About the Project

IFF has taken a close interest in the arts since its inception.  In the arts and cultural sector we have found remarkable places, spaces and people with whom to explore 'the 21st century competencies', new and more creative organisational forms, and 'real cultural leadership'.

We contend that in today’s challenging times we need a more expansive understanding of cultural leadership that is less about leading cultural institutions more effectively and more about leading the culture. This is a vital task at a time of cultural crisis and global confusion. The arts and cultural sector are well placed to lead the way – but only if they can frame cultural leadership as creative transgression of the dominant culture, rather than helping the existing culture to become more effective or productive. The ‘21^st century competencies’ required for such leadership are readily available. They can be developed through experience, in an explicit programme of social learning.  This is likely to be easier and cheaper than existing views of cultural leadership development imagine. 

Partners

Cultural Leadership Programme

Last updated: 9 Jan 2012

Status

IFF's work on cultural leadership was first announced publicly in Graham Leicester's report for the Mission Models Money programme:  Rising to the Occasion:  Cultural Leadership in Powerful Times. That work has been updated more recently in his contribution to a Cultural Leadership Reader - chapter 3 explores what it means to shift a culture through cultural intervention:  'real cultural leadership'.  Both reports are available for download below.

Documents for download

Click on the documents below to download them to your hard disk.

Real Cultural Leadership: leading the culture in a time of cultural crisis

Chapter 3 of this cultural leadership reader updates Graham Leicester's analysis, outlining a theory and practice of how to 'lead a culture in a time of cultural crisis' - including how to develop such a capacity in practice.

Date: 09 Dec 2011  Size: 910kB

Rising to the Occasion: Cultural Leadership in Powerful Times

A report for Mission Models Money on the opportunity for the arts and cultural sector to provide settings in which to develop the 21st century competencies necessary to flourish in today's world.

Date: 09 Dec 2011  Size: 721kB