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Inspiring programme, with the best of UK and international culture
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CELEBRATION
As described in Table 1, the evaluation team drew upon a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data sources to generate evidence for impact around the theme of Celebration. Strategic interviews and a research symposium (see Appendix 2 for detail on method) focused on the role of Creative Scotland and other strategic partners (including other funders) in producing an inspiring programme that engaged with new contexts, sites and settings for artistic practice. Scottish survey returns from LOCOG’s UK-wide evaluation and from the UWS online survey were also utilised. Other available information, in the form of Creative Scotland Managed Fund applications and End of Project reports, were also used to inform the findings presented in this chapter.
The objectives set out in Table 1 have been grouped into key themes: -Inspiring programme, with the best of UK and UK and international culture -New contexts, sites and settings -Culture at the heart of the Games
Inspiring programme, with the best of UK and international culture
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4.4 Creative Scotland’s framework document, Scotland’s London 2012-Glasgow 2014 Cultural Plan foregrounded the importance of ‘developing and presenting an inspiring programme of exemplary activity that provides meaningful cultural experiences for Scotland’s communities’. Assessing broad ambitions, such as ‘inspiring’, ‘exemplary’ and ‘meaningful cultural experiences’ is methodologically challenging without clear agreement on what these terms mean and how it would be clear if they had been achieved. This challenge strikes at the heart of measuring cultural value and direction is provided in Chapter 7 on how these ambitions can be brought within a robust monitoring and evaluation framework for the the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Cultural Programme.
One proxy for assessing whether the Programme developed and presented an inspiring programme of exemplary activity is to consider the quality of the artistic production showcased. On one level, inclusion in the London 2012 Festival is an indicator of artistic excellence as the Festival Director, on her arrival at LOCOG in 2010 was tasked with producing a finale to the Cultural Olympiad in the form of a curated festival to give extra profile to the rest of the programme. The Festival aimed to maximise media visibility and provide a platform for artistic excellence to flourish. Twenty-two projects from the Programme (including Edinburgh Festivals activity) were included in the London 2012 Festival, providing recognition of artistic quality.
Other valid indicators of the quality of artistic production are the profile and status of the artists and organisations involved in delivering projects. Creative Scotland considered projects in relation to their alignment with the organisation’s strategic objectives when undertaking the Managed Fund process for project approval. Several projects were considered to primarily address quality of artistic production (e.g. Barrowlands Project, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, Edinburgh Writer’s Conference, Edinburgh International Festival’s Ingliston Season, The Swimmer and Tall Tales from the Riverbank). Other projects, though primarily addressing other Creative Scotland strategic objectives, also emphasised quality artistic production and were included in the London 2012 Festival (e.g. the RNSO’s Out and About in Shetland, Peace Camp and Sun Rings at the Riverside).
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4.8 Additional processes were used to ensure artistic excellence was at the heart of the creative work produced. These included:
New Music 20x12 and Poetry 2012)
RNSO’s Out and About in Shetland, Poetry 2012’s work with the BBC)
Peace Camp, Sea Change 2012, Sun Rings at the Riverside, The Swimmer, Unlimited, Michael Clark Company at Barrowlands) Tall Tales from the Riverbank at the Pleasance Theatre, Unlimited at the Tramway and at London’s South Bank Centre)
The five case studies undertaken by the evaluation team (see Appendix 3) include a media analysis conducted to assess claims of artistic excellence. A fuller description of the results is found in Appendix 3, but there are some headline figures that provide evidence of an inspiring programme of exemplary activity. For example, 40% of the volume of media coverage of NVA’s Speed of Light was about the quality of its cultural offer, with a high proportion also praising its artistic excellence, and a significant number touching on its capacity to innovate and be an example of ‘world-class’ art. All events under the banner of Unlimited were mainly discussed from the point of view of the quality of the cultural offer and, in particular, were praised for their artistic excellence. Of all Unlimited events, Ménage à Trois received the highest praise for its artistic excellence, and Fusional Fragments was praised for its capacity to innovate.
Developing robust measurement tools for assessing the quality of artistic production is the source of heated debate in literature exploring concepts of Cultural Value.Decisions relating to inclusion in the Programme were made on the basis of professional judgment, whether by the Director of the London 2012 Festival and/or the Creative Programmer working with the London 2012-Glasgow 2014 team within Creative Scotland. What is not clear from the evidence generated for this study is the extent to which perceptions of artistic excellence were informed by audiences, cultural critics or the media. In order to assess whether the Programme produced meaningful experiences, some form of systematic audience engagement work is necessary. This might, for example, involve working closely with an audience development agency at the earliest opportunity following the commissioning of projects for the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme (see Chapter 7).
In addressing whether the best of UK and international culture was presented through the Programme, there is evidence that a fairly significant number of artists from outside the UK (in terms of nationality) were involved in the delivery of projects. While the majority of artists were from the UK, there were significant numbers of artists from Venezuela (192), France (52), Romania (46), Poland (37), and Russia (35). However, it is important to note that this data is skewed by a few specific projects, including Big Noise (Sistema) - where the Venezuelan artists participated - and a methodological challenge in being able to apportion data to reflect a Scotland-only contribution. Attracting already established artists and organisations also runs the risk of failing to acknowledge and provide a platform for emerging artists that may, over time, become world class.