CultureSouthampton: 2012 at a glance

2012 has certainly been a busy and productive year for CultureSouthampton. We’ve been working hard to communicate the importance of cultural investment by building relationships and support. The programme of activities has included:

Applications to grant-giving trusts and foundations. We are thrilled that even in these tough times and the country-wide climate of cuts, a number of trusts and foundations have chosen to support Southampton. The major grants in support for SeaCity Museum are to date:

• DCMS/Wolfson Fund – grant of £200,000
• Garfield Weston Foundation – grant of £200,000
• Leigh Webb Family Foundation – grant of £25,000

Developing relationships with prospective supporters and private funders whose active interest for the current cultural development projects will play a vital part in their success. Events for supporters have included:

• Hard hat tours of SeaCity Museum prior to opening
• Briefings at Solent Showcase; Soul Cellar; SeaCity Museum
• Guest lecture by Rear Admiral John Lang DL, former Chief Inspector of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch
• No 10 Downing St reception in September

Presence and presentations at key events across the arts, heritage, education and business communities including:

• Launch of Southampton City Masterplan
• Business Solent event at launch of SeaCity Museum
• VIVID conference – Solent University
• City College Staff Conference
• Combined Hampshire Chamber of Commerce/Southern Enterprise Alliance
• Executive Association Solent
• Business Solent – Creative Industries event November
• SHAPe Question Time event (Southampton Heritage and Arts People)
• Future Southampton Group
• CHAOS group (Culture, Heritage and Arts Organisations, Southampton)
• Southampton Solent University Graduate Employment workshops

CultureSouthampton’s website provides

• information on the work and aims of the Trust and Trustees
• details of priority fundraising projects SeaCity Museum and the New Arts Complex
• links to a wide range of cultural, business, and education ‘partner’ organisations, evidencing the scale and diversity of cultural activity already taking place in Southampton.

Regular monthly enewsletter

Launched in February 2012, the CultureSouthampton enewsletter provides

• updates on the Trust’s achievements
• news on cultural activity and events across Southampton
• a platform to highlight specific partner organisations namely: Solent Showcase; Art at the Heart; John Hansard Gallery Central; the Art House Gallery Café; Art Asia; Ejector Seat Arts Festival; SoCo Music Project; City Eye; and Friends of Southampton Museums and Art Galleries (FoSMAG).

Twitter presence and campaigns; this has provided a reciprocal forum for us to promote and be promoted by our partners since August. To date we have gained 300 diverse followers, many of whom are actively responding to our content.

Facebook presence has given us the potential to reach thousands from April. It has also given us the opportunity to host video content and have a platform for supporters to interact and debate issues.

Working jointly with local organisations to pilot schemes and partnerships which could be of long-term benefit to the arts in Southampton including

• Employment of 2 interns on Southampton Solent University graduate employment scheme
• Preparatory work on ‘CultureSouthampton Friends’ - a collaborative initiative involving key arts and heritage partner organisations – planned to launch in spring 2013