Blog

50 years ago today, Jennie Lee, the first Arts Minister published her White Paper “A Policy for the Arts – First Steps”.

Delegates from over 50 organisations took part in the third and final Learning Exchange to debate value in the context of young people and arts and culture.

Delegates from over 50 organisations took part in the second of a series of three learning exchanges to debate how we promote opportunities for children and young people in London’s changing cityscape.

It is nearly 2 years since the Creative Employment Programme, the Arts Council’s £15 million scheme designed to create fairer entry routes into the arts and culture sector, began to subsidise salaries for entry level positions in arts and cultural organisations. Is it working?

6 approaches to Cultural Education & 6 approaches to influencing regeneration.

Two key findings were highlighted at the Performing Places conference: the importance of schools and geographic mobility for young people.

Delegates from 50 Cultural organisations, including Museums, Music Hubs, Heritage organisations, Film as well as arts took part in the first of a series of three Learning Exchanges.

Silver & Gold is a nine-month action research programme that supported six cultural organisations to explore new models for delivering Arts Award.

Blood Swept lands and Seas of Red is the stunning installation hand-made ceramic poppies at the Tower of London to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. Why Remember? is the schools campaign linked to this art work.

The recent panel discussion ‘Society from the spectacle; the art of place-making’, chaired by Lyn Gardner at the start of the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (GDIF) explored outdoor arts and the psycho-geography of place. 

Are we measuring what matters in the Arts, and why do we need to measure it? This is an increasingly common question amongst arts organisations in an age of austerity and evidence-based policy.

As Arts and Cultural organisations head into the new era of austerity, evidence based policy and new financial instruments focussed on measurable outcomes, it is not surprising there are many conversations around defining and measuring value and impact.

Expressions of interest are now invited by those working to engage children and young people with arts and culture, to join our next Action Learning set intake from October 2013.

"For an organisation to survive, its rate of learning must be at least equal to the rate of change in its external environment." Revan's Law

A New Direction is looking for organisations and/or Partnerships/Consortia with great ideas, to try new ways of delivering Silver/Gold Arts Award.

The education debate continues, often creating unhelpful polarities; knowledge v skills, curriculum v assessment, school improvement v innovation, Twigg v Gove.

The Hubs can play an important role in connecting the cultural landscape for Young Londoners. They have good local connectivity, especially to Schools and they are outward facing and connect to cultural partners.

AND's Michael Judge reflects on his attendance at the 'What next?' conference and shares some of the highlights and outcomes that the event brought together.

This Thursday A New Direction is hosting the London Picture Conference where keynote speakers and panel debate will provoke change for young Londoners and Cultural Education.

I had heard rumours of its existence from colleagues. At various Local Authority meetings, often someone would look at me meaningfully and say, "I expect you've heard about the Graph of Doom", I would nod.

Here are a few thoughts inspired by Sandra Standcliffe, head of education and interpretation at English Heritage, who spoke at the GEM/AND Conference: Forging New Agendas.

'Perpetually in Beta'... is the phrase John Kieffer, chair of A New Direction, used in relation to creative entrepreneurship at the CENTRES (Creative Entrepreneurship in Schools) conference last week