ABCD Plan for Cultural Recovery

 Right Here, Right Now: Where next for culture in our city and how?

Wednesday 15 June, 11am – 3pm, The Sound Rooms and on Zoom

A lot has happened since the ABCD Plan for Cultural Recovery in Brighton & Hove was published at the end of 2020. The world has changed, although the pandemic is still with us, and we’ve all learnt and experienced a great deal.

It’s a good moment to reflect, but mainly to look forwards, so we’re holding an open session – both for those who have been involved in ABCD so far, and those who might be new to the conversation. As Norman Cook says, we’re the ones who are Right Here, Right Now, so we’re the ones who can make a difference. The meeting will be a chance to refresh the direction of ABCD and to input into how choices and decisions are made about the future of culture in the city.

It will be an Open Space session, so the agenda gets set by participants on the day (see this blog by facilitators the hub about how Open Space works). Feel strongly about what the priorities should be? Got an idea about how we can collaborate more effectively? A provocation for the sector at large? Brilliant. Bring your thoughts, and invite your peers to explore them with you. Not got a specific idea, but keen to debate the future? That’s great too.

Who is it for?

Creative and cultural organisations, businesses and workers interested in where next for culture in our city, and how we get there.

How can I take part?

You can take part in person or online, with dedicated facilitators for each group. We have a limited number of small bursaries for freelancers, which will be allocated on a first come first served basis, and there is an access budget to support people with particular needs.

Please register here, by Monday 13 June.

If you have any questions, contact Polly Gifford, ABCD Programme Manager, [email protected]

We hope you can join us!

The disruption of the pandemic brought together over 100 creatives in Brighton & Hove to explore how arts & culture can be more inclusive, sustainable and collaborative in the City in the future.

It resulted in a recovery plan that has so far raised over £400k for the cultural sector in the City. Overseen by an independent group of people formed of a Governance Group and a series of Working Groups, the plan aims to create paid work and opportunities for creative workers in the City, develop a more inclusive cultural offer and encourage partnership working to strengthen the creative sector in the long term.

Our partners include Brighton & Hove City Council, Arts Council England, Brilliant Brighton Business Improvement District, Visit Brighton the Pebble Trust and many funded arts organisations in the City.

The ABCD projects were also funded by the Welcome Back Fund, part of the European Regional Development Fund.

You can find recordings of all the ABCD online activity on our YourTube channel, including the Igniter Events Series, Creativity & Meanwhile Use sessions, Fundraising Strategy workshops and Brighton Creative Stories videos.

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