Coventry Cultural Strategy 2017-2027 - Print version

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A 10-year Cultural Strategy [https://culturechangecoventry.com/] has been drawn up to help Coventry become a culturally attractive, vibrant and prosperous city for everyone who lives, works and studies in our city. The strategy will make Coventry a leading city of culture in modern Britain and help bring about future economic success and improved quality of life for residents. It has been funded by the City Council and Arts Council England with support from both the University of Warwick and Coventry University and is based on an extensive consultation process.

The Strategy builds on the heritage and culture of the city and introduces five key goals for cultural growth and seven big ideas for transforming the cultural life of the city. The initial five goals are:

Goal 1: Partnership

A new partnership approach to cultural growth will ensure access and sustainable funding for a wide range of cultural organisations, activities and events across the city. This partnership brings together the City Council, communities, the universities, local businesses and charities, and the professional and amateur cultural sectors.

Goal 2: Lifelong Learning

All children and young people have an entitlement to the arts and digital creativity in schools and in their community which is not limited by family income, location or age.
There are opportunities for all generations to learn from and develop through the arts and there will be an emphasis on lifelong learning and talent being recognised.

Goal 3: Diversity

Communities and individuals will be empowered to celebrate and share their heritage, culture, abilities and identity and take part in the cultural life of the city.
Diversity is one of Coventry's strengths and resources and Coventry is a national centre of excellence for diversity in the arts and creative industries.

Goal 4: Health and Wellbeing

Arts and culture are core to the health and wellbeing of the city, with events helping to combat isolation and mental health problems in vulnerable communities.
Culture makes a major contribution to encouraging healthy lifestyles and physical activity.

Goal 5: Economic Growth

Coventry is a culturally vibrant, attractive and prosperous city that enriches the lives and environment for all residents.
The city is a major tourist destination for the West Midlands and successfully attracts new businesses and investment, particularly in high- tech creative industries, talent development and cultural production.

An additional goal was added in early 2022, following public consultation as part of a strategy review and refresh process:

Goal 6: Coventry's Green Future

Arts and culture promote and support behavioural and environmental changes to address the climate crisis and encourage green activism. Arts and culture model circular economy practices and principles in production and
programming that bring fun, interactive and entertaining activities to celebrate and sustain the city’s green and other heritage sites.

The Coventry Cultural Strategy 2017 – 2027, has been funded by Coventry City Council and Arts Council England and was written with support from the University of Warwick and Coventry University.

Useful resources

For more information contact:

ArtsDevelopment@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:ArtsDevelopment@coventry.gov.uk] and mark the subject line 'Cultural Strategy Enquiry'

Keep up to date with cultural news and opportunities by signing up for our newsletter [/artsnews].

Future Works II findings

The Future Works II gathering on 15 October 2024 drew together almost 200 people working across the city in the arts, culture, creative industries, heritage, tourism, health and wellbeing, regeneration and youth services. The aim was to facilitate conversations about how arts and culture can make a positive difference in Coventry going forward, to collectively agree and deliver our priorities with a commitment to action. .

This summary draws on the discussions and feedback captured from the event, and highlights the richness of cultural activity across the city, working towards an inclusive and sustainable cultural ecosystem – as well as how we can help and support each other.

Diversity and Inclusion:

  • Finding: There is strong advocacy for diversity and inclusion within the arts, matching the community's need for celebrating and integrating diverse cultures in planning and execution.
  • Recommendation: Continue to expand representation in decision-making roles and amplify diverse voices in senior positions to deepen the impact of cultural inclusivity.

Lifelong Learning:

  • Finding: Collaborative educational initiatives are in place, supporting lifelong learning aligned with community needs for professional development.
  • Recommendation: Strengthen connections between local arts organisations and educational institutions to provide more comprehensive, on-going, business skills training and mentoring.

Green and Sustainable Practices:

  • Finding: The need for sustainability was highlighted, advocating for projects that integrate green practices within the arts.
  • Recommendation: Promote and expand funding for environmentally sustainable projects and consider separate strategies to address the climate crisis, emphasising its critical importance.

Economic Growth:

  • Finding: Economic activities through arts and cultural projects create jobs and support entrepreneurship, corresponding with the need for sustainable economic growth.
  • Recommendation: Develop more permanent premises for artistic activities to foster economic stability and reinvest economic gains back into the cultural sector.

Health and Wellbeing:

  • Finding: The integration of arts into healthcare settings addresses the need for therapeutic options that can enhance community health and wellbeing.
  • Recommendation: Increase the accessibility and integration of arts into health promotion, ensuring programmes are inclusive and reach vulnerable groups.

Partnerships and Community Engagement:

  • Finding: There is a robust framework for partnerships and community engagement, but more can be done to ensure these initiatives are truly accessible and involve proactive community outreach.
  • Recommendation: Develop more centralised communication hubs and utilise public spaces to engage communities more effectively, with the aim of integrating arts and culture into more people’s everyday lives.

Operational and Strategic Enhancements:

  • Finding: Current efforts to streamline processes and reduce bureaucracy are on-going, to meet the need for simpler administrative procedures.
  • Recommendation: Focus on reducing red tape further and enhance the responsiveness of cultural organisations, at the same time continue to empower local communities in cultural policy decision-making.

Needs and offers

Coventry’s Cultural Synergy: Matching Community Needs with Arts Initiatives

In Coventry, the cultural landscape is continuing to evolve - aligning community-driven needs with specific offerings from the arts and culture sector.

Diversity: A Commitment to Inclusion

Offer: There were many offers of advocacy for diverse practice across the arts, as well as engaging with communities that included local artists who have previously experienced exclusion from decision-making processes.

There is a Need to celebrate diversity by ensuring ongoing representation of diverse communities in cultural events and planning.

Match: Both the offer and need emphasise enhancing diversity and inclusivity in the arts, both focus on broad community engagement and representation.

Lifelong Learning: Developing Skills and Opportunities

Offer: Collaborative efforts with educational institutions to provide training and retain local talent through meaningful mentorship and workshops were a key offer.

Need: A clear demand for business skills training and professional development opportunities for local creatives was highlighted.

Match: There is a significant overlap in providing educational opportunities and professional growth for artists, aligning the training offerings with the specific skills the community needs.

Green Futures: Embracing Sustainability

Offer: Projects focusing on environmental sustainability and securing funding for climate-friendly practices.

Need: Community support for environmental care and applying best practices in sustainability.

Match: Both offers and needs reflect a strong commitment to integrating sustainable practices within the arts, aiming for environmental stewardship.

Economic Growth: Cultivating Local Talent and Business

Offer: Creation of job opportunities and economic activities through the arts, supporting entrepreneurship and strategic planning.

Need: Sustainable funding models and development of premises for artistic activities to foster economic stability and growth.

Match: There's a clear connection in fostering economic growth through the arts, with both offers and needs focusing on creating sustainable job opportunities and supporting local business models in the arts sector.

Health and Wellbeing: Arts as Therapy

Offer: Integration of arts into healthcare settings and supporting mental health through accessible art projects.

Need: Integrating creative arts programmes in healthcare to enhance patient and staff wellbeing, the need to address loneliness through cultural activities.

Match: The therapeutic use of arts to support health and wellbeing was a common thread, with both offers and needs recognising the potential of arts to heal and unite communities.

Partnerships: Strengthening Collaborations

Offer: Developing international exchanges and collaborations with various stakeholders to enhance cultural projects.

Need: Building long-term relationships with local authorities and businesses to secure resources and support for cultural activities.

Match: Strong partnerships are crucial, and both sides are looking to enhance collaboration among local and international entities to amplify cultural impact.

Community Engagement: Accessibility and Relevance

Offer: Making art and cultural events more accessible and relevant to local communities through proactive community outreach.

Need: More engagement and outreach to inform the community about available cultural activities and opportunities.

Match: The focus on increasing community engagement through the arts aligns perfectly, aiming to make cultural participation more accessible and relevant to all residents.

So what happens next?

The next step is to recruit the members of the Culture Works Cultural Compact – called ‘The Reps’. Once in place, the members of Culture Works will then review all the recommendations and work together to see how we can collectively take them forward as part of the Coventry Cultural Strategy 20217-2027 delivery.

The Culture Works Collective

What is the Culture Works Collective? 

Culture Works Collective is the Cultural Compact for Coventry. A Cultural Compact is a network which brings together people and organisations from different sectors with the vision to make Coventry a better place through arts, culture and creativity.
Coventry is already a great place with a vibrant cultural scene, but in the last few years it has become more difficult for the cultural sector to thrive because of the impacts of Covid, cost of living crisis and diminishing funding. It is therefore really important that we collaborate to find joint solutions to key issues and look at the wider opportunities on how to ensure arts, culture and heritage play a key role in the future progress of Coventry.

What will Culture Works do? 

Culture Works will bring together people with knowledge, passion and skills to fulfil the vision of Culture Works, as well as act as representatives for different sectors which all have an impact on the arts and cultural ecology of the city. 
Culture Works will have a shared, delegated responsibility for overseeing the delivery of the 2017 – 2027 Coventry Cultural Strategy, informed by the wider Future Works Open Forum. 
The Future Works Open Forum will be an annual event bringing together everyone who is interested in the future of arts and culture in Coventry. It will be an opportunity to take stock of progress and have a wider conversation about the needs, opportunities and successes of arts and culture in the city.  

Who are the Reps? 

The Reps are the members of the Culture Works Collective. They will be people representing the interests of different stakeholder groups, ranging from residents to private businesses, and of course the cultural sector. There will be four different types of the Reps – with everyone working together. 

Eight Cultural Sector Reps

  • People from smaller cultural organisations, up to four members in total
  • Freelancers from the cultural and creative sectors, up to four members in total

Seven Community Sector Reps 

  • These Reps will represent the residents of Coventry either directly or through the work they do
  • These Reps will also include for example faith and community organisation/network representatives

Six Other Sector Reps

  • These Reps will be representing the key focus areas of the cultural strategy, including economic development, education and skills, health and wellbeing and environment and social justice. 
  • They are likely to be organisations or networks working across these areas

Seven Wider Stakeholder Reps

  • These are Reps from those organisations that ‘there is only one of’, such as the city’s two Universities, Coventry City Council, the Cathedral as a key physical venue and the three larger National Portfolio Cultural Organisations (Warwick Arts Centre, The Belgrade Theatre and Culture Coventry) 

The Culture Works Collective will work within a Terms of Reference that was devised by the previous iteration of the Cultural Compact, for a period of at least two years to test out how it works, and whether it achieves the aims of open-ness, inclusivity and truly democratic, collective governance.

Qualities of the Reps

  • Have a strong commitment to improving the lives of the city's residents
  • Are interested in the role that arts, culture and creativity can play in shaping a better future for the city
  • Have the ability to think creatively about how different sectors, industries, neighbourhoods and organisations can work together to unlock new opportunities
  • Can make the commitment to attend Culture Works meetings and proactively contribute to the work
  • Are committed to equality of opportunity and able to respect the views of others, even when those views are different from theirs 
  • Can contribute positively to discussions and champion the role of arts and culture by contributing their experience and expertise to achieve workable solutions
  • Are able to work collaboratively with other members to achieve agreement on key issues and actions 
  • Are able to consider the bigger picture beyond their own personal or organisational needs/ambitions, as well as towards wider public benefit 

This could include things like: 

  • Understanding of the arts and cultural sector, which can be from a specific point of view, such as a specific art form (e.g. theatre, dance, music), practice (community arts, arts and health) or type of role (e.g. freelancer, technical role, administrator, producer, business owner)
  • Having local knowledge and/or access to a community, stakeholders or wider networks and being able to influence these
  • You are passionate about diversity, inclusion and equality in the arts and cultural sector and beyond
  • Understanding of the funding environment for your own sector
  • Experience or interest in socially engaged practice, co-creation and community work
  • Experience in working with audiences, clients or participants with a focus on co-creation, socially engaged arts practice or participatory arts
  • Deeper understanding of one or more of the key priorities of the Cultural Strategy including: 
    • economic development
    • education and skills
    • environment and social justice
    • health and wellbeing
    • communities
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