East Sussex County Council and the De La Warr Pavilion are pleased to announce the appointment of culture and regeneration consultants NEA to carry out an Analysis of the Social Capital generated by the De La Warr Pavilion.

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Generously funded by Arts Council England to support an East Sussex Cultural Strategy, the study will look at the impact of the De La Warr Pavilion on the social networks that surround it and will provide a snapshot of the relationships it generates with and between the communities that it serves.

The Pavilion’s many thousands of visitors interact with the building and the artistic programme in a wide variety of ways, and DLWP is keen to understand more about these interactions and to use this knowledge in relation to the service it provides.

Stewart Drew Director and CEO  of  the De La Warr Pavilion  hopes this Study will help to build on  the positive discussions and interactions that have been held between DLWP the local community in recent months.  He says :

“We welcome this opportunity to talk and listen to our visitors in an open and engaging way and hope to learn more about the relationships with our communities which will, in turn, help us as we plan for our future.”

Sally Staples, Cultural Strategy Manager, East Sussex County Council says :

“Research into the value and impact of culture is needed to help us to understand how to invest wisely and to make the case for the future of places like the De La Warr Pavilion. This research will break new ground and is already encouraging us to see the Pavilion in new ways.”

NEA have been appointed to carry out the work over a ten week period from  the end of April to the summer. Local people will be invited to take part in the project in a variety of ways, which will be announced over the coming weeks.  www.nickewbank.co.uk

For press information please contact Sally Ann Lycett on 01424 229137 or sally.ann.lycett@dlwp.com.

Click here if you would like to volunteer to help with this project.

Editors’ notes

NEA, a culture and regeneration consultancy based in Kent and London, is led by Nick Ewbank, who steered Folkestone’s cultural regeneration project for a decade until 2010.  NEA works around the UK and internationally, and a special interest in the cultural life of south coast towns. For the DLWP study Nick Ewbank is joined by NEA Associates Stephanie Mills and Professor Fred Gray; together they will use creative and innovative consultation methods to gather a wide range of views and opinions about the Pavilion and its links with Bexhill.

East Sussex County Council, with financial support from the Grants for the Arts programme (Arts Council England Lottery funding) is seeking to develop a better understanding of the role of the Cultural Sector to inform the East Sussex Cultural Strategy.  Three pieces of Statement Research have been commissioned including an analysis of the social capital generated by the De La Warr Pavilion .

Posted by Ryan Coleman on Wednesday 17 April 2013