Re-imagining the arts festival in times of crisis
Lead Research Organisation:
Birmingham City University
Department Name: ADM Birmingham School of Media
Abstract
Research Context - As a festival director and producer, I have experienced first-hand the crisis in the UK arts sector. From changes in how we communicate with audiences and funders, to how we think about programming and how we contract artists, everything has been inverted in previously unimaginable ways (Rentschler, Lee 2021; Gradinaru 2021; Davies 2020). Facing these challenges from different positions - the Producer of a thriving 40-year-old Festival in rural North Yorkshire; and Founder and Director of a much smaller, 5-year-old Festival in the Chilterns - as well as regular communication with other festival directors and cultural leaders (Bucks Cultural Leaders 2021), has given me a broad perspective on this period.
One of the most significant areas of innovation and creativity has been through digital platforms (Bowen et al. 2021; Loots et al. 2021), which raises questions about harnessing these technologies for the future. Between my two festivals, we presented 17 digital concerts and a film connecting amateur and professional musicians, the platforms and funding for which did not exist previously - and countless similar achievements occurred elsewhere (ACE 2020). The inner workings of these festivals, and the leadership (Collins 2001; Heifetz, Laurie 2001) that inspired dedicated staff and volunteers to achieve such outstanding work as they faced a VUCA world (Feldman 2017) is a constant source of fascination for me and will play a significant part in this research.
Research Questions
1. How are festivals uniquely placed to create environments where cultural life thrives, and how in times of crisis can they continue to keep their content and communications relevant to their audience?
2. How have challenges the arts world has faced recently, alongside the ongoing challenges of EDI and sustainability, changed the way festivals operate: how have audiences adapted, and how will these changes affect the future of the industry?
3. How can industry leaders build robust, adaptable teams; what specific organisational challenges do festivals face; and how do the volunteers within an organisation affect how this is approached?
Methodology
Working with BAFA to evaluate the UK festivals landscape; establishing priorities and principles for the sector's recovery post-Brexit and post-Covid. Building on baseline data from BAFA (i.e. FMB4; Indigo), three case-study BAFA-member festivals will be selected.
Mixed methodology: semi-structured interviews, data analysis, collaborative and co-design research processes (eg. audience forums; creative labs), historical/archival research, extensive fieldwork at case-study festivals.
Impact
A practical model that can become part of BAFA's toolkit for understanding and evaluating the impact of arts festivals, as well as creating a conceptual framework for understanding the changes taking place across the sector more broadly.
Timeline
Year 1
PG Certificate in Research Practice
Scoping exercises and data analysis with BAFA
Ethics review
Preliminary surveys; establishing relationships and schedules with case-study festivals
Draft literature review and methodology
Years 2 & 3
Workshops and interviews
Data gathering, reflection and comparison
Presentations at external conference(s)
Draft thesis chapters
Year 4
Analysis of case-study data
Report and recommendations for BAFA research
Completion of thesis
Annual presentations at BAFA conference.
One of the most significant areas of innovation and creativity has been through digital platforms (Bowen et al. 2021; Loots et al. 2021), which raises questions about harnessing these technologies for the future. Between my two festivals, we presented 17 digital concerts and a film connecting amateur and professional musicians, the platforms and funding for which did not exist previously - and countless similar achievements occurred elsewhere (ACE 2020). The inner workings of these festivals, and the leadership (Collins 2001; Heifetz, Laurie 2001) that inspired dedicated staff and volunteers to achieve such outstanding work as they faced a VUCA world (Feldman 2017) is a constant source of fascination for me and will play a significant part in this research.
Research Questions
1. How are festivals uniquely placed to create environments where cultural life thrives, and how in times of crisis can they continue to keep their content and communications relevant to their audience?
2. How have challenges the arts world has faced recently, alongside the ongoing challenges of EDI and sustainability, changed the way festivals operate: how have audiences adapted, and how will these changes affect the future of the industry?
3. How can industry leaders build robust, adaptable teams; what specific organisational challenges do festivals face; and how do the volunteers within an organisation affect how this is approached?
Methodology
Working with BAFA to evaluate the UK festivals landscape; establishing priorities and principles for the sector's recovery post-Brexit and post-Covid. Building on baseline data from BAFA (i.e. FMB4; Indigo), three case-study BAFA-member festivals will be selected.
Mixed methodology: semi-structured interviews, data analysis, collaborative and co-design research processes (eg. audience forums; creative labs), historical/archival research, extensive fieldwork at case-study festivals.
Impact
A practical model that can become part of BAFA's toolkit for understanding and evaluating the impact of arts festivals, as well as creating a conceptual framework for understanding the changes taking place across the sector more broadly.
Timeline
Year 1
PG Certificate in Research Practice
Scoping exercises and data analysis with BAFA
Ethics review
Preliminary surveys; establishing relationships and schedules with case-study festivals
Draft literature review and methodology
Years 2 & 3
Workshops and interviews
Data gathering, reflection and comparison
Presentations at external conference(s)
Draft thesis chapters
Year 4
Analysis of case-study data
Report and recommendations for BAFA research
Completion of thesis
Annual presentations at BAFA conference.
