Each of England’s eight regions outside London is to have its own ‘Creative Programmer’ who will:
- Encourage and enable arts and cultural bodies to get involved, and create opportunities for ordinary people to take part,
- Become a dynamic link between the regions and London’s 2012 organising committee (LOCOG).
- Assess whether local projects meet the criteria to become part of the Cultural Olympiad, and
- Ensure that each region’s heritage is as well represented as its 21st century technology.
Culture Minister David Lammy said:
“The 2012 Games are set to be the greatest show on earth. But they will be about a lot more than a few glorious weeks of sporting excellence. From the Closing Ceremony of the Beijing Games in 2008, the UK will put on a Cultural Olympiad, a developing four-year celebration of the UK’s cultural life that will be a perfect curtain-raiser to the Games in 2012.
“The Cultural Olympiad needs to be genuinely UK-wide. It’s about far more than the Capital. That’s why each region will appoint a highly driven and experienced person to make sure that the whole of the country gets the chance to showcase what it can do.”
The Cultural Olympiad will include the widest possible range of culture: from the arts, museums and galleries, to the historic and built environment; from libraries and archives, to the moving and digital image; and from the biggest institutions to the smallest community groups.
Olivia Grant OBE DL, Chair of Chairs for the Regional Cultural Consortia said:
"We are delighted that the regional Creative Programmers will present the opportunity to harness the cultural energy of the regions towards a Cultural Olympiad that will truly engage and excite the whole of the UK and the world".
The Director of Culture, Ceremonies and Education for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Bill Morris, said the recruitment of regional representatives marked an important stage in preparations for the Cultural Olympiad:
"The culture programme for the London 2012 Games will celebrate the people, places, cities, communities and cultures of the UK, and the network of regional representatives will help to ensure that the content of the Cultural Olympiad reflects the creativity, innovation, artistic strength and diversity of London and the UK.”
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Notes to editors
DCMS are working closely with the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and the Greater London Authority on plans for the Cultural Olympiad. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has set up a Culture and Creativity Advisory Forum, involving representatives from across the cultural sector, to provide advice on the development of the programme.
There are three main elements to the Cultural Olympiad:
- Tier 1 : The Mandatory Ceremonies : including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games; the Medal Ceremonies; the Torch Relay and the welcome of the athletes to the Olympic Village
- Tier 2: Bid Projects: These are projects which were included in the Bid document and include such things as Live Sites around the country, a World Cultural Festival, the International Shakespeare Festival, the 5-rings Exhibition and the UK School Games.
- Tier 3: UK-wide Cultural Festival: A cultural festival is planned to build up to and run alongside the Games. The aim is that projects involved in the festival should be drawn from grass-roots community projects; engage local communities; and increase participation.
The establishment of this network of Creative Programmers will contribute to the delivery of cultural events in these regions in the run-up to and during the 2012 Games. These events will span the UK and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are considering what arrangements would fit their plans to participate in the Cultural Olympiad. The Greater London Authority is also developing proposals on how to co-ordinate and deliver a pan-London cultural programme.
The Regional Cultural Consortiums are the DCMS’s strategic cultural development agencies in the eight English regions.
