BACKLASH: A Queer Cultural State of the Nation
Marlborough Productions, Fatt Projects & Curious Arts
Wed 18 Mar 10:30am
Venue Cambridge Junction
Tickets £54.88 (£10 concessions)
Duration 5 hours, 30 minutes
Curious Arts, Marlborough Productions & Fatt Projects present a day of research, panels, workshops, training and conversation for the UK cultural sector launching the findings of the LGBTQIA+ Cultural Barometer’s recent research into experiences of anti-LGBTQIA+ backlash.
This day will be an essential opportunity to hear initial findings from our research with over 100 participant individuals and/or organisations working in the cultural sector on their experiences of backlash, with speakers from a range of organisations and individual practices. The programme will also include tips and best practice on how to manage and mitigate potential backlash, and invite us consider the ways that we might start to counter this as a sector.
RUNNING ORDER & OUTLINE PROGRAMME
10:30 – 11:00: ARRIVALS
tea & coffee available on arrival.
11:00 – 11:45: WELCOME AND LAUNCH
Welcome address, launching the Backlash report sharing findings from the LGBTQIA+ Cultural Barometer Research, time for questions.
11:45-11:55: SPOTLIGHT ON STORYHOUSE
Short case study on dealing with recent experiences of backlash, protest, and political challenge from Annabel Turpin, Chief Executive at Storyhouse.
11:55-12:50: PANEL DISCUSSION – ALLYSHIP & ACTION
Travis Alabanza (Artist & Author), Sue John (Co-Director of Glasgow Women’s Library), and Claudia West (Cambridge Director for Arts Council, England) will discuss experiences of backlash and how they’ve dealt with it. The Panel will be chaired by Lara Ratnaraja.
12:50: SPOTLIGHT ON CAMBRIDGE IS CHOPPED
Short presentation from Guillotina, ‘Cambridge’s only Black drag performer’ and founder of ‘Cambridge is Chopped’, a newly formed grass-roots movement focusing on improving the quality of life for QIPOC individuals who live, study, and work in Cambridge.
13:00 – 13:45: LUNCH
13:45 – 14:15: BUILDING A BACKLASH TOOLKIT
Introduction and overview introducing how to build a skeleton strategy to prepare for and deal with backlash thinking about care, wellbeing, identifying risk, managing stakeholders, and planning for if the sh*t hits the fan.
14:15 – 14:45: TOOLKIT ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS
In this session attendees will be able to choose one of four round table sessions each addressing a different area of toolkit building in more details, including: artist and staff wellbeing, backlash comms, stakeholder and partnership management, and artistic production (making the work).
14:45 – 15:00: BREAK
15:00-15:15: RESILIENCE BUILDING ACTIVITY
Wellbeing practitioner and director of the Artist Wellbeing Company Lou Platt will share a short practical exercise for how to manage and respond with clarity in a moment of crisis.
15:15-15:40: QUEER MEHNDI NIGHT CREATIVE ACTION
Founder of Queer Mehndi Night and facilitator Natasha Taheem will lead a short creative exercise inviting attendees to reflect on the day’s programme inspired by her practice running Queer Mehndi Nights, a creative social event for LGBTQIA+ South Asian communities in Birmingham.
15:40-16:00: NEXT STEPS & CALL TO ACTION
The day concludes with a wrap-up, considerations of how we take the day’s learning forward, and a call to action
Find out more, visit cultural-barometer.co.uk/backlash-a-queer-cultural-state-of-the-nation.
Image credit: Fatt Projects – MOBILISE Pride Parade 2022 (Cameron Smith – Getty Images)