Culture in Action
- A tool for sustainable development of cultural institutions SKIS
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Contents Page 3 Page 5 Page 6 Page 8 Page 11 Page 13 Page 14
Foreword Culture creates democracy 11 recommendations for mutual learning Create new relationships across cultural institutions and users Out of the comfort zone From the development of audiences to the development of institutions How we worked
SKIS
This publication is the result of lessons learned by all partners in the Culture in Action project. The partners involved are listed on Pages 14-15. Editorial team: Astrid Myrup (Communications Consultant), Malene Dybbøl (Project Manager), Sia Andersen (Development Consultant), Marcelo Lerer (Graphic Artist). Printers: Stenby Tryk Translation into English: Culturebites Front page Photo: Malene Nors Tardrup
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Rammer+ Forord
Foreword Culture in Action (CiA) was a fouryear development project (20122015) under the auspices of the Regional Cultural Agreement, KulturMetropolØresund. 22 cultural institutions from Ballerup, Frederiksberg, Gentofte, Herlev, Ishøj and Copenhagen, six social housing initiatives and cultural departments in the six municipalities took part in the project, collaborating across sectors and institutions, and with local citizens and other collaborators. From 2013, the Centre for Arts & Interculture (CKI) served as a knowledge partner in the project.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit The purpose of CiA was to develop cultural institutions and their provisions with the aim of ensuring a more democratic cultural landscape. This involved cooperation with new users and strengthening the cooperation between local cultural institutions. CiA was not about traditional audience development, but about launching co-creative processes and initiatives: initiatives, which led to cultural institutions developing new, appro-
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priate ways of disseminating art and culture, on the basis of work in social The Purpose housing areas, but with relevance to The aim of the Culture in Action a broader audience. project was for artistic and culIn the CiA project, the working groups tural institutions: to take advanin the six municipalities started on the tage of each other’s professional basis of their local challenges and dolor and Lorem ipsum sit amet, institutional approaches and came up with models,consectetur which couldadipiscing elit. to expand the user and expertise; be further developed with the specific audience Fusce quis lectus quis sem focus of the individual frameworks and collaborators availinstitutions; lacinia nonummy. Proin mollis and to evolve methable. On Pages 14-15 you can read ods and lorem non dolor. In hac hab-platforms, which would a little about how each municipality ensure that art, culture and culNulla tackled the project. itasse platea dictumst. tural heritage played an essential
ultrices odio. Donec augue.
role in the lives of all citizens in Phasellus dui. Maecenas facili-region. Throughout the project, the municithe cultural palities and institutions partnibh. Proin vel est sistaking nisl vitae constantly shared knowledge, vitae erosand pretium dignissim. To create cultural provisions for interviews were conducted with Aliquam aliquam sodales citizensorci. who, for various reasons, the stakeholders: newSuspendisse users, social potenti. today do adnot make use of, or conNunc housing staff and representatives of siderQuisque irrelevant the provisions ipiscing euismod arcu. different types of cultural institutions. and environments of the art and facilisis mattis lacus. Fusce In this publication, we share the main cultural bibendum, velit in venenatisinstitutions, and to offset lessons learned and the recommenboundaries amongst users of culviverra, tellus dignissim dations from CiA collaborators. The ligula ture engendered by age, place of felis, quis euismod residence mauris tellus aim is to pass on inspiration to other and cultural identities. municipalities and cultural institutions, ut urna. Proin scelerisque. Nulla who wish to involve new users in the ac leo. in mi. Integer Nunc urna Cultural Agreement, KulturMedevelopment of culturalligula, provisions. gravida a, pretium vitae, tropolØresund, Project descripHappy reading! tion bibendum nec, ante. Aliquam
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“We need a new Grundtvig to rethink the role of culture and make it relevant to many more people than those who are already initiated. Cultural operators need to be much more offensive in terms of acquiring new users. Culture provides space for the debate, which is the essence of democracy.� (Ulla Tofte, Director of the M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark)
Foto: Malene Nors Tardrup
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Argumenter Culture
creates democracy Overskrift
The encounter with art and culture and should be developed on their own shapes us as human beings, and gen- terms. The elitist and inclusive aspects not opposites, but two essential elerates debate and reflection: Lorem ipsum doloron sitboth amet, are conements of this development. an individual and societal level.
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sectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce quis lectus quis sem lacinia nonummy. Today, citizens use culture in many The continued development of cultural mollis the lorem non dolor. institutions In hac and their provisions for the contexts: Proin also outside mainstream habitasse platea dictumst. public is an important task, which is understanding of what art and culture Nulla Donec augue. closely related to the further evolution are. As a ultrices result of odio. the development of Phasociety as a whole. Art poses critical modern media, have increassellus citizens dui. Maecenas facilisisofnisl It provides an audience with ingly become vitae co-creators nibh. Proin of velcultural est vitae questions. eros new ways of looking at established expression, and there is easy access pretium dignissim. Aliquam aliquam norms, inspiring them to take part in to a muchsodales broader range of cultural oforci. Suspendisse potenti. ferings. It is no longer enough simply to the public debate. Therefore, it makes Nunc adipiscing euismod arcu. present cultural products to audiences. perfect sense for cultural institutions to Quisque facilisis mattis lacus. Fusce Cultural institutions become more valu- work on meeting new users and makvelit venenatis ing themselves relevant to the resiable whenbibendum, they manage to increate rel- viverra, ligula experiences dignissim felis, dents of the local area: including those evant andtellus meaningful in a quis euismod mauris tellus ut urna. Proinwho do not automatically visit critical context. people cultural scelerisque. Nulla in mi. Integer ac institutions. The work leo. of cultural can be Toa, achieve this, cultural institutions Nuncinstitutions urna ligula, gravida regarded as a multi-purpose lever. Thenec,must pretium vitae, bibendum ante.retain their curiosity: who are the citizens, creation of democracy, social work, Aliquam ullamcorper iaculis lectus. and what do they need? Not economic growth and people’s health because culture institutions should inSed vel dui. Etiam lacinia risus vitae are all socially relevant themes, to discriminately give people “what they lacus. Aliquam elementum imperwhich art and cultural products, work- want�, but because discussion is esdiet ambitions turpis. In and id metus. Mauris eu if institutions are to evolve new sential, ing methods, perspecpharetra nisi provisions, which reflect the lives of tives can nisl. makeNam a contribution. But nec art enim. and culture also exist in their own right
even more citizens.
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11 recommendations for mutual learning In the light of lessons learned from CiA, here are a number of recommendations and points for municipalities and cultural institutions, who wish to work more in the area of sustainable development: externally, internally and across institutions. On the following pages, we describe the recommendations in detail.
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1.
Get out of the institution. Meet users on their home turf and then invite them to visit.
2.
Start with small steps. Send professional staff into the field to meet the users. Start small and let relations evolve.
3.
Build upon others’ relations. Involve social housing staff and others who already have good contact with the area you wish to work with.
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Building relations is no quick fix. Building and maintaining positive relations requires time, presence and persistence.
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Small but good. Consider whether a long-term process for fewer people will provide cultural institutions with more insight into their new users than a focus on quantity.
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Be open. Start with the interests and needs of the new users and take no final decisions about content before you know who they are.
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Consciously relinquish control. Let your users help define the content, at the same time maintaining your professional overview and the strengths and goals of the cultural institution.
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Set the bar high. Do not be afraid of having professional ambitions, but be prepared to adjust your ideas and let them move into unexpected areas in the encounter with new users.
9.
Involve artists. Consider involving professional artists. It raises the level and ensures a product that makes participants proud of being part of the project.
10. Drop target figures and impact measurement. Measurable results rarely reflect the development that is happening, when you work on changing practice in cultural institutions. 11. Translate knowledge into everyday life. Make sure that the knowledge generated is incorporated into the entire organisation: for example, in the form of strategies and policies.
“The most important lesson learned from the CiA project is the importance of mutual learning. In other words, the cultural institutions reflect on the cultural and social contexts, into which their projects enter. On one hand, this reflection can make art and culture relevant to new users. On the other hand, it can develop the cultural institutions’ sense of self, both professionally and in terms of dissemination. “ (Hjørdis Brandrup Kortbek, Post-Doctoral Researcher in Cultural Studies. Department for the Study of Culture, University of Southern Denmark)
Foto: Malene Nors Tardrup
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Create new relationships across cultural institutions and users Overskrift Lorem ipsum dolor sit For many years, cultural institu- worker. Throughout CiA, 22 cultural institutions introduced tions have been aware of the fact Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,methods conof building relations an artistic that there will be fewer classic sectetur adipiscing elit.into Fusce quis andquis cultural CiA’s innovaculture users to make use of their lectus semcontext. lacinia nonummy. provisions as a matter of course. tive approach lay in the connection Proin mollis lorem non dolor. In Therefore, cultural institutions are between the social housing area habitasse platea dictumst. the professional cultural conbecoming increasingly interested hac in and Nulla ultrices odio. Donec augue. departments expanding their audiences. In CiA, text, using cultural Phasellus dui. Maecenas facilisis the participants experimented by as a link. So, in this project, work nisl vitae nibh. relations Proin velwas estabout vitae the on building entering into discussion with peoto new users, on ple, who do not normally regard erosexternal pretiumrelations dignissim. Aliquam one hand, andorci. about internal relathe provisions of cultural institutions aliquam sodales Suspendisse tionsNunc between cultural euismod institutions, as relevant to them. Experience potenti. adipiscing and other collaborashowed that discussion does not arcu.departments Quisque facilisis mattis lacus. become useful until a trusting rela- tors, on the other. Fusce bibendum, velit in venenatis tionship has been established. But viverra, tellus ligula dignissim felis, how do we build this relationship? users quisNew euismod mauris tellus ut urna. Where do we find the new users Building relations is a key concept Proin scelerisque. Nulla in mi. Inteand get them to speak? when it comes to meeting new us-
ger ac Nunc urnait ligula, ers.leo. Nevertheless, is alsogravida a conFor a long time, building relations a, pretium vitae, bibendum nec, troversial concept, because it is ofhas been a central concept ante. in ten Aliquam ullamcorper iaculis time-consuming and expensive the field of social and educational lectus. Sed specialist vel dui. Etiam lacinia to send staff to commuwork. The concept relates to the meals in a Aliquam social housing area. risusnal vitae lacus. elemenwork, time and perseverance it It is hard to explain why you should tum imperdiet turpis. In id metus. takes to build trust and credibi- use highly educated employees to Mauris eu nisl. Nam pharetra nisi lity: for example, between a vulnerwhen you are sed in a nec chop enim.onions, Nulla aliquam, tellus able young person and a support museum, library or theatre.
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CiA revealed that cultural institutions cannot build relations. But their staff can, if they make use of both their professionalism and their personality. You cannot ‘hide’ behind a library desk or the security of being a professional at work, if you want to establish trusting relations. Staff need to tackle the task with personal commitment, if a project is to succeed. In this context, it is important to think in terms of straightforward meetings and simple activities, which concentrate on personal interaction and help build trust. This is how the connection between the new users and the cultural institutions, and mutual interest can emerge.
Across institutions
One of the objectives of CiA was to encourage cultural institutions and cultural departments across the region to take advantage of one another’s expertise to a much greater extent. Bringing together various professional competencies leads
to the development of new methods and platforms. It creates solid knowledge, because the methods get tested in various contexts and by people from different types of professional background.
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An important prerequisite for CiA was a commitment to a four-year collaboration. It was a politically defined framework, within which to work. At a time when cultural institutions are under pressure to meet their performance targets, it is difficult for an individual institution to devote time to development and external collaborations. Through CiA, the municipalities could insist on inter-disciplinary collaboration to create a common development. The local CiA groups were facilitated by coordinators from culture departments, but operated by the joint commitment and ambitions of all the collaborators involved. As a first-time project with a complex structure, it was a great challenge to anchor the project at the political and
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administrative levels. Replacements at management level, dolor local sit elecLorem ipsum amet, contions and sectetur changingadipiscing political agendas elit. Fusce quis created turmoil and frequently made lectus quis sem lacinia nonummy. it difficult for an individual member of Proin mollis lorem non dolor. In staff to prioritise the long-term devehac habitasse platea dictumst. lopment work involved in the project.
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Phasellus dui.CiA Maecenas Despite the challenges, revealed facilisis that the individual nisl vitae institutions nibh. Proinfound vel est vitae the collaboration extremely enrichingAliquam eros pretium dignissim. and educational, that itorci. helped aliquamand sodales Suspendisse create a closer connection between euismod potenti. Nunc adipiscing the cultural institutions and the cularcu. Quisque facilisis mattis lacus. Building relations ture departments. The project led bibendum, velitCiA in venenatis to many Fusce offshoots in the local leads to new learning viverra, ligula felis, groups. In many tellus places, the dignissim main quis euismod project engendered othermauris projectstellus to ut urna. Work on building relations enables a Proin scelerisque.inNulla perpetuate the collaboration a newin mi. Intecultural institution to take stock of its context and activities and provides an opportugerinvolving ac leo. new Nuncpartners. urna ligula, gravida a, pretium vitae, bibendum nec,nity for both new users and collaborators to ask critical questions about ante. Aliquam ullamcorper iaculis lectus. Sed vel dui. Etiam laciniaits practice. By getting involved in a joint project, you get an opportunity risus vitae lacus. Aliquam elemento learn more about your own and tum imperdiet turpis. In id metus. other people’s skills, and you learn Mauris eu nisl. Nam pharetra nisi something new. nec enim. Nulla aliquam, tellus sed laoreet blandit, eros urna vehicula lectus, et vulputate mauris arcu ut
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It is naïve to believe that you can plan a specific result for a new initiative. It involves testing and trying out things again and again. And building steadily. This is the surest route to success, and the cheapest. Mistakes are the most important lessons along the way.� (Esben Danielsen, CEO of the Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities. Formerly Orange Innovation and Roskilde Festival)
Foto: Malene Nors Tardrup
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Out of the comfort zone When getting involved in a project like CiA, all collaborators must acknowledge the fundamental premise of complex development projects. People must have the courage and the will to challenge their own practice in a variety of areas. Four years is a short time for this type of development project. That means it was not so much about arriving at the correct answers as about arriving at the right questions and continuing to challenge ourselves by asking new ones. For those taking part in CiA, relinquishing control was an extremely dramatic step, but several claim that “the conscious loss of control� was the most important lesson from the project.
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Things that are difficult or unsuccessful in a development project should not be regarded as mistakes, but as lessons to propel the project further. You develop prototypes and models to be tested and further developed in the local context. It is not about reaching a predetermined
1. Time perspective. Building relations is incredibly time consuming and does not yield quick results. Every year cultural institutions have How do we justify using the time it ipsum dolor amet, their Lorem attendance figures andsitthe num-con- takes for staff to establish trusting adipiscing elit. Fusce ber ofsectetur people they are in contact with quis relations? measured. thissem context, would lectus In quis laciniait nonummy. be aProin goodmollis idea to dropnon target fig- In hac 2. Outside the usual context. Both lorem dolor. ures,habitasse concentrating instead on posiplatea dictumst. Nulla physically and methodically, the intive stories. kind of project doesPha- stitutions need to move out and ultricesThis odio. Donec augue. not become a quantitative success meet users in new locations. How sellus dui. Maecenas facilisis nisl in the space of just a few years. You do you actually base your approach vitae nibh.positive Proin vel est vitae do not create relations with eros on the needs of new users? pretium aliquam thousands of dignissim. users all atAliquam once. CiA sodales orci. Suspendisse potenti. revealed that you can create mean- 3. Context and content. In terms of adipiscing euismod ingfulNunc experiences, which have arcu. an the professionalism of an institution, impact on the people takelacus. part. Fuscewhat does it mean when staff takes Quisque facilisiswho mattis Next bibendum, time round,velit you incould involveviverra,a step back and do not have all the venenatis their tellus families and school felis, classes, answers up their sleeves? Can the ligula dignissim quis gradually reaching a larger of Proinnew users have even greater influeuismod mauris tellusgroup ut urna. people. Along the way, cultural instience on the project? scelerisque. Nulla in mi. Integer ac tutions develop methods that equip Nunc urna ligula, gravida themleo. to get new users involved on a,4. Measurability. How does long-term pretium vitae, bibendum nec, a continuous basis. If you focus too ante.development work relate to target ullamcorper iaculis muchAliquam on target figures in this con-lectus. figures? It involves a huge loss of Sed vel dui. Etiam lacinia risus vitaecontrol for a cultural institution to text, you risk jeopardising the gains. lacus. Aliquam elementum imper- operate in a field, in which it cannot Cultural challenged diet institutions turpis. In idare metus. Mauris eu outline relevant criteria for success in on atnisl. leastNam four parameters: pharetra nisi nec enim. advance, but in which they are first generated in the process. correct answer, but about moving in the same direction.
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“Inreach is the process of realisation that is about translating lessons learned from outreach work into changes within the institution. It’s about being able to translate the new skills, experiences and partnerships, which staff have acquired, consciously implementing them in the continuing work of the institution in the form of internal strategies, programmes, profile, products.” (Niels Righolt, Senior Consultant and CEO, Danish Centre for Arts & Interculture (CKI)
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Photo © Tina Enghoff
From the development of audiences to the development of institutions Outreach has become a concept, on which most cultural institutions have been working. But the twin-term, “inreach” has not yet secured much of a foothold. The experience of the six municipalities involved in CiA revealed that involving the inreach perspective in the work of cultural institutions is a good idea. By thinking in terms of inreach as a natural extension of outreach, a cultural institution can generate sustainable development, which is rooted in the organisation.
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The outreach perspective is all about reaching out to the audience: for example, by moving out of the institutions to new locations and inviting users to actively take part. Inreach is not an opposite to this. It is about bringing the knowledge gained from the outreach encounter “back home” and using it to develop the institution from within. This means that the inreach work makes an impact on the cultural institution’s sense of self, forcing it to act as a learning organisation. If you work only on outreach in the traditional sense of the word, the risk is that it becomes a parallel process that has no serious impact on the work of the institution. That means you miss out
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on the valuable knowledge and potential for development implicit in the encounter with other notions of culture. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, con-
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That is why inreach work requires a lectus quis sem lacinia nonummy. change in the institutions’ perception: Proin mollis lorem nonusdolor. In both of themselves and of their new hac habitasse platea dictumst. ers. They must dare to ask themselves: odio. Donec augue.Audience Who developsNulla who –ultrices and how?
Develop-
Phasellus dui. Maecenas facilisis ment & Outreach If outreach work to turn inreach nisl is vitae nibh.into Proin vel est vitae work, the knowledge that emerges fromAliquam Audience development is the eros pretium dignissim. new encounters must sodales be collated general term for the work done by aliquam orci.and Suspendisse incorporated into the organisation. It potenti. Nunc adipiscing euismodcultural professionals to make art proved particularly difficult in the instituand culture more relevant and acfacilisis mattis lacus. tions where itarcu. was Quisque chiefly a single emcessible to the public. Audience in venenatis ployee from Fusce a largebibendum, organisationvelit who development is not generally viverra, tellus ligula dignissim felis,about marketing and ticket sales, was taking part in the project. Experience quisthat euismod mauris estellus ut urna. from CiA revealed it is absolutely but about applying a strategic sential for the Proin success of a project Nulla for thein mi. Intescelerisque. approach to making your cultural leaders of theger institution takeurna on the ac leo. to Nunc ligula, gravida provisions accessible to your inreach element the task, ensuring that a, of pretium vitae, bibendum nec, target segments: both existing the new knowledge is translated into the iaculisand new. The modern way of apante. Aliquam ullamcorper organisation’s strategies and day-to-day lectus. Sed vel dui. Etiam lacinia proaching audience development work. It is by virtue of incorporation into involves launching initiatives that risus vitae the organisation that the lacus. projectAliquam will go elemenengage audiences in new ways tum the imperdiet turpis. In id metus. from being about individual employand create ownership: by means Mauris eu field nisl.toNam pharetra nisi of co-creation and active particiee’s commitment in the creating Nulla aliquam, resonance in nec the enim. practice of the entire tellus sed pation. Such initiatives are often organisation. laoreet blandit, eros urna vehiculareferred to as “Outreach”. lectus, et vulputate mauris arcu ut
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How we worked Ballerup
Furesø
Collaborators: Furesø Municipality; the Immigration Museum; Galaksen and Stien culture centres; the Regnbuen Youth Club; Furesø Music School; Furesø Libraries; the Forglemmigej women’s group; and the Kærnehuset child care centre.
Collaborators: Herlev Municipality; Herlev Library; Culture Caravan; Herlev Music School; and Herlev Art School.
Target groups: Young people in Hede-/Magleparken.
Target groups: Mainly children and young people from the Farum Midtpunkt housing estate and 3rd6th formers from Lyngholm School (many of whom live in Farum Midtpunkt).
Target groups: Children and young people from the Hjortegården housing estate
Collaborators: The Culture Department of Ballerup Municipality; the Hede-/Magleparken social housing master plan; Baltoppen LIVE; Ballerup Library; the Vognporten Youth Culture Centre; and the Tapeten Volunteer Centre.
Young people from the Youth Council in Hede-Magleparken and from Ballerup Youth Council took part in the planning and execution of cultural events: for example, the Haraldsminde Memorial Concert, a largescale outdoor concert event. They also worked on getting contemporary circus performances out into the neighbourhood and organising related workshops for children and young people.
Foto: Malene Nors Tardrup
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Furesø worked on a variety of projects. For example, in the Stien culture centre and Immigration Museum, in Curator for a Day, schoolchildren designed exhibitions and received feedback from the Museum’s curators. The photography project Friendship involved young people in workshops and collaboration with an anthropologist and an art photographer
Herlev
In Herlev they worked on presence, visibility and the co-creation of new cultural experiences in the Hjortegården housing estate. Peripatetic workshops involving family activities and workshops with young people and artists, an annual market festival and collaboration with the Subkult youth event. Several activities have turned into traditions that will be carried on.
Ishøj
Collaborators: Ishøj Municipality; ARKEN Museum of Modern Art; Ishøj Library; the Vejleåparken social housing master plan; Strandgård School. The process was followed along the way by Hjørdis Brandrup Kortbek, Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Southern Denmark.
Copenhagen
Collaborators: The Riddersalen Theatre, the Storm P. Museum, Frederiksberg Library, Frederiksberg Municipality’s Culture and Leisure Department and Frederiksberg Municipality’s Social Housing initiative
Target groups: The focus was on a local target group consisting of families, children and local mothers from the social housing estates of Stjernen and Danmarksgården and a regional target group of young people and other citizens in Frederiksberg.
Target groups: Children aged 9-11 from the 4th form at Strandgård School, most of whom live on the Vejleåparken housing estate.
Target groups: Young mainly boys, aged 13-19 .
Frederiksberg
Several processes, which included workshops, interviews and communal cultural experiences etc. As a result of the processes, the new users contributed to the theatre production, The Best of All Possible Worlds at the Riddersalen and to the PLAY computer game exhibition at the Storm P. Museum
An eight-week course for selected children entitled Places in Ishøj, Places in Me. The course was based on the world of the children and locations in Vejleåparken, thereafter examining other locations in Ishøj with various creative and participatory activities. The course ended with a private view at ARKEN, to which parents and classmates were invited to see the children’s work and a poster exhibition that presented the eightweek course.
Collaborators: The City of Copenhagen’s Culture and Leisure Department - School and Leisure; Culture Valby, the SURF Valby social housing master plan; 3B and PAB in Folehaven, Hornemanns Vænge and Valby ejendommene; and Nikolaj Kunsthal. people,
In collaboration with the photographer and video artist, Tina Enghoff, the young people produced short films based on their everyday lives. The co-creative artistic processes resulted in independent works of art of high quality, also generating noticeably positive social effects in the neighbourhood across target groups. The short films were presented at Nikolaj Kunsthal’s annual video art festival, FOKUS.
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Ishøj Kommune
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