1. Local arts & cultural co-design in Birmingham
Ginnie Wollaston
BCC Culture Commissioning Service

2. Birmingham’s Cultural Strategies
Culture on Our Doorstep – Outcomes
The cultural voice of residents is valued, enabled, developed and shared
More people are involved in cultural activities in the city
The profile of artists, audiences, participants and cultural leaders in the city better reflects our population
Residents have the confidence, agency and skills to create, facilitate, commission, attend or host a variety of cultural opportunities that are relevant and accessible to them
Local Arts Forum established
Our vision is for Birmingham to be
a continually surprising city where
the vibrancy and diversity of
culture inspire the people who
live, work in and visit the city, and
bring economic success and
international recognition.
Key strategic themes:
Culture on your Doorstep - COYD
Next Generation - NG
Great International City - GIC
Cultural & Visitor Economy C&VE

3. LOCALISM ACT: 2011
More decision making powers from central government to individuals, communities and councils
Four main headings:
new freedoms and flexibilities for local government
new rights and powers for communities and individuals
reform to make the planning system more democratic and more effective
reform to ensure decisions about housing are taken locally

4. Culture Commissioning Service 2011-2016
10 Local Arts Forum Development Annual contracts £4k District Arts Plans and facilitate Local Arts Forum in each District
Public Art Strategy and PA Gateway Group
Culture Central Company, Birmingham Education Partnership
Film Birmingham Festivals Unit & Old Rep Theatre
Creative City Partnership – LEP
Young People on Arts Boards Adults Training
Advice, Guidance and building capacity
EXTERNAL
PARTNERSHIPS
Gallery 37 Foundation
Youth Summer School
WORK WITH AND FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
CORE ACTIVITY
LOCAL ARTS DEVELOPMENT
(£40k)
GRANT COMMISSIONING
Project Commissioning (Culture on Your Doorstep, Next Generation, Great International City)
100 applications for £350k
Connecting Communities (Cultural Pilot & CCC programme year 1 & 2)
£120k
Revenue funding for 11 major arts orgs and B’Ham Museums contract
Total £7 million
Arts Champion Programme
applications £40k

5. Arts Champion & Local Arts Forum programme: 2014-15 - 2016 - 17
1 BCC Officer looking after 1-3 Districts 1 lead BCC Officer for overall programme 1 Arts Champion delivering over 3 years In 1 District of 100,000 residents From longer term delivery encouraged in 2nd & 3rd year Variety of delivery in local venues with partners e.g. Parks; libraries; shopping centres & community centres
e.g. BRB in Simmer Down (Handsworth Park) Birmingham Rep programme performance & storytelling (Ward End Library, Hodge Hill)

6. Birmingham’s Priority Neighbourhoods
10 Districts of approx. 100,000 residents (green boundary) 31 Priority Neighbourhoods and Clusters City centre cultural venues
Choosing the city’s Priority Neighbourhoods involved a mapping exercise to highlight Super Output Areas falling within the worst 5% nationally for multiple deprivation. These were then grouped together to form neighbourhoods of a population up to 15,000. The formation of clearly defined neighbourhoods is an enabling catalyst for the delivery of successful neighbourhood management.

7. Local arts Fora set up 2011-12 and continue to present
10 Local arts fora established in 10 Districts
Each contract managed centrally by BCC
District Arts Plans agreed with District Officers
4 public meetings to bring artists, arts organisations and community groups together
Web and online presence created with local branding
Arts activities funded with annual grass roots festivals and events e.g. Art Soak (Selly Oak); Arts March (Northfield); ArtSmile (Edgbaston);

8. Cultural Co-design – key elements involving residents and communities in decision making
Co-design encourages participants (i.e. residents) and artists, to co-create the process of creating and producing art  through steering groups, deciding programmes, choosing artists
Encourage the artist and the participant to create solutions together, the final result will be more appropriate and ‘owned’ by the participant
It is accepted that the quality of the art work can be increased if the interests and ideas from the participants are considered in the process
Research with residents
Proposal
Arts Delivery with residents
Evaluation

9. C H O I E S Choices – adapted from c2 positively local
Co-ordinator undertakes conversations with stakeholders and residents to locate ‘energy for change’ –individuals lead change – find the ‘fed up and brave’ H
Hone positive vision by listening to issues raised by residents. Shape the plan and budget with LAF / Arts Champions and steering group. Refresh research to underpin aims and outcomes for CC programme. Submit report with agreement from residents, stakeholders & Arts Champion to BCC / ACE for decision O
Offer opportunities to artists and arts organisations (local and professional) to tender and engage residents in selection, writing briefs, panel selection I
Initiate arts activities, Inspire residents to engage as participants, audiences or volunteer artists on programme and involve them in creating local media ‘buzz’
Continue creative engagement and check –in with steering group to focus energy on key events –build community marketing and local buzz to maximise audiences E
Evaluate programme, gain feed-back and comments from range of attenders, stakeholders, artists via questionnaires, social media to establish attendance figures, ethnicity and gender details and Case studies S
Share Case studies and lessons learnt in Symposium with possibility for national / regional audience attending in May / June 2016
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY based on C2 Positively Local developed into CHOICES Model
Undertake Research through locally contracted Co-ordinator / Researcher to understand the issues & obstacles to local arts infrastructure and engaging with arts
Determine with local residents and research what programme is needed and present in proposal to BCC for delivery
Assessment by BCC Officers and District leads as to appropriate artistic programme and resources led by Co-ordinator
Co-ordinator builds partnerships with residents and organisations who will lead process working with community
Build programme, select artists who will lead arts activities and work to achieve final events
Build publicity and engagement with particular groups some of whom may be new to arts engagement
Ensure that all are invited and evaluation captures all the data of numbers participants, audiences, views and opinions of what the benefits were to all engaged

10. Birmingham’s 10 Districts

11. Cultural Co-design introduced 2013-14 with 3 Cultural Pilots
Aims for the Cultural Pilot
Research, design and pilot new ways of delivering locally based cultural and arts activities
Involve local residents & community groups to co-design pilot activities
Increase participation in arts and cultural opportunities and engage new partners
IN 3 areas Community based budget
Balsall Heath (12,000 residents)
Castle Vale (12,000 residents)
Shard End (26,000 residents

12. Alice an extraordinary adventure in Shard End Park & Balsall Heath Carnival & Castle Vale Festival

13. Connecting Communities through Cultural Co-design
Funding of £120k from Arts Council, Birmingham City Council & DCLG
Co-design methodology applied to 10 Districts
Contract to 10 Co-ordinators in small arts organisations for £9k
Research proposals assessed by BCC & ACE
Delivery August 2014 – April 2015
Symposium sharing March 2015
Evaluation Merida Associates

14. 10 programmes
Edgbaston Birds Wedding Festival with Cerebral Palsy residents
Erdington Photography & Healthy Eating with families and children
Hall Green Public art mosaic with range of family and communities
Hodge Hill art work with Dementia patients and families using visual arts
Ladywood working with Soho Museum and creating festival in Summerfield Park

15. 10 CCC programmes
Northfield NAF created community arts showcase Music! Dance! Draw!
Perry Barr worked with families and senior citizens with drama and dance
Selly Oak created photographic portraits with young people and seniors
Sutton Coldfield created music and dance festival
Yardley created a visual art mosaic with dance & drumming festival

16. What do participants say?
‘I love coming to this group as it’s so friendly and welcoming. The arts bring everyone together – mums and children, I find it
so relaxing and look forward to working on the memory blanket. The arts is a great way for me to bond with my boy.’ (Mother, Hodge Hill)
‘Great working with a professional artist and it’s helping people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds came together to do different activities and share with each other at the end. (Participant Hall Green)

17. Key lessons learnt from 2013-15
Long term development in neighbourhoods:
The journey to effective co-production takes TIME and TRUST. It requires a paradigm shift from funding specific outcomes to investing in creating appropriate scaffolding that enables people to grow and develop within local networks that are set up to create and sustain local arts and community engagement.
Select a theme and vision with residents and community:
A key element of the model is to identify a theme pertinent to the neighbourhood that resonates with local people can creates a rallying effect - Ignite the Spark!
Host activities in venues and locations that feel ‘safe ‘ and are accessible:
Re-connect and re-imagine local sites to find new ways for residents to engage with their local neighbourhoods through artistic participation and creations e.g. libraries, parks, community venues
Select people as co-ordinators, producers and artists with facilitation skills who can enable groups:
Use residents / local leaders to create local profile using community marketing methods as well as social media, traditional print.

19. Symposium sharing with 3 cities – Bradford, Bristol & Burnley
‘It’s really good to hear how everyone has approached the brief differently – they aren’t always comparable but seeing examples of the work people have been doing was especially good.’
Such an inspiring day - learnt so much hearing about the other projects....more sharing events between the cities and visits to would be really useful.
Very much enjoyed Beatfreeks style of presentation. There was definitely an energy that was strong and positive about arts in Birmingham.
Some brilliant presentations in the morning and debates revealed that TRUST is vital between partners and requires pre-engagement; ownership of project; caring and non-patronising attitude

20. CCC Year 2 programme 2015- 16 New CCC Producer network no 11 Arts
Research in same & new locations
New vision and artists & partners
Less paperwork
More online technology
Making it simpler!
New Artist Commission to bring all 10 programmes together
New online toolkit to summarise learning
New qualitative focus of enquiry question for each programme
Making it clearer!