culture10 Overview 
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What it is
culture10 is a curated programme of exceptional cultural events and festivals across the North East region which supports the development of the NewcastleGateshead and sub regional brands each year until 2010. It is intended to build upon and consolidate the successes achieved through the European Capital of Culture bidding process and to give the region an international launchpad for the rest of the decade, ensuring the momentum that made NewcastleGateshead the nation's favorite for Capital of Culture continues.
The partners are Newcastle City Council, Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council, One North East, Tyne Wear Partnership, Northern Rock Foundation and Arts Council England, North East. These partners contribute to the planning process through active engagement in a Programme Executive Group. In addition, regular meetings of the chief executives and finance directors of each partner organisation ensure there is consistency and a transparency of approach.
The small staff team of culture10 based at destination marketing agency NewcastleGateshead Initiative, produce and partner this curated programme of Festivals and events in partnership with regionally based organisations. They and the projects are supported by the Marketing and PR staff of NGI in delivering valuable profile to the programme. The team are:
Stella Hall - Creative Director
Carol Bell - Head of Programme Development
Vikki Carr - Programme Development Executive (Communications)
Ele Forsyth - Programme Development Executive (Programme)
Dezra Myers - Finance and Monitoring Executive
culture10 is therefore a creative partner; both directly producing events and also offering advice, support, brokering of partnerships and relationships, national and international contacts and many years experience of event management. Each year, several key projects will be initiated by the Creative Director and her team. In addition, partner events are invited from cultural and sporting agencies and local authorities. Sub regional meetings are held regularly to jointly identify priorities which build on strengths. Ideas, however, can emerge from any source. culture10 will identify and partner projects which are transformational, distinctive, rooted and contemporary, challenging, ambitious and world class.
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culture10 aims are
• To build the cultural reputation of NewcastleGateshead and the North East.
• To raise aspirations, stimulate creativity and encourage self-belief in the people of Newcastle and Gateshead and the wider region.
• To inspire business confidence, create jobs and develop skills through culture. It will achieve this through a programme of festivals and events, prioritising projects which:
• Fit with the major themes chosen for each year, e.g. Designs of the Time
• Attract national and international attention, e.g. via media coverage
• Build on regional creative strengths, e.g. involve regionally based artists, celebrate iconic locations
• Bring exceptional cultural talent or product to the region e.g. Spencer Tunick, Stella McCartney, Tall Ships
• Attract new and bigger audiences
• Increase participation i.e. ensure opportunities for involvement
• Engage local people in their planning.
• Support the development of new international relationships.
• Contribute to the delivery of agreed regional economic outputs e.g. jobs created, skills developed.
Projects will be expected to address all of the above, although it is recognised that some projects may focus on addressing some priorities more than others.
In addition, the programme will seek to use capital infrastructure, where investment has been made in new and refurbished cultural buildings, as a focus for celebration and to mark the moment.
Proposals can be made at any time, but the earlier the better in any year. The team takes project proposals to the Programme Executive Group to ensure that they fit with overall objectives.
Themes will be identified for each year which emerges from the celebrations, anniversaries and major foci of sporting and cultural organisations in the region. Project champions will be identified to lead on these themes and proposals invited. Additionally, a long term programme “Towards 2012” will be launched in 2007, examining the Olympic ideals of international understanding and civil society.
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Capacity Building
It is essential that each project undertaken identifies long term benefits through building the skills in the Festivals and events sector within the region. A new post has been identified within the team to assist the region in growing the capacity to undertaken major events and festivals.
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What it is not
culture10 is NOT a grant giving body, though there are financial resources available to support the delivery of agreed projects. These funds are currently provided by Arts Council England, North East, Newcastle and Gateshead Councils and the Northern Rock Foundation. It is intended that further sums will be sourced via the private sector.
The focus on festivals and events is a strategic decision, which means that there are many excellent projects which fall outside its remit. This includes:
• Capital projects
• Permanent public artworks
• Touring productions
• Conferences and seminars
culture10 cannot become a long term financial partner, but it will, on occasion support beyond the first year in order to build capacity. Proposers of projects of longer than one year’s duration will need to give thought to an exit strategy.
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Proposals
At least half of each year’s proposals will be identified through sub regional meetings to identify priorities. The team cannot respond to every unsolicited idea, but suggestions will be followed up with a request for an initial outline and costing, to be worked up in more detail if it fits the criteria outlined. From this point, detailed proposals will be required with marketing and PR plans an analysis of outputs related to visitor numbers, jobs created and safeguarded and skills learnt. Capacity building and volunteering programmes will also be needed at this point.
Detailed evaluation of the programme as a whole, and of each partner project, will be undertaken during and after the events to ensure that culture10 delivers its key objectives.
If you have any further queries about culture10 you can contact the team at:
culture10
Newcastle Gateshead Initiative
4th Floor
Cental Square South
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 3AZ
Email: culture10@ngi.org.uk
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