Liverpool’s arts organisations have come together in a brand new campaign promoting Liverpool’s impressive cultural credentials.
The Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, Katumba, Bluecoat, Liverpool Philharmonic, Metal Culture, Homotopia, FACT, DaDaFest, The Comedy Trust and Liverpool Arab Arts Festival are just some of around 50 names forming part of the Culture Collective campaign which proudly highlights the city’s vast and diverse culture offer.
Billboards and advertising hoardings across Liverpool and Manchester will be emblazoned with slogans including ‘The Place is Liverpool. The Time is Now’, ‘Every Language. Every Accent. Every Artform. Every Style.’ and ‘Welcome to the city where the best stories begin…’
Local artists, Raven and Dayzy, are joining forces with Liverpool-based video director Jack Whiteley and GoPlay recording studios to bring the campaign to life with a specially created soundtrack which pays homage to the city’s enviable cultural scene. This will be showcased on the official website – https://www.visitliverpool.com/culturesclub – and on cultural social media channels.
The arts sector has been one of the hardest hit as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic – with many venues closed for long periods or unable to curate in-person programmes due to changes to restrictions.
The Culture Collective is an initiative aimed at attracting local and regional visitors back to the city, shining a spotlight on the huge array of establishments that make up the region’s live performance, music and dance, galleries and exhibitions, film and digital technologies, comedy, festivals and museums.
This new way of collaborative working means resources, including the wealth of creative skills and experience, can all be shared and cross-promoted.
The importance of the sector was highlighted by the most recent figures which show Liverpool’s leisure, creative and cultural industries:
- Bring in around £3.3bn to the city region each year
- Equates to 38 per cent of the city’s economy
- See a business rate contribution of 49.8 per cent. This means £270.5million is invested in core services such as social care, health care and in education.
- Supports 60,000 jobs
An analysis of 27 cultural organisations funded through the city council’s Cultural Arts Investment Programme showed that in 2021/22, 250,487 people attended live events – significantly lower than the 4.5million recorded in 2019/20.
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy, Councillor Harry Doyle:
“This is a hugely exciting campaign involving around 50 cultural organisations – from names that need no introduction, to those whose work is less well known but who are just as awe-inspiring – and they’re all working together to send out the message that their doors are open and they can’t wait to welcome back audiences – old and new.
“Despite the horrendous challenges this sector has faced over the past two years, their resilience is inspiring and there is a real sense of positivity about the potential of 2022 and the return of local, national and hopefully international visitors. They simply can’t wait to show people what’s in store this year – from big nights out and reflective moments, to belly laughs and enjoying that shared moment of joy with others.
“Our city’s creative teams are itching to welcome people back and by working together we can shine a spotlight on the city once again and see our much-loved cultural sector come alive and thrive.”
Mary Cloake, Chief Executive, the Bluecoat:
“As one of the city’s best loved arts venues, the Bluecoat is delighted to be part of a campaign to remind people of Liverpool’s rich cultural offer and the joy to be found in seeing a show, spending time in a gallery or doing something creative.
“Liverpool needs people to thrive, and Bluecoat is playing a key part in reinvigorating the city centre alongside other cultural attractions. We’ve done our best to ensure our historic building is safe for visitors so that people can start to enjoy culture again. While we were closed during lockdown we transformed our entrance area so if you haven’t visited recently come down and see our fresh new look.”
Michael Eakin, Chief Executive of Liverpool Philharmonic:
“We’re delighted to work with Culture Liverpool and arts organisations across our city on the Culture Collective campaign, which will highlight Liverpool’s world-class cultural offer. “As with the culture sector as a whole, the pandemic has posed significant challenges to Liverpool Philharmonic, but since Autumn 2021 we have once again presented a busy and artistically vibrant programme of visiting artists from around the world. We are looking forward to continuing to welcome our audiences back to Liverpool Philharmonic in the year ahead.”
Elinor Randle, Artistic Director- Tmesis Theatre, and spokesperson for the COoL Collective (Creative Organisations of Liverpool) which represents 27 key arts organisations based in the Liverpool City Region:
“We are very proud of the collective and the collaborative way we work across a wide variety of art forms and communities. This campaign is exciting as it highlights the rich diversity of incredible work our city region has to offer. We look forward to sharing work, collaborating and welcoming visitors to our festivals and events in 2022!”
The Culture Collective campaign has been funded through the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund which is administered by Arts Council England, some of the cultural organisations involved and Liverpool City Council.
A second phase of the project will launch later this year.
