government. The second is to understand it as a desire to remain connected to our European neighbours creatively even as we separated politically. The second interpretation seems to me the most natural response of a cultural sector who live and die by making connections and relationships but within the city it is the first that often sets the tone of discussion. We did it anyway...Keep reading on alanlaneblog.
In Leeds the cultural sector, led by the City Council, have just begin to gather their energies to imagine what the future cultural strategy might be post the year of culture LEEDS2023. We’re just past the halfway mark of the year and there’s been a number of responses to the moment. Below are some thoughts about it all, partly as an artist who has made a piece of work for the year of culture, and partly as one of team who run a small arts organisation in the city who are exploring what all this might mean for ourselves and the community we serve in Holbeck.
One of the messages of LEEDS2023 is that in response to having Brexited and no longer qualifying for European Capital of Culture “Leeds did it anyway”. Of course, as I was reminded recently by LEEDS2023 themselves, there’s two ways to see this. The first is as a Fuck You to European government. The second is to understand it as a desire to remain connected to our European neighbours creatively even as we separated politically. The second interpretation seems to me the most natural response of a cultural sector who live and die by making connections and relationships but within the city it is the first that often sets the tone of discussion. We did it anyway...Keep reading on alanlaneblog.