EDI co-learning network: A refresh and the launch of creative commissions
Back in 2022, Culture Counts secured funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation toward the development of a new EDI co-learning network. The aspiration for this network was to create space for Core Members of Culture Counts, and others across the sector, to learn and work together on questions around building a fairer and more equal culture sector.
Three years later, the need for this work is as vital as ever, but in a changing landscape the format and approach merited a fresh look. As Interim Director at Culture Counts during a period of significant change for the sector, I was keen to move this work on in a way that felt grounded in lived experience, that drew on the creative imagination as a fuel for change, that was collaborative and networked by design, and that worked pragmatically to make tangible progress within the realities of organisational, sectoral and global contexts.
As such, I’m delighted that we are today launching phase 1 of a newly reimagined EDI co-learning network, delivered in partnership with Equal Media and Culture Centre for Scotland (under the leadership of Katie Goh), and with expert guidance from Matthew Hickman, who led the development of Our Voices: A diverse artists guide. The work of this new network will grow iteratively, rooted in opportunities to learn, share, discuss and think together.
To frame and inform this thinking, we’re beginning by commissioning six diverse artists from across Scotland to create short, new pieces of work on the theme of "dreaming of a fairer future for culture". The commissioned artists are:
These creative commissions will inspire and guide our discussions as a network, and offer us fuel to think together about the kind of future we're aiming toward, and to explore what steps we might take to bring that closer to reality. The first opportunity to hear from some of our commissioned artists, and discuss what comes next for us as a network, will be at our next Core Members Meeting. This will be held on Thursday 20. March 2025, at the Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy. You can book a (free) ticket to join us, here.
We’re excited to see where this work takes us, and to work collectively to take action toward a fairer and more equal culture sector. We can’t wait to share the outcomes of this phase of commissions with you all, and to delve into thoughtful discussions together from there.