3.4. Opportunities

The gaps discussed indicate that there is an urgent need for further research and analysis to fill these gaps in knowledge and to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the cultural landscape in Bradford. 

The lack of granular and nuanced knowledge about cultural participation and cultural assets in Bradford offers several opportunities for arts organisations and artists in the district:

a. To expand the definition of cultural engagement beyond typical measures and to include a wider range of cultural activities and experiences. This can build on research in this field, developing the concept of ‘everyday participation’ and ‘everyday culture’.⁴⁷ This could help to better understand and reflect the cultural practices of Bradford’s diverse communities and bring to light the cultural richness that exists within these communities. 

b. For arts organisations and artists to engage with residents in a more meaningful and inclusive way. By collaborating with community members and organisations, they can help to identify and prioritise the cultural needs and interests of Bradford residents and create culturally relevant programs and activities that reflect the diverse perspectives and experiences of the community.

c. For arts organisations and artists to help bridge the gap between cultural engagement and social outcomes. By working with local organisations and stakeholders, they can help to build stronger connections between cultural participation and issues such as education, health and wellbeing, and social cohesion, and demonstrate the significant impact that cultural engagement can have on communities and individuals.

²⁷ https://www.cultureisourplan.co.uk/

²⁸ https://bradford2025.co.uk/

²⁹ Indigo Ltd (2021) Creative Choice: An Audience Engagement Framework.

³⁰ https://bradford.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s32614/REGENV19JanDocP.pdf 

³¹ https://bradfordforeveryone.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bradford-for-Everyone-Programme-Evaulation-Report.pdf 

³² https://bradford.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s32614/REGENV19JanDocP.pdf 

³³ Structural Racism is defined as “a system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial group inequity“
https://theconversation.com/structural-racism-what-it-is-and-how-it-works-158822 

³⁴ See e.g. - http://www.everydayparticipation.org/ for links to academic and policy articles.

³⁵ Active Lives Survey (2015 - 17). This is any participation or attendance in arts including combined arts, dance, literature, music, theatre, and visual arts, at least once in the previous 12 months. 

³⁶ RMR (2022) The Leap CPP Evaluation report. Available from The Leap CPP on request.     

³⁷ Indigo (2020) Audiences, Engagement and Participation Study for Bradford 2025.

³⁸ Note that Arts Council England has now commissioned a new data platform, Illuminate, which will include a new segmentation model which may supersede Audience Spectrum. See https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/developing-creativity-and-culture/illuminate As it will be built on similar (ie box office data) it is unlikely that this will overcome some of the structural issues of Audience Spectrum.

³⁹ Indigo (2020) Audiences, Engagement and Participation Study for Bradford 2025.

⁴⁰ Bradford Creative Place Partnership (2020) ‘Culture and Me’ Research undertaken by Indigo Ltd. 

⁴¹ Funded organisations in England are required to submit their booking/attendance data to a data warehouse, where the data is aggregated to form a single source of information on booker behaviour. In addition, funded organisations who do not collect data from customers, or do not sell tickets, are required to capture qualitative data via the Audience Finder Survey. The organisations from Bradford that submit data to Audience Finder include Bradford Literature Festival, Bradford Theatres (all venues), Mind the Gap and Theatre in the Mill. Survey data from: Artworks Creative Communities; Common Wealth Theatre; Dance United Yorkshire; Ilkley Literature Festival; Impressions Gallery; Kala Sangam; The Brontë Society (Parsonage Museum).

⁴² CPP Culture and Me.

⁴³ https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/23100986.arts-council-england-reveals-bradfords-10-million-share-culture-fund/

⁴⁴ Mapping and assessing the economic value, scope and impact of Bradford District’s Cultural and Creative Assets:
BOP Consulting 2020

⁴⁵ Please note, this data is from 2020.

⁴⁶ https://bradford2025.co.uk/2021/05/20/culture-is-our-plan/

⁴⁷ Miles, A., & Gibson, L. (2016). Everyday participation and cultural value. Cultural Trends, 25(3), 151-157.

Next Section: The Creative and Visitor Economy