Memorandum submitted by Paul Atkinson

 

I have been a board member of the Creative Partnerships in Leicester for the last two years or so. I work in the private sector and run a very small design innovations consultancy with clients in the UK, Europe and USA.

 

I should quickly establish that I believe that the Creative Partnerships initiative is a matter of great importance and I give absolute support to all matters of purpose and policy.

 

Of equal importance, I would like to compliment the team in Leicester led by Richard Clark. In my experience Richard's team have devoted total concentration on delivering a quite brilliant service. Several board minutes will capture the integrity and objectivity of their procedures; indeed some of the team's records on appointments are so fastidious that they reach to touch forensic standards.

 

Having established these matters of great importance and achievement, I have one very deep concern that the select committee should consider. Of the 19 creative teams appointed to contribute front line services to city schools 95% of the selected companies are specialists in the visual arts and performance art.

 

In my view, there is a great risk in producing a forward culture of dependency for UK Arts graduates who cannot find employment elsewhere in the economy but become specialist at bidding for Government funded schemes. My concern is clearly the possibility of a circular economy with inadequate fresh air or narrowed horizons.

 

A great dilemma in the UK is the separation of Arts and Science at the earliest stages of learning. It is completely inappropriate to suggest that Creative Partnerships should therefore be embracing scientists within this scheme. However designers sit quite elegantly between the arts and sciences and in many fields of activity are great interpreters, as well as great innovators. I believe that it is vital that our children should be exposed to the imagination and stimulus of arts graduates and design graduates in more equal proportion. I feel that this would broaden the portfolio of creative experience, experienced in our schools and act as a more balanced stimulus for the future creativity of our children.

 

Whilst noting that the Arts Council are the key contributors to the Creative Partnerships Programme, I feel that the role and relationship in the UK of The Arts Council, The Crafts Council and The Design Council should be more thoroughly aligned. If such a review were both possible and productive then I feel confident that UK society and culture would benefit, that our Education and Skills priorities would be better balanced and that in the longer term the health and economic performance of the UK would also improve.

 

 

 

July 2007