Building 41 in Northwood was the location for the launch of a new Cultural Strategy for the Isle of Wight today (Tuesday), setting out the Island’s ambitions and goals for the next decade.
The event was well-represented by creative practitioners and arts and heritage organisations, as well as Isle of Wight councillors, all eager to hear about the latest Cultural Strategy and the impact it aims to have on the Island over the next ten years.
What is culture?
Culture can mean many things to many people. It’s something that is passed down from generation to generation: our beliefs, attitudes and goals, expressed through language and societal habits.
It can be the food we eat or our creative output through the Arts. However you define it, culture is almost always closely tied to feelings of identity and community. Something the Isle of Wight has in abundance.
A distinctive set of communities with a rich cultural heritage and vibrant creative spirit
Over the last 18 months, a collaboration between Creative Island, the new Cultural Development Agency for the Isle of Wight (formerly The Island Collection), and the Isle of Wight Council, has seen more than 500 people help shape and inform the Cultural Strategy.
From this, a vision was developed: that by 2033, the Isle of Wight will be nationally recognised as a distinctive set of communities with a rich cultural heritage and vibrant creative spirit.
Jones-Evans: It’s a living document, owned by us all, an invitation to enhance our place and lives
Following today’s launch, Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, the cabinet member regeneration and culture, told News OnTheWight,
“I was really pleased to see so many representatives from the cultural sector today to join in the launch of the Island’s new Cultural Strategy.
“It’s a living document, owned by us all, an invitation to enhance our place and lives. The whole consultation has helped us understand and document the breadth and richness of the Island’s cultural landscape.
“This gives us, as a community, the confidence to grow and continue to express ourselves to the region, nation and world.
“Thanks to everyone who contributes to the Island’s cultural life, it really is appreciated how you enrich our lives.”
Stride: “We need to reject definitions of what culture is and isn’t”
Having a Cultural Strategy in place makes a huge difference to the likelihood of securing new funding for the Island from Arts Council of England, Heritage Lottery Fund, foundations, trusts and even philanthropic giving.
Gavin Stride, the Executive Director of Creative Island, explained to those attending the launch,
“Our ambition is for the Island to be known globally as a place with a vibrant, accessible, evolving grassroots culture. I do not hold with the view that we have high art and low art.”
He stressed that Creative Island was an organisation that would not be operating in a top down fashion, adding,
“This is a work in progress. Our aim is for Islanders to collaborate and connect, and we will make this happen.”
Main goals
The main goals of the Cultural Strategy are:
- Become known for our heritage and creativity
- Nurture, retain and attract creative talent
- Encourage everyone to engage in cultural activity
- Foster a resilient, environmentally sustainable cultural and creative sector
Find out more
This is an incredibly exciting moment, not just for the Isle of Wight’s creative and heritage sectors, but for everyone living on the Island.
You can find out more by visiting the Creative Island website, where you’ll find an introductory video featuring Gavin Stride, as well as the Cultural Strategy document, which you can view online or download.
