An Investment in the Rising Generation of Cultural Leaders is Necessary, and Timely
This is Robert Hewison and John Holden’s final Task Force report written in December 2002. It led to the creation of Clore Leadership.
In January 2002 the Trustees of the Clore Duffield Foundation established a small task force, to consider the ways in which the Foundation could make a significant contribution to cultural leadership training in the United Kingdom. The commissioning of the task force was intended to stimulate fresh thinking around the issue of cultural leadership: the group was to seek opinions from across the cultural sector, identify best practice, and examine current provision of leadership training. It was asked to recommend a course of action, to be considered by the Trustees. At that point the project would, if acceptable to the Trustees, move from a research to a development stage.
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tThe task force consisted of the Foundation’s Executive Director, Sally Bacon; Pauline Tambling of the Arts Council of England; Karen Knight from Resource; and two consultants, John Holden and Robert Hewison. Following Karen Knight’s move from Resource, Resource was represented by David Barrie, while Karen Knight continued to attend as an independent adviser.
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tThe task force has met formally four times, although informally there have been many more meetings and discussions. The research was conducted through as wide a consultation as possible across the cultural sector, which we loosely defined as including museums, galleries, heritage organisations, performing arts organisations, libraries and archives. An initial paper, available on the Foundation’s website at www.cloreduffield.org.uk, was circulated in February to 150 people, inviting comment. A second paper, to be found on the same website, was circulated in June to 434 individuals and organisations. This was a progress report, and outlined the development of the task force’s thinking with regard to possible solutions. A total of 184 individuals and organisations have responded in writing to these two documents, a response rate of 42 per cent. The overwhelming majority of these responses have been supportive of the Clore Duffield Foundation’s evolving proposals.
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tIn addition to seeking written responses, the task force conducted interviews with a wide range of interested individuals and institutions. Meetings took place with, among others, representatives of the Arts and Humanities Research Board; the Association of British Orchestras; Dance UK; the Department of Culture, Media and Sport; the Cultural Heritage National Training Organisation; the Higher Education Funding Council; Metier (the national training organisation for the performing arts); the Museums Association; the National Museum Directors’ Conference; and the Theatre Managers’ Association. The Foundation was also represented at the National Museum Directors’ Conference seminar, ‘Leading Culture’, at the British Museum on 22 May 2002.
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tDiscussions were held with a number of leading academic providers of cultural management and leadership training, and a visit was made to the United States to observe the J. Paul Getty Trust’s annual museum leadership course at Berkeley, and the Vilar Institute for Arts Management at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. This was also an opportunity to meet the President of the Center for Arts and Culture in Washington, and to study American approaches to cultural leadership training. Wide-ranging meetings and discussions continued to be held as the task force prepared this final report.
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tThe task force would like to thank most sincerely those individuals and institutions that have so generously contributed their time and expertise to the evolution of this project.
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