Extending Reach, Deepening Engagement 

What is it? 
Funded by the Arts Council of Wales, this is a free-to-access strategic development opportunity for arts leaders who want to better, and more meaningfully, engage with the people and communities they serve. 

It builds on the Designing Public Value with Purpose resource commissioned by Arts Council of Wales and developed by Lisa Baxter, Founder of The Experience Business. 

The programme will draw on Lisa’s distinctive ideas and processes that inspire more rooted and equitable community engagement and her extensive experience of putting these into practice in remote and regional Australia, Norway and the UK.  

Context 
The Arts Council of Wales Corporate Plan “For the Benefit of All” has a clear commitment to equality of opportunity, and for the arts to be widely and easily available to everyone. Key to this is the arts sector widening engagement with its communities across Wales in an inclusive, meaningful and transformative way.  

We are facing a number of challenges together as a society, creating difficult and desperate times for many of us. Change is upon us, and as an arts sector we must respond to this and support our communities as best we can. 

We are pleased to fund this programme which will build on work already carried out by Lisa Baxter in Wales, and which will help equip the sector to play a key role in the wellbeing of their communities at this crucial time in our collective history.  

How does it work? 
This virtual programme, developed and facilitated by Lisa Baxter, consists of seven virtual seminars of up to 2 hours in length, between May and July together with 1-2-1 sessions. 

The programme will include: 

• Fresh frameworks and processes 

• Depth-charge conversation starters 

• Group discussions 

• Case studies 

• Guest speakers 

• Thought pieces and journaling 

• Exercises to share with colleagues 

Designed to be simple-yet-deep, light-touch-yet-impactful, participants will take part in in-depth discussions designed to nurture peer learning, push boundaries, and extend thinking. Lisa’s intention is that participants will find the experience clarifying, affirming and potentially transformative. 

All sessions will have simultaneous translation available. BSL is also available for those who need it. 

Who is it for? 
Up to sixteen arts leaders who have responsibility for the strategic direction of their organisation. Creu Cymru are facilitating the programme in partnership with Lisa Baxter, on behalf of the Arts Council of Wales. This programme is for both Creu Cymru members and non-members. You could be a theatre, producing company, arts organisation, community arts, museum or heritage or music venue.  

What does it involve? 
All you need to do is show up, take part and be generous and open with your contribution to the discussions. 

It is important that all those who take part embrace peer-learning ethos by committing their skills, expertise, perspectives and wisdom to all seminars. 

There will also be optional thought-pieces and exercises that will enable you to situate the subject of each seminar within your own organisational context. As part of the learning process, we invite everyone to find the time to engage with these exercises and journal their thoughts. The more you put into this, the more you will get out. 

You will also receive exercises with instructions on how to facilitate them with your teams to apply and anchor the learning. 

Alongside Lisa, you will be joined by guest speakers at the sessions.  

Guest Speakers 
Louise Blackwell, Independent Producer / Creative Playground  
Alice Friel, Events and Engagement Officer, Senedd Cymru 
Vincent Mrimba, Director of Culture, Bergen Municipality, Norway
Caroline O’Neill, Head of Arts, Culture and Library Services at Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, Wales 
Charlotte Hall, Artistic Director, The Point and Berry Theatres, Eastleigh

Modules 

1. Taking the Pulse 
   Here we will explore the concept of Public Value and the impact of recent political, economic, and societal disruptions on your community engagement ambitions and capacity to deliver. 

2. Relevance 
   Here, we will begin exploring how developing an astute, coherent world view (from the global to the hyper local) can result in a strategic intent that is more meaningful and relevant to the people and communities you serve. 

3. Networks 
   Here, we will explore the power of networks to extend reach, increase impact and strengthen resilience. 

4. Power 
   Here, we will explore concepts around power dynamics, self-determination, and cultural democracy to stretch our thinking around what achieving public value with our communities might look like. 

5. The Difference You Want to Make 
   Here, we explore questions around value, impact, ‘mattering’ and what your cause for action might be, and discuss them within the context of the Arts Council of Wales Corporate Plan.  

6. Adaptive Capacity 
   Here, we will explore what is happening ‘to’ and ‘in’ your organisation, and within this context, what it would take to deliver on your ambition, and how to integrate it into current practice – more of the same, tinkering around the edges, new and different, or doing less, better? 

7. Plenary 
   Here, the cohort will share their Theory of Change based on the insights from the programme and how this aligns with the published priorities of the Arts Council of Wales. 

Participants  
Ally Gibson, Newbridge Memo 
Louise Jones-Williams, Llantarnam Grange 
Danny KilBride, Trac Cymru 
Michael Harvey, Freelancer 
David Chamberlain, Caerphilly County Council 
Rhiannon Davies , Caerphilly County Council 
Rhian Hutchings, Anthem 
Craig Morrow, Taliesin Arts Centre 
Nia Mills, Taliesin Arts Centre 
Kate Long, Barry Memo 
Jên Angharad, Artis Community  
Nicola Edwards, Awen Cultural Trust 
Chelsey Gillard, Torch Theatre 
Naomi Saunders, Galeri, Caernarfon 
Sue Davies, Milford Haven Museum  

Lisa Baxter 
Lisa is the founder of The Experience Business with a mission to help arts, cultural and heritage organisations to fully realise their potential value for the people and communities they serve. All her work is collaborative, working with organisations internationally to stimulate fresh, brave thinking and practice. This has seen her deliver transformative public value programmes for the Australian Council for the Arts, Arts Council Wales, the City of Bergen Municipality, Rhondda Cynon Taf Borough Council, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and The Point and Berry Theatres, Eastleigh.