Thrive, the Northern Ireland charity which support arts, and heritage organisations to strengthen their relationship with audiences, has brought together findings from a year-long research project to better understand what arts and culture means to the public.  Called ‘Northern Ireland in 100 Stories’ the research busts the myth that the arts are only for certain ... Read more

Part of the Future Trends series, published as part of the Warwick UK Cities of Culture Project and commissioned by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The term ‘social value’ has increasingly been used within the cultural sector to categorise a way in which the arts impact individuals and groups. This paper provides a cross-disciplinary ... Read more

In this article, which was originally published in Arts Professional, Michelle Wright from Cause4 asks the question: are vision, mission and values at the heart of good cultural fundraising? Michelle explains why arts organisations need to be clear about their fundamental purpose; that vision, mission and purpose states the organisation’s essence, character and direction.

Twenty years ago Salford City Council had the ambitious plan to regenerate a working dock and The Lowry project was born. This area is now one of the most significant cultural and media destinations in the world and the fastest growing visitor destination in the UK. In this article, Julia Fawcett discusses The Lowry’s impact ... Read more

Cultural tourism is able to deliver things which few other sectors can. It brings our country to life and encourages people to visit our shores, it develops a sense of community and attracts visitors to disparate parts of our nation. It cultivates the creativity that underpins our wider industrial efforts. Jonathan Mountford takes a look ... Read more

This paper argues that the reluctance to use rigorous economic methods has hindered, rather than helped, the case for the arts. It seeks to demonstrate how economics can provide the tools to ‘measure’ and validate the intrinsic value of art.

Can you say what value your organisation adds to people’s lives?  How do you use that knowledge strategically to build lasting relationships with audience members? How we think about and talk about the art we produce has a direct impact on the levels of support we can expect from our audiences; here we find out ... Read more

For the arts to be in receipt of public money, so it must be economically accountable for what it spends. This keynote speech delivers, in no uncertain terms, why the cultural sector must be come better at measuring its worth including its monetary value for funders, and furthermore the public.