5

CULTURE NETWORK

MEETING DATE: 11 November 2015, Marischal College
PRESENT: Angela Michael, Caroline Docherty, Fiona Clark, Fiona Robertson, Karen McDonald, Lesley Thomson, Louise Baxter, Brian Woodcock, Neil Bruce, Sally Moir, Lord Provost George Adam, Jane Spiers, Stewart Aitken, Gary Cameron, Jacky Hardacre, Christine Rew, Seona Shand, Dorothy Carnegie, Laura Horn
1.APOLOGIES: Ben Torrie, Chris O’Neil, Ken Hay, Liam Smyth, Lindsay Gordon, Murray Dawson, Nicola Killean, Duncan Cockburn, Steve Harris, Pete Stollery, Susan Betty, Ray Douglas, Paula Gibson, Colin Farquhar, Ian Abbott.
NO. / AGENDA ITEM / NOTES OF DISCUSSION / ACTION/DECISIONS / BY WHOM / WHEN /
2. / Minute of previous meeting and matters arising – 27 April / Page 1
AGCC business bulletin electronic link.
Page 3
Culture Programme approved by EC&S in June, LT sent out follow up email with outcome of meeting and what had happened with feedback received.
Page 6
Did CO’N circulate information on KTP associate? / Seona Shand to check if link was sent out.
NB to follow up. / SS
NB
3. / Update on Culture Plan from Sub Group / GC gave brief update:
Process to develop new cultural strategy, reaching out to different groups/people. We Are Snook facilitating different groups of work.
Positives:
Citizens panel appointed – to help deliver plan, consultation activity; lots of interest in group. Broad group in terms of age, background etc., first meeting held, need for them to understand context identified.
Negatives:
Taster event – purpose to raise awareness of process and introduce We Are Snook to people. Well attended, presentations excellent but note co-ordination would have been beneficial. Felt peripheral to some extent – needs wider conversations. 2 day event in December not ready for.
Conversation to be had with We Are Snook – currently delivering activity, but not facilitating us as a sub-group. Proposal to suspend event in December. Meeting on 23 November, but not have Snook there.
Questions/comments:
One of the members of the citizens panel attended Sound event, enthusiastic about process and engaged.
Q – What did you mean by “peripheral”?
A – Held in Home Comforts, Union Square, was not obvious event was on, did not feel in heart of the city. Primarily it was the sector that attended, there was only one person not involved in the arts.
APA sent practitioner to event. Her feedback: well attended, people stepped up well and interesting. Issue not enough effort put into getting audience that was not the sector. Underestimated how challenging to get people in and managing to reach that audience that we want to get to.
Felt not really reaching ethnically diverse groups.
Need to think of different ways of speaking to groups.
Q – Do we need to give Snook more information? Not sure what they are doing with it.
A – They were brought in to facilitate the sub-group, will go back to them and say how we want events to look like.
Impressive to hear people speak. Complete range of practitioners. There was someone from Polish community there. Need to encourage people to come back and give experiences.
Sub-group will go through sessions held and next steps in the new year. / To action / GC/DC
GC/DC
Sub-group
4. / SOA Annual Report & Film / Report compiled for Community Planning Management Group. Short film commissioned to link projects to particular themes in the SOA.
Report –
Two metrics agreed. Measured around projects that come under the umbrella of the cultural awards. They do not represent day-to-day normal business of an organisation – represents added value. Happy to follow up questions once all had the opportunity to read document.
Seven key areas.
1. Developing a joint culture plan for Aberdeen.
2. Aberdeen Festivals Partnership - applications from new festivals received to join in, decisions to be made next week.
3. Business & the Arts partnership - how we can engage with business community; structured networking events? Increase on regular basis networking with both groups. Arts and Business awards taking place in Aberdeen May 2017 – linking with Northern Star and business sector – great opportunity.
Comments -
Suggestion to work together to put on an event to present to business sector. Mutual benefit, not just about can you give us money. Need across sector to present different ways for businesses to support – staff time, in-kind offers.
Keen on award, recognises and values contribution. Collaborative, not competing with each other, menu of things we could offer to a wide range of business.
Calgary Arts Trust and Chamber of Commerce – artists offered spare spaces/offices.
Building long term relationships and nurturing. Not all about money. Building face-to-face relationships.
ACVO big Aberdeen initiative working on cross sector events. Have regular breakfasts, three way networking. AB+ has linked in to that. Have connected quite well with ACVO, need to share more what activities doing. Brodies next week – how they can support legal issues, commissioning etc. – lunchtime free event.
4. Youth Arts Collective North East – managed by APA. Entering interesting phase, moving from planning to implementation and passing down project and funding to partners. Strategic groups set up around areas leading project – early years, visual arts; practitioner training – need to think of geographical spread as north east project.
5. Volunteer Friendly Award.
6. Commissioning City Voice research – contains useful information, sample of approx. 1000 - copies available.
7. Mapping the cultural engagement and volunteering generated by the partnership against the SOA themes – reference to diagrams 1,2,3. Cultural awards - funded projects used to collate information.
Q – Is there somewhere where we can look at the projects?
A – Encountered legal issue earlier this year, needed formal permission for organisations in receipt of funding to allow us to report on project. We are developing a website which will have case studies and link to video.
There is a conversation ongoing at moment on what the community planning partnership element looks like. SOA will be revised in next few months. Debate on whether culture sits comfortably within SOA and within the key priorities. There are currently too many priorities within the Community Plan.
Do we think it is important that culture is reflected in the community plan; what is our model for the future and how do we build body of evidence? Do we want to put in a lot of energy to have culture reflected in the community plan? Logically progression that the plan is adopted by the Community Planning Board – high level buy in from all the community planners. Community Empowerment Act – statutory partners in community planning will now include NESCol.
Identify 2-3 people who want to take conversation further, and bring back report in January to argue case to include culture in SOA - Jane Spiers, Brian Woodcock and Caroline Docherty. We can ensure voice is heard. Cultural strategy when ready to be adopted. Conversation on routes, avenues, vehicles to use to have ongoing conversation. Use economic development? Other options. All invited to be part of the conversation. Think how does the profile get retained. Clive Gilman discussion on draft creative industries strategy was very useful last week. Outcomes to be embedded in SOA.
Questions/Comments:
Have to be significant influencers over policy decisions to be made. Frustrating if still having to justify benefit to the city. Understand where we need to sit to have biggest impact.
Four Community Planning partnerships have culture that plays significant role – 28 that don’t. How does that message get through? Message is not getting across if proposal is to take culture out. / Unable to show film as blackout not achieved. Will share link and provide password to view.
To discuss further
Apply to Brodies if interested in attending.
See website
http://communityplanningaberdeen.org.uk/cityvoice/city-voice-archive/
LT will be in touch to arrange discussion. Will share any updates with all
To find out / LT
ALL
ALL
ALL
ALL
LT
LT
LT/GC
5. / Chair role of Culture Network / The Community Planning Partnership would like all of the bodies affiliated discuss and agree the chair role. There is an expectation we will invite nominees for someone to take on role of chair of the culture network. If anyone interested - general job description and how long commitment for will share when ready. With view to go through process at next meeting. Expectation it will not be a Council officer. / LT
6. / AOCB / Reminder that the Creative Scotland Draft Creative Industries Strategy is open for responses. / ALL
7. / Date of next meeting / 10 February 2016, 12noon – Seminar Rm N204, Sir Ian Wood Building, RGU.
Future Dates – 20 April, 17 August, 9 November