Lichfield District Arts Partnership
An Introduction from Councillor Bernard Derrick, Chairman of the Partnership
Recently, I chaired the first meeting of the Partnership for this new term.
I was honoured when Cllr David Smith, the Leader of Lichfield District Council, asked me to chair the Partnership. So then I wondered what is it and what does it intend to do? It appeared that lots of people had different interpretations, so I decided to start from scratch. I wanted to avoid the bureaucracy at Frog Lane and Adrian Jackson kindly offered to host the first meeting at The Garrick Theatre..
I am not an advocate of the traditional “round the table reports from various groups” scenario because I think that people become bored with it and others may be deterred from attending due to feeling nervous of making a report in public. So, Sheila and I arranged for 3 separate presentations, which were received very well, and I know that good networking took place with positive and practical results. Opportunities for “Reports from Groups” at future meetings will still be available under Any Other Business if representatives wish to promote or report anything specific.
The presentations at the meeting were:
- Lichfield College of Art – details of their degree courses
- The Johnson Society – tercentenary celebrations next year
- Lichfield District Council – update on the website by Stuart Harrison
So what of the future? Alison Churchill of The School of Art has kindly offered to host the next meeting at the college (details will be sent to members when confirmed). I feel that education is extremely important in the arts world and would like to encourage schools’ participation in future themes. Prior to setting the agenda for the next meeting, I would welcome ideas from other members regarding the direction of the Partnership for the next year. My contact details are below
I’m looking forward to the next 12 months and as an incentive for attending the next meeting, we hope to arrange for a talk by a professional regarding the commercial success of organising events. This will be valuable information for those considering organising an event in the coming year.
Watch this space!!
Bernard Derrick
Chairman
Lichfield District Arts Partnership
Email: cllr.bernardderrick@lichfielddc.gov.uk
Tel: 01543 410124
Mobile: 07890 886320