Whose Culture and Where? Exploring and capturing BAME cultural engagement across
A data project aiming to measure the cultural engagement of BAME young people aged 16-25
BAME young people in Bristol
As Zora Neale Hurston once wrote: "I feel most coloured when thrown against a sharp white background". For young people of colour living in Bristol, and entering spaces that are overwhelmingly white or middle class, they often feel defined in terms of their ‘otherness’. Sometimes without even realising it, they bend and contort themselves to fit to the conventions of spaces to make them feel more ‘safe’. For reasons such as this, young people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds find it difficult to be in and enjoy cultural spaces where they don’t see themselves represented.
A conversation around cultural engagement
The project’s starting point saw Rising's Creative Director, Kamina Walton, and Creative Producer, Zahra Ash-Harper, working together to devise a pilot workshop. Funding from the JGI enabled them to host the event bringing together young people of colour with staff from some of the city’s key cultural organisations in order to start a conversation around cultural engagement and begin to generate some data.
The project examined the data currently available and looked at ways of collecting and conceptualising data that might assist cultural organisations in creating activities attractive to people in these communities. This information is key to understanding engagement in ‘cultural activities’ around the city and in understanding the barriers to entry into cultural activities BAME young people face. This project has explored ways to generate new, socially useful data on their engagement.
Future plans to hear young BAME voices
The project has prompted plans for the future and there are plans under way to promote further events allowing communities of young BAME groups to have an opportunity to voice their opinions and ideas about increasing access and inclusivity in the arts in Bristol. Read more in Euella Jackson and Kamina Walton's blog. In late 2017 Bristol City Council recommended Rising and the Whose Culture? project for funding following this initial pilot study.
Acknowledgements
Kamina Walton, Euella Jackson, Zahra Ash-Harper and two researchers from the School of Education, Francis Giampapa and Cassie Earl, who supported the facilitation at the workshop.
Thanks again for your belief in and support of this project. We would never have reached this point without the JGI seed funding
People involved in this project
- Dr Frances Giampapa (Senior Lecturer in Education)
- Dr Cassie Earl (Lecturer in Education)
- Kamina Walton (Creative Director at Rising)
- Zahra Ash-Harper (Studio Producer at Pervasive Media Studio)