For the first time, Liverpool’s arts organisations have come together in a brand new campaign promoting Liverpool’s impressive cultural credentials.
The Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, Katumba, Bluecoat, Liverpool Philharmonic, Metal Culture, Homotopia, FACT, DaDaFest, The Comedy Trust and Liverpool Arab Arts Festival are just some of around 50 names forming part of the Culture Collective campaign which proudly highlights the city’s vast and diverse culture offer.
Billboards and advertising hoardings across Liverpool and Manchester will be emblazoned with slogans including ‘The Place is Liverpool. The Time is Now’, ‘Every Language. Every Accent. Every Artform. Every Style.’ and ‘Welcome to the city where the best stories begin…’
Local artists, Raven and Dayzy, are joining forces with Liverpool-based video director Jack Whiteley and GoPlay recording studios to bring the campaign to life with a specially created soundtrack which pays homage to the city’s enviable cultural scene. This will be showcased on the official website – www.visitliverpool.com/culturesclub – and on cultural social media channels.
The arts sector has been one of the hardest hit as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic – with many venues closed for long periods or unable to curate in-person programmes due to changes to restrictions.
The Culture Collective is an initiative aimed at attracting local and regional visitors back to the city, shining a spotlight on the huge array of establishments that make up the region’s live performance, music and dance, galleries and exhibitions, film and digital technologies, comedy, festivals and museums.
This new way of collaborative working means resources, including the wealth of creative skills and experience, can all be shared and cross-promoted.
The importance of the sector was highlighted by the most recent figures which show Liverpool’s leisure, creative and cultural industries:
- Bring in around £3.3bn to the city region each year
- Equates to 38 per cent of the city’s economy
- See a business rate contribution of 49.8 per cent. This means £270.5million is invested in core services such as social care, health care and in education.
- Supports 60,000 jobs
An analysis of 27 cultural organisations funded through the city council’s Cultural Arts Investment Programme showed that in 2021/22, 250,487 people attended live events – significantly lower than the 4.5 million recorded in 2019/20.