Culture Declares is a movement of individuals and organisations in the arts and culture sectors declaring a climate and ecological emergency. Beyond this declaration, we form communities (e.g. in local Hubs) to tell truths, take action and seek justice.
I was a core co-founder of this movement, from early 2019 and I am still actively involved across strategy, communications and evaluation, as well as supporting Culture Declares East of England including running events in Norwich.
This work has involved:
- Writing the original website, setting up databases and comms tools.
- Being involved in the comms and plans for all the actions and events, including the April 2019 launch, the July 2019 assembly, the ‘rally for imagination’ and many more since.
- Involvement in gatherings & meetings to engage large national organisations such as the Natural History Museum and Tate to declare emergency and develop programmes in response.
- Involved in convening an Alliance of Declarers of many other declaring initiatives within and beyond the cultural sector.
- Writing a large number of learning resources, presentations, position statements and strategy documents. See, for example, the Earth Day Call to Action.
- Delivering a Festival of Change at the Museums Association conference, Autumn 2019
- Writing the new website, including the Pathways to Action toolkit, and developing a new version for 2024.
- Developing a Culture Takes Action framework and delivering training and social media plans to encourage practitioners to take action in eight pathways. In 2024, developing a new toolkit and Blueprint for Change.
- Developing a new strategy, ways of working and structures, in 2020 and again in 2024.
- Presenting about and championing CDE on multiple occasions, online and in person, in the UK and at international conferences.
- Developing an impact evaluation plan.
- Devising several online events as part of The Offer series.
- Involved in Culture Declares East, running events in Norwich, such as Reimagine the City.
- Supporting our involvement in the People’s Picket of DCMS in April 2023.
- Supporting and writing reports from two major assemblies in 2023, one ‘Together We Act’ at the Southbank Centre and Unlocking Our Agency online.
- Contributing to the refresh of the declaration statement and Holding Earth film for the 5 year’s celebration in 2024. (My own re-declaration and short film here.)
