Join us for an afternoon of discussions and panels celebrating the launch of the book Pandemic Culture: The Impacts of Covid-19 on the UK Cultural Sector and Implications for the Future, published by Manchester University Press. Help us revisit and reinvestigate local, regional and national impacts and policy responses to the Covid-19 crisis within the cultural sector.
Based on the findings of a 15-month research project led by the Centre for Cultural Value the book offers a rigorous statistical analysis of the impacts of these policy responses and of the pandemic itself on the cultural workforce across the UK. It also provides a mixed-methods analysis of cultural organisations and audiences' responses to the pandemic.
We are delighted to host a symposium with the Centre for Cultural Value to celebrate the publication of this important book analysing cultural policy and sector responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase a copy of Pandemic Culture during the event, as Manchester University Press will operate a bookstall at the venue and have kindly provided a discount code, which will be sent to attendees before the event.
Who is this event for?
The event will be of interest to academics, practitioners, policymakers and students working in the cultural industries or interested in cultural policy.
Hear from a panel of experts reflecting on the core, recurrent themes that have emerged from the research. There will also be opportunity to discuss the implications for the sector's future direction and future research in the fields of arts management and cultural policy.
Accessibility
We want to make the event a positive experience for all participants. If you have particular access needs, please let us know in advance by providing details of any accessibility needs when registering for your ticket or by emailing us at creative@manchester.ac.uk.
Connect with Creative Manchester
Creative Manchester is an interdisciplinary research platform based at The University of Manchester. The platform champions research in creativity and creative practice, bringing together research communities with external stakeholders to explore new research areas and address strategic opportunities. Please visit the website for more information about Creative Manchester.
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Connect with the Centre for Cultural Value
The Centre for Cultural Value is a research-driven cultural sector support organisation based at the University of Leeds. We work to develop a shared understanding of the differences that arts, culture and heritage make to people’s lives and society. We want rigorous research and evaluation of what works and what needs to change to shape cultural policy and practice.
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About the speakers
Dave O'Brien is Professor of cultural and creative industries at the University of Manchester. Since completing his PhD on urban cultural policy in the Department of Sociology at the University of Liverpool, he has written extensively on key issues in the cultural and creative economy. These include the use of culture in urban regeneration, how policymakers use evidence, the stratification of cultural consumption, and inequalities in cultural work. He is the co-author of Culture is bad for you, the Panic! report, the Creative Majority and the Making the Creative Majority report. He has twice been an advisor to the House of Commons’ Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee inquiries, and has recently worked with the House of Lords’ Communications and Digital Committee on their At Risk: Our Creative Future report.
Abi Gilmore is Professor of Arts Management & Cultural Policy at the University of Manchester. Her PhD on popular music, cultural policy and local cultural management and ensuing research positions have focused on policy-related projects, including an AHRC funded study of the Millennium Dome, an ESRC study of Local Music Industries and Economic Development in Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield, and the development of local cultural strategies and creative industries mapping. She has also worked in research leadership with cultural sector public bodies in the North West, including Arts Council England and as the founding Director of the Northwest Culture Observatory. Current research and policy engagement is part of her current role as UKRI Policy Fellow on Cultural Placemaking and Levelling Up with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and a Co-I on the ESRC Strategic Hub for Local Policy Innovation Partnerships, leading the cultural recovery strand.
Professor Ben Walmsley is Dean of Cultural Engagement at the University of Leeds and was the inaugural Director of the Centre for Cultural Value. His research encompasses arts management, arts marketing, audience studies and cultural policy, with a focus on audience engagement and enrichment. His work also examines change management and leadership in the arts, as well as capturing and evaluating cultural value. Prior to his academic career, Ben had 10 years’ experience in arts management, most recently as Producer at the National Theatre of Scotland.
