the future of our heritage afternoon session welcome back abby johnson brennan executive director,...

The Future of our Heritage

Afternoon Session Welcome Back

Abby Johnson BrennanExecutive Director, Plymouth Culture

Board

City of Culture Context

• Driving and defining a Strategic Vision for Cultural Development in the City between now and 2020

• Evolution of the City’s Cultural Strategy - the “Vital Spark” – a road map for the next phase – bottom-up, inclusive but ambitious and transformational– Strategic Investment Plan for Arts and Culture – the Ocean City

Project (ACE)– Defining Key Cultural “punctuation marks” for the City

• 2013 The Ocean City Projects kicks off, PVAC International Symposium – Migration and Identity……….

• 2014 The History Centre, and the Three Town’s Centenary, building up to ……

• 2017 – City of Culture /Year of Culture – Internationalism through sport and the arts …………..

• Culminating in 2020 – Mayflower 400 year Anniversary – an event of huge cultural significance.

UK City of Culture Competition - What is it?

• A national competition, launched in 2009, to run every 4 years.

• Belief that culture is a mechanism to achieve wider economic and social goals - ambition is to “use culture as a catalyst for change”

• Followed on from (European) success of Glasgow in 1990 and Liverpool in 2008

• 29 Bids were submitted in 2010, 4 shortlisted - Birmingham, Norwich, Sheffield and

• Derry/Londonderry will host 1st UK title in 2013• Coalition confirmed new competition for 2017

Objectives

• To catalyse the development of a cultural economy• To drive economic renaissance and growth - transforming levels

of prosperity in the City• To unleash talent to build a proud, ambitious, connected,

outward looking, creative city• To deliver step changes in equality, community participation and

social cohesion through culturally led regeneration• To build a sustainable cultural environment which will nourish

and enhance a unique world class experience for residents and visitors alike

The Prize• The host city will deliver a world class programme of events

reflecting its identity and culture, fostering local pride and a sense of community, boosting the local economy and encouraging visitors, raising the city’s profile, enhancing tourism, attracting new business and investment, and changing perceptions.

• No Government £ - but commitment that national events will take place in the host city – BBC Sports Personality of the Year, The Brits, UK Film Festival, Turner Prize etc

• A boost in ambition, imagination, ideas & confidence and a positive change in how the City sees itself and how others see it

The Proposition?

• Plymouth is a unique city – geography and history• A City whose history is the history of the British Isles• A City of explorers, wayfarers, migrants and

immigrants, sailors and survivors• An “Ocean City”• A City with a US significance second to none in the

UK• A City for whom culture and ambition could be truly

transformative”

Where are we now?What happens next?

• Political support and leadership – there will be nerves and nay-sayers – these are tough times………

• Strategic and Executive Leadership – The Culture Board, new Exec lead on City of Culture

• PCC Arts and Heritage Team fully engaged• Iterative process, incremental development, what have we got to bring

to the table? What more would we need? Is what we have enough? • Partnership – buy-in and consultation – dedicated creative team, arts,

sport, heritage, private sector and VCS, who else needs to be involved?• Programmes/Cash • Ideas and vision• The Announcement!

Afternoon Session

• Now Break-out sessions to discuss digital project ‘Resurgam’ with Birgitte , Hannah and Alex

• 14.15-14.45 The Future is Together': Working in Partnership, with Dr Todd Gray, Historian and Chair of Friends of Devon’s Archives

• 14.45-15.15 ‘The Future of Our Past’: Plymouth & West Devon Record Office at 60, with Louisa Mann and Tony Davey,

• 15.15-15.30 Cutting of the Record Office 60th anniversary celebration cake

Close and Formal launch of the Plymouth History Festival: Guildhall Square Then and Now