Sarah Maxfield: Culture can rewrite the script for region

It became the first to be home to two cities of culture after the remarkable success of Hull UK City of Culture back in 2017. In the six intervening years, a cultural and creative renaissance has taken hold.

This is what Yorkshire and the Humber can become and we are hoping to help achieve over the next few years, which is why we will be increasing our investment in the county by 16 per cent from 2018.

From the East to West Riding and from dale to city – the county feels like an incredibly vibrant place to be right now with towns and cities as diverse as Skipton and Sheffield writing culture into their core script for the future and recognising the benefits in quality of life, wellbeing, education and the economy.

We’ve just announced support to our national portfolio of organisations who form the backbone for culture across the country – and 91 organisations in Yorkshire will benefit, including 21 who are new.

After all, it’s your money, funded from Government and the National Lottery, and we want everyone here in Yorkshire to benefit from it.

Hull is in the middle of a memorable year as UK City of Culture and is making headlines across the world in the process. Now we are looking at how we can support a longlasting legacy through increased investment in organisations like the Freedom Festival, Hull Museums and the Ferens Gallery, while Middle Child Theatre Company is a new addition to our the portfolio.

Yorkshire already contributes some outstanding members to the existing portfolio – Sheffield Theatres, Northern Ballet, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Opera North all have national and international standing, as well as smaller organisations doing exciting and cutting edge work, including Slung Low Theatre in Leeds, the National Centre for Early Music in York, Site Gallery in Sheffield and Mind the Gap in Bradford, which enrich the county’s diverse cultural offer.

With so many world-class dance organisations and dancers calling it home, it’s no surprise Leeds has become one of the key centres for dance outside London. The number of related organisations in one city is striking: Northern Ballet, Yorkshire Dance, Phoenix Dance, RJC and Balbir Singh.

We continue support to major city museum services in Leeds, Hull, Sheffield and York, and we have a range of smaller museums joining the portfolio – from specialists like the Thackeray Medical Museum in Leeds, to the innovative Barnsley Museums with its crowd-sourced collection, and the only volunteer-run museum on our national books, Ripon Museum Trust.

Making the North a place where artists can train and stay to build a career is one of our priorities. We also want our investment to reach more people and that includes supporting artists, cultural organisations and audiences which reflect the diversity of contemporary society.

After only three years, Bradford Literature Festival has claimed a place as one of the UK’s leading festivals with its distinctive focus on writers from around the world, inspired by the city’s diverse communities.

Opportunities for children and young people are vital. I’m especially delighted that we are supporting Rotherham’s exciting and innovative Grimm & Co in this way for the first time – creating storytelling magic behind the façade of its ‘Apothecary to the Magical’ store.

While the enjoyment to be gained from arts and culture is rightly an end in itself, they also have the power to rejuvenate town and city centres and create new business opportunities, including cultural tourism. Not just in cities like Hull and Leeds but also in Wakefield, and in Halifax where the town’s Culture Hub has recently been awarded £150,000 in Cultural Destinations funding to drive the visitor numbers.

Partnerships are key, as is strong leadership. I’ve seen good evidence of both in Yorkshire – in the public and private, the cultural and higher education sectors.

As Leeds polishes its bid to be European Capital of Culture in 2023, and Hull enters the second half of a stunning celebratory year, the potential is there for Yorkshire to claim its title as the most cultural county of all. A future we’ll be very proud to play a part in.

Sarah Maxfield is North Area Director of the Arts Council.