Today, the Dundee Partnership officially launched the latest Dundee Cultural Strategy at Caird Hall. Dundee: A Creative City 2024-34 reinforces Dundee’s position as a leading creative and cultural hub over the next decade. The comprehensive strategy outlines confident vision for the city, emphasising innovation, inclusivity, and collaboration.
The strategy supports the culture sector as key contributors to Dundee and Scotland’s success, ensuring everyone in Dundee has the opportunity to experience and contribute to cultural life. It is built around four key outcomes:
- Inspire Future Possibilities: Supporting the culture sector as bold collaborators and key contributors to Dundee and Scotland’s success.
- Implement Equity of Opportunity: Ensuring that audiences and communities can create and participate in cultural activities.
- Ignite Ambition and Creativity: Supporting artists and the wider creative workforce to prosper.
- Innovate to Strengthen, Sustain, and Prosper: Ensuring cultural organizations thrive sustainably.
At its heart lies a commitment to celebrate diversity, foster inclusivity, and amplify voices. The strategy underscores the importance of cross-sector collaboration to co-create initiatives addressing pressing issues, promoting social cohesion, and driving sustainable development. It focuses on the need for access to resources, spaces, and platforms that empower individuals and communities to express themselves authentically.
Developed with input from over 190 stakeholders through workshops and focus groups, the strategy reflects the collective effort of Dundee’s creative talent. It aims to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the coming decade, positioning culture at the heart of Dundee’s future development. The strategy also acknowledges current challenges, such as reduced public spending and increased costs, and outlines a dynamic action plan to address these issues.
Cllr Mark Flynn, chair of the Dundee Partnership Forum, said,
“Dundee has always been a city that looks out into the world, making connections and generating new ideas. This strategy sets out how our culture sector will work together with partners locally, nationally, and internationally to flourish over the next decade.
“Dundee is a city that speaks globally, an internationally renowned city of design, an art school city, a city of art & heritage, of dance, music, play, theatre and of words and learning.
“Many organisations are drawing people and international projects to the city for everyone to take part in and enjoy. I look forward to working with the sector over the coming years to deliver this strategy Dundee: A Creative City.”
Claire Dow, Culture Strategy Lead Officer at Leisure & Culture Dundee, added,
“Despite the ongoing challenges for the culture sector, with the impact of COVID-19 and public funding pressures, this strategy demonstrates how much we offer everyone. Partners across the city have worked together to produce a strategy that responds to the difficult demands it faces by outlining how the sector can work together to achieve shared outcomes.”
The Culture Strategy for Dundee will be delivered by the Dundee Partnership Cultural Development Group, working with Dundee City Council and city partners. The strategy’s mission and priorities cover ten years, with a three-year cycle to refresh the action plan, ensuring the work remains relevant and vibrant.
Find it online at https://www.leisureandculturedundee.com/culture/strategy
L-R Judy Dobbie, Managing Director of Leisure & Culture Dundee, Cllr Mark Flynn, Chair of the Dundee Partnership Forum and Claire Dow, Culture Strategy Lead Officer at Leisure & Culture Dundee