Northumbrian Exchanges: Creative Community Engagement in Rural Northumberland

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AimsThis proposal responds to identified needs of various partners in rural Northumberland (the sparsest populated county in England), exploring new models of knowledge exchange relating to rural cultural economies. Bringing together multi-disciplinary research excellence in creative practice and theory, it focuses on the under-researched contribution of culture, particularly visual arts practice and music, to rural development and the mechanisms by which this is enacted. A new Masters module in Creative Enterprise involves students in a cross-cutting KE activity. The project delivers through three strands, each responding to key issues identified by partner organisations, such as the Holy Island Partnership (HIP), Allenheads Contemporary Arts (ACA) and Alwinton Festival, who wish to develop new ways of working relating to local communities. We will use the expertise of staff, students and partners to understand creative engagement within rural contexts and test practical ways of addressing needs. Where solutions involve digital applications, we will work closely with the AHRC KE Creative Exchange hub led by Lancaster in which Newcastle's Culture Lab is a partner, and the Social Inclusion through the Digital Economy project, especially around the establishment of virtual networks, a crucial means of empowering scattered communities.Key Knowledge Exchange Activities will be organised in three main strands: Strand 1: Creative Community EngagementHIP was formed in 2009 by the local community and key stakeholders operating on the island, such as Northumberland County Council and English Heritage. Their aim is jointly to address key themes: Visitor Management; Landscape; Community and Cohesion. We will bring in an artist as a creative thinker to:- pilot innovative means of community engagement- develop way to realise the community 'voice' within the landscape.We will also support local musicians, maximising their exposure to their own communities and facilitating interactions with students and graduates. We also seek to capture and promote interest in art forms in danger of neglect or extinction by:- liaising with village halls to provide platforms shared by local musicians with our student and graduate specialists in traditional music- developing systematic, sustainable partnerships with institutions, both large (eg Northumberland National Park) and small (eg village halls)- providing events and ongoing educational activities in partnership with local venues.Strand 2: SME's contribution to local cultural economyACA, in England's highest village, focuses on artists' residencies, disseminating results to a wide audience. We will examine how its residency programme:- impacts on the local economy - contributes to a sense of place/identityThis will include artists' residencies, student/graduate business placements and networking with other project partners, examining where aspects of urban SME strategies might be appropriate for this new context.We will also assess the impact of small music festivals in the Coquet and North Tyne Valleys on the cultural economy and, simultaneously, strengthen their impact through creative exchange involving University staff, postgraduates and graduates.We will:- facilitate performative and educational events at designated festivals- provide opportunities for students to work with festivals within their formal curriculum.Strand 3: Infrastructure for sustainable creative enterprises within rural communities.Visual Arts in Rural Communities is based in Tarset, Northumberland. VARC wish to draw on our interdisciplinary expertise, using a researcher to examine different delivery modes for their programme. We will explore ways of networking and sharing best practice across the region through open-source mechanisms to engender greater sharing and awareness of practices, developing digital networks with Culture Lab.