What would it take to make the North East the best place to be a disabled cultural worker? Reflections on North East Culture Social
Artistic Director Annie Rigby reflects on the most recent North East Culture Social held at Arc Stockton on Thursday 21st March 2024.
Credit - Paul Miller
The question above was at the heart of the recent North East Culture Social at ARC Stockton. The event was inspired by two things. One is the brilliant Crucial Conversations blog by artist and activist, Vici Wreford-Sinnott. It makes space for disabled artists to discuss their experiences and the challenges they face, and it is full of wisdom, frustration and honesty.
The other inspiration was North East Culture Partnership’s ambition “to make the North East the best place to be a cultural worker”. This is a great ambition. And it got me thinking. In the North East we have the biggest proportion of disabled people making up our population. So, if we’re going to make the North East the best place to be a cultural worker, why not start by working out what we need to do to make this true for disabled people?
The event brought together about 25 artists, producers and practitioners. A mix of freelancers, venue staff, emerging artists and those with decades of work under their belts.
Credit - Paul Miller
We kicked off with three fantastic provocations. Vici talked with unflinching honesty, real emotion and humanity about how tough things are for disabled people. Only a few days previous, the UN had called for the UK government to answer for the “grave and systematic” violations of disabled people’s human rights in this country. (In case you’re wondering what happened there, the UK government didn’t show up to the hearing.) But while holding space for real horror and despair, Vici also held space for optimism and hope.
She described the flush of energy, activism and talent she sees in disabled artists’ work around her. She talked about change - including plans to build on the Cultural Shift work done at ARC Stockton. This would extend the learning and practice to organisations across the North East, improving how they engage disabled people in their staff, artistic teams, communities and audiences.
Credit - Paul Miller
From here our next speaker - theatre-maker and Unfolding Theatre Creative Associate, EJ Raymond - took up the baton. EJ talked about their own school experience. They were told they couldn’t be an actor because they are deaf. EJ talked about founding North East Deaf Youth Theatre as a direct response to that. This is a space where deaf children and young people in the North East can see that they can perform, write, make, be creative. EJ talked about other plans in the North East - like the pilot of a new deaf festival, Whey Aye Festival, planned for November 2024 at Gosforth Civic Theatre. They talked about possibility and connections - about being part of a company - about feeling like things were just beginning and that there was still far to go.
Finally, we heard from Rowan Brown, CEO of Museums Northumberland & NE Culture Partnership board member. Rowan talked with breadth about the challenges faced by disabled practitioners from her personal perspective to an organisational level to thinking about the communities around us. Most astonishingly, Rowan reminded us - from her position leading a heritage organisation - that the cultural task in hand is not only about making space for the living but also for the dead. Where are disabled people’s stories in our archives, collections and museum exhibitions, as well as in our staff teams, audiences and on our stages? Rowan’s hopeful answer took a similarly broad view in terms of time. We need to look honestly about where we are now, and the changes we can make that will make an immediate difference. But we also need to keep a close eye on where we want to be in 25 years’ time. What are the changes we need to make, and who do we need to inspire, to make sure progress is sustained, structural and significant?
I came away from Vici, EJ and Rowan’s provocations with a real sense of the breadth of the challenges and the breadth of responses needed. Across generations. From micro changes to structural transformation. We need to hold space for all of this. And we can only do that together.
As the event continued, we held three conversation groups digging into the issues raised, and inspiring pledges for action. Our three topics were Talent Development and Championing Disabled Artists, Making Change in Organisations and Teams and Activism (a.k.a. how to keep going in the face of exhaustion). There were some brilliant insights shared in all three conversations. About ensuring disabled people are at the heart of shaping talent development programmes. About how we share learning and champion good practice. About how this conversation can kickstart more.
And of course, like many good conversation events, we finished by feeling there was so much more to say and do.
My own pledge was to write this blog to share the insights from North East Culture Social further than those who were able to join us in the room (and on the Zoom). Beyond this, I am committed to continuing this conversation and taking action. If you would like to be part of that, do get in touch.