New report produced by Indigo and Culture Central, in conjunction with Warwick Business School and Counting what Counts.
This data-led initiative has been developed to better understand the creative engagement of people living in the geographic West Midlands region, and to provide powerful tools to the creative and cultural sectors - as well as to Local Authorities and policy makers - to increase creative opportunities for residents across the region.
It builds on a previous research project from 2021, Identity, Confidence, Connection, which was created to support the development and delivery of the creative programmes for Festival 2022 (as part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games) and Coventry UK City of Culture 2021.
A Creative West Midlands aims to learn from and update that work, to include analysis of more recent Census (2021) and National Participation Survey (2024) data, available for the first time at Local Authority level. Strategically, this work responds to demand from the cultural sector, as part of ‘Collectively Strategising Culture: Our Plan’.
You can download the report and explore the tools including a place profiler online tool, Local Authority place profiles, datasets, and watch the recording of the online launch here.
The project is supported through investment from Arts Council England and the Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund.