Swindon Does Arts is a major campaign to increase engagement in all things artistic and creative in Swindon. The plan, which is being developed and delivered by a wide range of local partners, is the most exciting artistic opportunity for the town in decades. Check out the website.

View the Big Arts Plan (pdf)

Background to Swindon Does Arts

by Head of Culture Helen Miah:

Swindon Does Arts is a major new campaign to increase engagement in all things artistic and creative in Swindon. The plan, which is being developed and delivered by a wide range of local partners, is the most exciting artistic opportunity for the town in decades.

Why bother with the arts I hear some doubters cry? Lots of reasons:

• Learning
• Engaging our community
• Dealing with issues
• Staying healthy
• Celebrating difference
• Changing our environment
• Challenging our view
• Having fun

In Spring 2008 the Swindon Strategic Partnership chose the new national indicator for the arts, NI 11, as a key target for their Local Area Agreement 2. In making this decision the key policy makers needed to have a clear understanding of just what the arts can and do add to local communities.

A striking image of domestic violence from Sixth Sense Theatre for Young People’s play prodded the Chief of Police, while the Chief Fire Officer was engaged by the image of youngsters with dyslexia making an animated film entitled Postman Tap. There are a variety of direct benefits from engaging with the arts - from health and well being to community cohesion and educational attainment. In Spring 2009, NI 11 was selected as a key target for Swindon.

Now comes the hard bit - we have to prove it. Our target is to increase engagement by 3% above our, as yet unknown, baseline, by 2010. This is where Swindon Does Arts comes in. We are busy planning all sorts of ways to help the people of Swindon recognise where and when they already engage with the arts and to find out what sorts of arts activities they would like to do.

For example, 10,000 young people in Swindon learn a musical instrument. In a town of 180,000 that’s an awful lot and just imagine how many school concerts that represents! Everyone understands the concept of school concerts, the key is, do they recognise that when they go they are actually engaging in the arts?

We’ve got some very exciting ideas up our sleeves and intend to ensure that by 2010 everyone knows Swindon Does Arts!