Cultivate

Hands Up

Added On: 29th February 2008

Summary:

What
Hands Up - A project to review attendance and participation in the arts and cultural activity by the deaf community in Derby

When
2001/2

Where
Derby

Approach
Appoint an audience development worker to work with a range of venues to develop new audiences amongst Deaf communities

Key features

• Partnership project
• Development of a working party
• Effort was put into the development of good local press coverage
• Key worker appointed who expertise in arts and target group

Lessons
The project manager struggled to recruit and keep the services of a steering group. This emphasises some of the problems of empowerment of new constituencies and user groups. Even the offer of payment for membership did not resolve this issue. Similarly some venues did not spend the programme budgets allocated to them - which was frustrating for all concerned.

Impact

• Venues and promoters with new confidence and skills in Providing services appropriate to Deaf Audiences
• Continuation of the Key worker post to further develop the work

Funding
Hands Up was funded by the New Audiences Fund from the Arts Council of England, by East Midlands Arts and by Derby City Council