IGCAT’s Executive Director, Dr. Diane Dodd participated in the 5th Anniversary Symposium of Institute of Cultural Capital (ICC) ain Liverpool, 10 November 2015. The Institute of Cultural Capital is a strategic collaboration between the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University in the UK. It conducts collaborative and interdisciplinary research that critically examines the role and value of cultural interventions in urban environments, from grassroots initiatives to large-scale cultural events and festivals. The 5th Anniversary Symposium programme included keynotes from ICC core research group and invited interntional experts to respond.
The first main keynote was ‘International Cultural Policy, City Narratives & Major Events’ by Dr. Beatriz García, ICC Head of Research, Cultural Policy. She considered the value of longitudinal data gathering and comparative analysis in understanding international cultural policy trends. She also noted the narrative impact on city branding, using examples from many large scale cultural events.. Panel respones were made by: Steve Green (Chair, European Capital of Culture Selection Panel) who talked about the perils of having too many and too varied objectives when hosting large scale events… «there is a need to focus on what is important.» Dr. Diane Dodd, IGCAT talked about «validity» of a title. Being given the title from an international body has a catalyst effect within a city that awarding a title to yourself doesn’t provide. This helps galvanise support from all sectors and this is important in current social media contexts. Dr. Eleonora Belfiore (Director of Studies, Warwick Commission on the Future of Cultural Value) noted that academics have a responsibility to also study the negative …not just positive outcomes of hosting large events.
«Beyond Instrumentalism: Cultural Leadership, Ethics & Values’ was then resented by Dr. Kerry Wilson, ICC Head of Research, Cultural Leadership . She discussed about the context of key contemporary debates within the cultural policy field, including overt political instrumentalisation of arts and culture; professional ethics in ‘networked’ collaborative cultural work; and implications for workforce diversity and leadership of the sector.
In the afternoon, «Digital Culture» was discussed by Prof. Simeon Yates, Director of the ICC; «Cultural Assets & Social Value» by Gayle Whelan, ICC Research Fellow; «Knowledge Exchange & Participation» by Sue Potts, ICC Knowledge Transfer Manager; «The Elusive Edge of Urban Cultural Policy» Dr. Nicola Headlam, Heseltine Institute for Public Policy and Practice and closing keynote «Where next for Cultural Policy Research?» by Prof. Jonothan Neelands, Warwick.