Championing arts and culture in the region is vital for universities - Ben Walmsley

At the University of Leeds, the Parkinson Building – our most distinctive landmark – sits on a hill overlooking the city and can appear to some as an ivory tower. Many people don’t realise that the University offers a wealth of activities that anyone can enjoy for free.

Our cultural offering includes two galleries in the Parkinson Building, a concert hall, several theatres and a newly launched public audio art trail across the campus.

After more than 20 years researching audience engagement with culture, I have heard from audience members that they find comfort and escapism in their cultural experiences. They see them as a meaningful way to learn more about themselves and their communities, and to spend special time with people close to them.

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But our on-campus cultural venues are currently underused by the public. Why? Our research has suggested that these venues are perceived to be too academic, exclusive or hard to find.

University of Leeds' Parkinson Building. PIC: Jonathan GawthorpeUniversity of Leeds' Parkinson Building. PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe
University of Leeds' Parkinson Building. PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe

We want to change these perceptions and make everyone feel welcome to benefit from the University’s creative activities, but we know there’s a lot of work to do to achieve this, so we’re setting out an exciting new direction with our Cultural Engagement Strategy.

To lift the curtain on our creative campus, we’re developing a new online box office and ticketing platform that will promote events from across our University in one place. With recent exhibitions ranging from Shakespeare’s First Folio to fresh graduate talent, and performances from international piano stars to immersive gaming, we have so much to offer – but we need a central point where people can access the information they need.

The rich, diverse cultural scene in Leeds includes organisations and artists already doing vital work with our local communities and we’re excited to step up our investment and support for the sector.

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As well as our long-standing partnerships with the Leeds International Piano Competition and Opera North, we’re investing in new cultural partners such as the next UK City of Culture, Bradford 2025, to benefit the region and engage with Bradford’s young and diverse population.

The National Poetry Centre, a new charity founded by Poet Laureate and Professor of Poetry at Leeds, Simon Armitage, is another key partner that will be based on the University’s campus, building on Leeds’ well-established literary scene to make a national home for poetry in Yorkshire.

As we celebrate the region’s culture, we are committing to bringing in partners that better reflect the diverse population of our area and working with our students, staff and local groups to develop programmes that spark their interest.

We know that culture adds value in more than just financial terms, but arts funding has been squeezed by challenging economic times. Increasing financial pressures on local councils (still the largest funders of culture in England) have seen the closure of important artist spaces like the Tetley and Aire Street Workshops in Leeds.

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At this time, there is an urgent need for universities to take arts and culture more seriously as a way of supporting a vital, high-growth sector that has suffered from years of being underfunded and undervalued.

With one of the largest arts and humanities faculties in Europe, the University of Leeds is ideally placed to step up to share our creativity, research and resources with the Yorkshire region.

Professor Ben Walmsley is the dean of cultural engagement at the University of Leeds.

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