- Home
- Session Reports
- Opening Address
- Question Time 1
- 01. Events and IT
- 02. Staging Events with Excluded Young People
- 04. Cities and Major Events
- 05. Sports Events and Community Conflict
- Question Time 2
- 06. Evaluating Events (i)
- Keynote: Liverpool 08
- Day 2: Plenary Keynote
- Question Time 3
- 12. Making Cultural Venues Open
- 13. The Importance of Small Events
- 14. Evaluating Events (ii)
- Question Time 4
12. Making Cultural Venues Open
Dave Moutrey and Sarah Perks (Cornerhouse)
There is increasing pressure on cultural and arts venues to meet a range of agendas in terms of being centres for the delivery of events on a daily basis. One of these is the drive to make arts venues more ‘open’, accessible and to involve the audience more in programming, something which both Dave and Sarah have been intimately involved with. Cornerhouse is Manchester’s leading contemporary arts venue and is moving toward more ‘open source’ programming as well as being a leading example of running initiatives for the creation and consumption for art and media by and for young people.
Conference Report
Dave Moutrey, the Director and Chief Executive Officer at Cornerhouse began the session explaining the history and activities of the venue, ‘We are a visual arts and cinema venue and opened in 1985. We show specialized films and have 3 galleries, 2 bookshops, a café and a bar.’ He went onto explain that the education and marketing teams were brought together to create an ‘engagement’ team. This team delivers, ‘interpretive and interactive events such as the ‘Projector’ programme for 14-19 year olds and the ‘Underexposed’ programme for new and emerging directors.’
Sarah who leads the engagement work at the Cornerhouse posed the question of what an ‘open’ venue means to the audience. This question was deliberated in small groups and the audience decided that to be open the venue must be physically accessible, culturally accessible and comfortable at the same time as not being pandering to a clique or over-specialised group.
Sarah concluded the session explaining their ‘Live-Wire’ project which encompasses a range of projects across film, art and multi-media. These sessions are open and free and more importantly are delivered at flexible access points across the city, ‘we perform targeted outreach and young people attend and chair our management team meetings.’ The session produced a wide debate upon what makes a venue open and how to reach multiple audiences. More information about the work and programmes of the Cornerhouse can be found on their website; http://www.cornerhouse.org/today/
