In June 2006, the current Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, spoke about the importance of support for culture in the UK and the ongoing need for leadership in that sector, urging the community to recognise the role of our current and future leaders in delivering success in our cultural industries. In order to achieve such aims the government allocated a grant of 12 million pounds to The Cultural Leadership (CLP) programme, an initiative designed to foster management and leadership in the arts industries and cultural sector. As Brown noted when launching the programme, ‘…we need to ensure the emergence of a new generation of cultural leaders… the Cultural Leadership Programme will create new opportunities for collaboration across the public and business sector’.
Since its launch in June 2006, the CLP has continued to work with the business and arts community in order to pursue its mission to support the development of cultural leaders in the UK. In 2007 ‘The Club’ at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) will collaborate with the CLP through a programme of events aimed at mid career level entrepreneurs, ‘Developing Entrepreneurs as Leaders’. The Club at the ICA is supported by organisations such as Creative London and The Arts Council and was devised to provide a resource for organisations within the creative industry and fits well with the CLP’s agenda alongside the ICA’s substantial reputation in contemporary arts.
Maria Goerka, cultural leadership project manager for the ICA says that the programme will act as a catalyst for the development of leaders and collaborators from business and cultural industries. Speaking to ArtsHub, Goerka noted that the project will be a ‘forum where young creative companies can exchange ideas, start collaborative projects, access practical help, and meet potential clients and investors.’
Over four months the programme will focus on providing participants with the skills in which they will need to develop within their own businesses and organisations in a series of three phases: the Pecha Kucha Mentoring Programme, the Discovering Voices Workshop, and the Thoughts and Actions Conference.
Through the Pecha Kucha Mentoring Programme, up-and-coming leaders selected by the ICA have been paired with mentors from a variety of backgrounds for up to six months as part of a mentoring programme specifically designed for their individual needs. The mentoring programme commenced on July 20th with a showcase event where each participant was given the opportunity to speak and present twenty images of their choice for just twenty seconds. The event was designed to encourage the participants to demonstrate their creativity, interests and experiences in order to allow each mentor to gain a greater understanding of their requirements before being paired up.
The mentors have been selected from a range of backgrounds and experiences and include leading figures in the culture industry such as Adam Gee, New Media Commissioner at Channel Four; Ekow Eshun, Artistic Director at the ICA; and Film Producer Anna Brunoro.
Maria Goerka described how they selected mentors according to the differing needs of the mentees, selecting those that would cover a range of sectors detailed within the CLP’s guidelines – ranging from Literary, Performing and Visual arts, Music, Design and Cultural Heritage and Architecture. Film producer, Anna Brunoro described her involvement as a Mentor so far, as being rewarding and exciting. ‘…I just love my sessions with my mentee. I would recommend it to anyone in the profession. I also feel I am giving back to my field.’
In the second phase of the programme, the Discovering Voices Workshop, participants will be challenged for a week with events targeted at teaching the art of pitching ideas, customer relations management and business development strategies through the art of storytelling.
The third phase of the programme, the Thoughts and Action Conference, is set to be held at the British Library and will link the expertise and advice of the ICA and Mind of An Entrepreneur (MOAE). The MOAE is an organisation that holds events grouping together entrepreneurs and emerging business to pool skills, and was set up by successful entrepreneur Alexander Amosu. The conference is expected to feature speakers such as Daljit Singh from Digit, Peter Balzalgette at Endemol and Renzo Rosso from Diesel Jeans who will also participate in panel discussions and talks with the participants.
All events are aimed at offering emerging entrepreneurs the skills in which they will need to further develop their businesses. Claire Louise Staunton, Director of a curatorial agency, who has participated in the event as a mentee, said that the programme has had a positive effect on her career outlook and personal confidence.
According to Staunton the mentoring programme has providing her with a ‘toolkit’ packed with guidance on funding, organizational structure, financial management and marketing and has significantly improved her confidence in her career potential ‘…the programme has introduced me to people who are some of the most respected professionals in the arts industry and their continual support for my ambitions has given me the impetus to launch my own organisation’, Staunton noted. ‘The weight attached to the ICA and such a scheme has demonstrated a level of professionalism and progressive thinking that many others appreciate, partnerships with certain bodies such as the Wellcome Trust and Southwark Arts Forum have been bolstered by the reputation of the ICA, DCMS and the Cultural Leadership Programme’.
Tom Freshwater, a freelance visual arts curator and project manager described how the most interesting part of the programme so far has been the occasion to converse with people of similar experience; the programme has proved to be a stepping stone for him working within freelance arts. ‘In the freelance arts world, qualifications are a bit meaningless, ‘Freshwater stated, ‘both the ICA and Cultural Leadership programme are respected ‘brands’, and I am sure they have helped me get considered as a serious contender for work.’
At the end of the programme the developing leaders will demonstrate their progress over the course of the programme through a series of presentations in mid November.
For more information about The Developing Entrepreneurs as Leaders programme visit The ICA’s website.
