Urban renaissance is the process of improving the quality of life in all our towns and cities and ensuring they are places that people choose to live, work and play.
Urban renaissance is essential if we are to ensure the sustainable development of the South East of England. Yet urban renaissance will never result from one agency working on its own. It can only be achieved by a range of public and private agencies working in partnership. In recognition of this, Arts Council England, South East was pleased to sponsor Urban Renaissance – Action in the South East, a conference hosted by the South East England Development Agency, the South East England Regional Assembly and Government Office for the South East at Reading Town Hall in January 2003. The conference focused on the major urban renewal and regeneration projects that are planned for the region and detailed in the Government’s recently published Regional Action Plan for the South East – Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future.
This article outlines the essential contribution that the arts make to the renaissance of our urban centres. It is based on the speech delivered by Felicity Harvest, Executive Director, Arts Council England, South East at the conference.
‘Cultural renewal
The arts animate, inspire and revitalise. It is for this reason that the desire to regenerate our towns has often led to the establishment of arts and cultural facilities. The De La Warr Pavilion was built in 1935 to symbolise Bexhill’s success as a tourist destination. However, subsequent changes in patterns of tourism meant that it became increasingly derelict. In 2002 the Arts Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund committed £6 million to restore the Pavilion and enable its rebirth as an arts, cultural and recreational facility for the people of Bexhill. What was once a symbol of Bexhill’s success will now become a catalyst for Bexhill’s renaissance.
Since the early 1990s East Kent has been the focus of a development programme addressing over 40 years of economic decline. The proposed Turner Centre in Margate will be a landmark visual arts and cultural building, which, integrated with the cultural quarter development in Margate Old Town, will stand as a beacon for the regeneration of East Kent with enormous potential for cultural links locally, nationally and internationally.
Imaginative centres
Urban renaissance, however, requires more than the restoration or construction of buildings. Through Art at the Centre, Arts Council England is working in partnership with local authorities and local businesses on the culturally driven redevelopment of Bicester, Reading and Slough, as a means of creating safe, vibrant, interesting spaces for communities to live in. Literally placing the arts at the centre of renewal programmes, it aims to enliven the towns and encourage greater community engagement, through interesting and thoughtful design and through public art and live events, such as performances and sound sculptures.
Taking art beyond the gallery space and into public spaces can encourage us to think creatively about our environment. In Hastings, Arts Council England has been working with the local authority to part-fund a public art officer post, demonstrating a real commitment to the role of design in the regeneration of the town. Stream by Esther Rolinson was unveiled in March 2002 creating a very beautiful addition to the Hastings seafront.
Arts Council England is working actively with the South East England Development Agency on the development of a new award scheme for art in the public realm. The £750,000 scheme will focus on the role of the arts in urban regeneration and civic pride, and will include a strand designed to support early career artists.
Animating communities
Outdoor events such as carnivals and festivals transform the way we feel about where we live, revitalising our towns by encouraging us to celebrate and take pride in our surroundings. Street arts are unique in their ability to reach new audiences. By taking work out into public spaces they engage audiences with exciting, enjoyable and dynamic performance. Whether these performances are sought out, or whether people chance upon them during a lunch hour or while out shopping, these encounters intrigue and challenge.
Creating opportunities
Urban renaissance depends on increasing the opportunities available to local communities, for example through education. Creative Partnerships is a major national arts in education programme with a budget of £40 million giving young people from over 361 schools the opportunity to work closely with arts professionals on an ongoing basis. Arts Council England has two Creative Partnerships in the south east in East Kent and Slough. Both are exploring the extent to which the arts and creative programmes raise aspiration and address personal and professional skill development in children and young people.
Successful communities are healthy communities. Arts Council England is working with hospitals, health care trusts and community groups throughout the region to develop and deliver arts in health and healthy living programmes. Through the support of New Deal for Communities, South East Dance has developed a dance programme, which promotes the benefits of physical activity and creativity and has contributed to East Brighton residents living healthier lifestyles. At Bexhill Hospital Steve Pyke was commissioned to work with staff and patients to create new artworks for the foyer of the new Healthcare Clinic.
Creative economies
The private sector also helps develop local communities. Here in the south east, the creative and cultural industries are an increasingly important economic force. David Powell Associates’ recent report, Creative and Cultural Industries – An Economic Impact Study for South East England, showed that they generate £46 billion a year and employ some 500,000 people. There is a very close link between the subsidised sector and commercial cultural industries, particularly in the realm of content origination and new ideas, and research and development. Arts Council England is working in a number of ways to support the development of the creative and cultural industries.
Through regular funding to organisations and agencies that deliver cultural and artistic activity, Arts Council England can support the creative infrastructure in the region beyond the subsidised sector. Artpoint, for example, is a visual arts and crafts agency that commissions new work for public spaces with a wide client base including urban regeneration schemes, local authorities, the education sector and private sector developers.
In Canterbury, Arts Council England has been involved in the Whitefriars Shopping Centre development by Land Securities plc and Canterbury City Council. The partnership commissioned artist Janet Hodgson to create a series of temporary artworks inspired by the redevelopment process, to stimulate interest in the construction. Janet was also commissioned to create a permanent work to be exhibited at the centre. This work will draw on the archaeological discoveries made during the surveying of the site. As a result, visitors to the Whitefriars Shopping Centre will be able to see a visual interpretation of the history of the site.
Arts Council England is also working with SAGA on plans to draw creative industries to Folkestone. Buying derelict properties to create artists’ studios and fixed-rent accommodation for creative businesses, the project aims to kickstart an ongoing programme to convert a near-derelict part of the town centre and help stimulate the economic renaissance of Folkestone. A charitable foundation will ensure that these properties remain available to artists at rentals fixed below the market rate.
In conclusion
The arts play an essential role in the urban renaissance of the south east, contributing to the physical, social, economic and cultural renewal of the region.
Arts Council England is committed to work as a catalyst, coordinator, advisor, advocate and funder of arts within urban renaissance projects. Little can be achieved through one agency working on its own. We are keen to continue to build our partnerships with other local, regional and national bodies to further the role that the arts can play within the wider community.’
This article has been published with the kind permission of Arts Council England, South East.
For more information on arts in urban renaissance programmes in the south east, contact Felicity Scanlon, Assistant Officer, Resource Development, Arts Council England, South East, Sovereign House, Church Street, Brighton BN1 1RA. Phone: 01273 763000 Email: southeast@artscouncil.org.uk or visit the website: www.artscouncil.org.uk
