An Update on Sector Strategy Development

As many of you know, OutdoorArtsUK, 101 Outdoor Arts, and Without Walls have partnered to commission Sud Basu of Third Version Creative to develop a new strategy document for our sector. First of all, we would like to say a huge Thank You to everyone who shared their views through our online survey and the Sector Gathering event at 101. Your input clearly highlighted the need for the sector to work together to improve collaboration and create better access to resources and opportunities. 

Originally, we planned to launch the document in early summer 2025. However, we have decided to postpone the launch until early 2026 in order to give us the time to reflect upcoming changes in the public funding landscape. 

In March, the Treasury’s Spring Statement announced that the notification for Arts Council England and DCMS settlement has been pushed back to June. Later, the Culture Secretary confirmed that the Review of Arts Council England will be published in Autumn 2025, with formal responses due at the start of the following year. To ensure our strategy can respond to these developments, we feel adjusting our timeline for publication of the strategy is the most sensible course of action and in the best interests of the sector. 

In the meanwhile, work continues. To understand where partnership working and resourcing are heading on a broader level, we have met with Combined Authorities, key partners behind initiatives like Cities and Boroughs of Culture, and others involved in place-based cultural strategies. We also plan to talk with Heritage and Tourism partners to learn more about their future direction. At the same time, we are gathering further insights from Outdoor Arts colleagues directly involved in these broader partnerships. These conversations are helping us better understand where our sector is positioned alongside some national trends and identify challenges and opportunities our sector may face in a changing context. 

We will then speak with a wider range of artists, producers, and organisers of festivals, carnivals, and mela, who are working on the ground. We will seek their perspectives on how these trends of cultural strategies might impact their work. Their input will directly feed into our efforts to make a stronger mark in the wider cultural landscape. 

Our intention is to test our draft recommendations through focus groups this Autumn, with the final drafting phase planned for the winter months. During this time, we will continue our dialogue with Arts Council England as they formulate their response to the Review. We have also set up an External Reference Group of artists, programmers, and producers to advise us as the final strategy document takes shape, but we remain flexible and will keep reaching out to the wider sector for input as and when new channels of enquiry and developments arise. 

We will continue to update you through our newsletters on progress, how to get involved, and the revised launch date. Thank you for your valuable input and your patience as we work through these changeable times. If you have any questions or further thoughts, please contact OutdoorArtsUK, who is coordinating this research. 

– OutdoorArtsUK, 101 Outdoor Arts, and Without Walls