Winchester District Cultural Strategy Launch
An event was held last month at the University of Winchester to launch the new Winchester District Cultural Strategy.
Colleagues from Winchester School of Art attended the launch event, along with guests from a wide range of organisations across the district including Play to the Crowd, Winchester BID, Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire Cultural Trust, and many more.
Dan Ashton, Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries at WSA provided a presentation at the event discussing why we need a Cultural Strategy. Dan’s presentation draw on his Public Policy Southampton funded research on cultural strategies .
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Dan said, “having spent time reviewing strategies and meeting with those working on cultural strategies across England, it’s clear that development of the Winchester District Council Strategy both engaged with and shaped national conversations around cultural strategies. This includes the forms of public engagement that take place, the ways a strategy connects with different agendas and priorities, and the ways in which impacts can be transparently evaluated.”
The Winchester District Cultural Strategy sets out a shared vision for the Winchester districts' cultural development through to 2030.
The involvement of Winchester School of Art in this, compliments the University’s Civic University Agreement, a joint commitment signed in 2023 by representatives from the University of Southampton, who lead the initiative, alongside Southampton and Winchester City Councils, Eastleigh and Test Valley Borough Councils and Hampshire County Council. The Civic University Agreement intends to improve the quality of life for people in the city and surrounding areas by connecting communities through culture, education and enterprise.
You can find out more about the Winchester District Cultural Strategy on the Winchester council website .
