On 4 June 2020, the cultural sector of the North East of England initiated a statement, hosted on this website, denouncing racism and seeking to bring about a collective change in thinking and action as organisations and individuals.
This has received support from the list of signees here on this page which now extends beyond the cultural sector and beyond the North East. It is hosted here as a central point to the full list.
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Next, we urge signees to have strategic and creative conversations to make actionable short- and long-term pledges. These pledges will be hosted on this site to hold themselves publicly accountable for their own innovations and developments on this subject.
We’re also seeking more organisations and creative professionals to join this campaign so please hit the ‘Join Us’ button in the menu above – or email us at hello@cultureagainstracism.org
- *Please note this page will be updated periodically, not immediately.
- ** UPDATE – 2nd July 2020 We want to acknowledge the volume of social media surrounding Tyneside Cinema in the last 7 days and the pain that is being expressed. Individuals and organisations which have signed up to the North East Culture Sector Statement in June have an obligation for public accountability on the actions they take to address racism and its deep roots. We expect Tyneside Cinema to honour this commitment, consistent with their pledge. We acknowledge the statement of the Tyneside Cinema Trustees of July 1st , their expression of sorrow and their commitment to publishing the recommendations of an independent review within 6 weeks. After conversations with Tyneside Cinema yesterday and while the independent review takes place, it has been mutually agreed that Tyneside Cinema will be removed as a signee to the North East Culture Sector statement. We all hold one another accountable.
The statement:
WE STAND TO DENOUNCE RACISM IN ALL ITS FORMS
We, the undersigned from the cultural sector of the North East, declare that silence is not ok and silence is seen as complicity. Racism has no place in a just and humane society.
Whilst we cannot undo pain and neglect, we are calling on all of us in the arts, cultural, heritage sectors; professional and voluntary to work together to address racism and its deep roots. We must listen, have conversations and most importantly act, we know we need to do better.
Everyone is part of the solution – artists, staff, trustees, partners, promoters, audiences and communities.
We want to tackle this together in sharing better understanding and practices. We stand united to bring about change in our thinking and actions as a collective of organisations and individuals.
In the weeks and months to come we will collectively act to build on this statement with concrete steps and actions to demonstrate our commitment to bringing about real change. We ask you to stand with us.
The Signees:
Alphabetti Theatre
Signee: Ali Pritchard, Artistic/Executive Director
Ampersand Inventions
Signees: Jonpaul Kirvan FRSA / Peter Marchal, Directors
Anna Robinson
Sceneographer
ARC Stockton
Signee: Annabel Turpin
Artist Union England
Signee: Theresa Easton
Arts&Heritage
Stephanie Allen, Executive Director
Assembly Rooms Theatre Durham
Signee: Kate Barton
balletLORENT
Signee: Liv Lorent
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
Signee: Sarah Munro, Director
Ben Dickenson
Associate Literary Producer Alphabetti
Bensham Grove
Signee: Shirley Brown, Chair
Beverley Prevatt Goldstein
Signee: Beverley Prevatt Goldstein
Blowin’ A Hooley Theatre
Signee:
Bonnie & the Bonnettes
Signees: Hattie Eason, Cameron Sharp and Rebecca Glendenning, Co-Founders of Bonnie and The Bonnettes.
Brash
Signee: Bethan Kitchen, Artistic Director
Bridge+Tunnel Productions
Signee: Tina Gharavi, Creative Director
Butcher’s Dog Poetry Magazine
Dr. Jo Clement, Managing Editor
Camisado Club
Signee: Caroline Liversidge
Centre for Life, Newcastle
Signee: Linda Conlon
Circus Central
Sarah Carrie, Operations Director
Citizen Songwriters CIC
Signee: Sam Slatcher and Alex Summerson, Directors
Cobalt Studios
Signee: Kathryn Hodgkinson
The Common Room
Signee: Liz Mayes
Company of Others
Signee: Nadia Iftkhar, Artistic Director & CEO
Comrades of Children Overseas (COCO)
Signee: Lucy Kendall
Converge at Northumbria
Signee: Ally Hunter Byron – Coordinator
Coracle Productions
Signee: Matt Jamie, Artistic Director
Creative Seed
Contact: Sandy and Garner Harris, Founding Directors
The Culture Durham Partnership
Signed by Tony Harrington, chair
The Culture Vulture
Signee: Rachel Horton
Cumberland Arms
Signee: Jo Hodson
The Cultural Spring
Signee: Emma Horsman
Curious Arts
Signee: Phil Douglas, Director
Curious Monkey
Signee: Amy Golding
D6 Culture in Transit
Clymene Christoforou, Director
Daniel Jefferson
Individual
Dance City
Signee: Phil Douglas
Debbie Beeks
Freelancer
Degna Stone
Poet and editor
Dingy Butterflies CIC
Signee: Ben Jones, Founder & Director
Disconsortia
Signee: Lisette Auton, Co-founding Member
DrumDin
Signee: Carol Alevroyianni
Eliot Smith Dance (ESD)
Signee: Eliot Smith, Artistic Director
Elizabeth Kane
Artist
Ednie Wilson
Creativity Development Manager, Gateshead Council
Event International
Signee: Frank Wilson
East Durham Creates
Signees: Jess Hunt & Malcolm Fallow
Empty Shop CIC
Signatories : Carlo Viglianisi and Nick Malyan
Explore Lifelong Learning
Signee: Dorothy Stainsby, Co-chair, Joseph Cowen Lifelong Learning Centre CIO
The Forge
Signee: Tony Harrington Executive Director
The Foundation of Light and Beacon of Light facility
Signee: Jamie Wright, Managing Director
Gateshead Council
Signee: Councillor Angela Douglas, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure
Gateway Studio CIO
Signee: Martin Hylton, Artistic Director/CEO
GemArts
Signee: Vikas Kumar MBE, Director
gobscure
Signee: sean burn
Gosforth Civic Theatre
Signee:
Greenfield Arts
Signee: Katy Milne
Harambee Pasadia CIC
Signee: Hannabiell Sanders
Hayley Mardon
Individual
Helix Arts
Signee: Stephen Pritchard, Business Development Manager
Higgler
Signee: Chelsea Clarke, Founder
Holly Argent
Artist/ Researcher
Hullabaloo Theatre
Signees: Miranda Thain, Chief Executive & Artistic Producer
Identity on Tyne
Signee: Project Coordinator
The Invisible Labs
Signee: Bhavani Esapathi, Founding Director
Jack Drum Arts CIC
Signee: Helen Ward, Managing Director
Kate Chedgzoy
Scholar
Katherine Williams
Fundraiser
Katie Mitchell
Arts and Health Network, North East
Keep Our NHS Public North East (KONPNE)
Signee: Jude Letham
Kitchen Zoo
Signee: Bob Nicholson
Kusoma African Book Club
Signee: Pauline Hughes (Plummer)
Ladies of Midnight Blue
Signee: Yilis Suriel
Laura Fish
Writer and lecturer at Northumbria University
LGBT and fed North East
Signee: Phil Hayden
The Letter Room
Signees: Meghan Doyle and Stan Hodgson, Co-Artistic Directors
Little Cog
Signee: Vici Wreford-Sinnott, Artistic Director
Live Theatre
Signee: Jim Beirne, Chief Executive
Louise Evan Wong
Individual
Luca Rutherford
writer + performer
Luxi
Signee: Caroline Pearce
Megan Brown
Dance Artist
Melody Sproates
Artist/Performer
Middlesbrough Council Cultural buildings: Middlesbrough Town Hall, Middlesbrough Theatre, Middlesbrough Museums.
Signee: Mieka Smiles, Executive Member for Culture, Middlesbrough Council
Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA)
Signee: Laura Sillars, MIMA Director and Dean of MIMA School of Art & Design
Mortal Fools
Signee: Kiz Crosbie, Artistic Director/CEO
Signee: Kerrin Tatman, Artistic Director & Producer
Mslexia
Signee: Debbie Taylor, Editorial Director
Music Partnership North Newcastle
Signee: Georgina Biddle, Senior Specialist Music Service
Musilience
Signee: Helen Walker, Director
Network Artists North East
Signee: Jo Liddle
The NewBridge Project
Signee: Rebecca Huggan, Director
New Writing North
Signee: Claire Malcolm, Chief Executive
Newcastle City Council Arts Team
Signee: Cllr Ged Bell (Cabinet Member for Culture)
NewcastleGateshead Initiative
Signee: Shelley Johnson
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Signee: Philip Bernays, Chief Executive
Newcastle University
Signee: Professor Julie Sanders, Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Newcastles of the World
Signee: David Faulkner
North East Culture Partnership
Signee: Matthew Jaratt
North East Emerging Museum Professionals Group
Signee: Hannah Mather
North East of England African Community Association
Signee: Abdul-Aziz Kouamé
North East Labour History Society
Signee: David Connolly
NEPN (North East Photography Network)
Signee: Amanda Ritson
Northern Alchemy Brewery
Signee: Andrew AItchison
Northern Architectural History Society
Signee: Christopher Downs, Chair
Northern Heartlands
Signee: Jill Cole
Northern Print
Signee: Anna Wilkinson, Director
Northern Roots
Signee: Adam Collerton, Director
Northern Stage
Signee: Kate Denby, Executive Director
Northumberland Theatres
Signee: Wendy Scott
November Club
Signee: Joe Hufton, Artistic Director & CEO
Ogre Studio
Signee: Steven Walker, Creative Director
The Old Coal Yard
Signee: Carl Kennedy
On Board Arts street theatre company
Signee: Nik Alevroyiannis, Artistic Director
One For All Productions
Signee: John MacMahon, Creative Director
Open Clasp
Signees: Joint Chief Executives Catrina McHugh MBE / Ellie Turner
Orbis
Signees: Jonpaul Kirvan FRSA, Paul Stone, Chris Yeats
Origin Moko Jumbies
Signee: Alan Vaughan
Paco Rivera
Musician
Pippa Kyle
The Poetry Book Society
Signee: Sophie O’Neill
Prometheus Foundation CIC
Signee: Dot Owston
Rowan Brown
Ruth Mary Johnson
Actor / Director
Sage Gateshead
Signee: Abigail Pogson, Director
SALTo Arts Productions
Signee: Richard Broderick
Sangini
Signee: Padma Rao
Sanjee Ratnatunga
Ideas for Change Consulting
Sensory Spaces, Newcastle
Seven Stories
Signee: John Coburn
Seventeen Nineteen
Signee: Lily Daniels, Participation and Engagement Officer
Dr. Sheree Mack
Creative
Show Racism the Red Card
Contact name: Justine King, Educational Coordinator
Sian Armstrong
Writer, Performer and Theatre-maker
Side By Side Arts CIC
Signee: Stuart Angus, Director
The Six Twenty
Signee: Melanie Rashbrooke, Artistic Director
Skimstone Arts
Signee: Claire Webster-Saaramets, Director
Slugtown
Signees: Max Lee and Matt Antoniak, Co-directors
Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne
Signee: Nick Hodgson
Summer Streets Festival
Signee: Ross Millard
Success4All
Signée: Caroline Afolabi-Deleu
Sue Ward
Researcher
Sue Woolhouse MA RCA
Ouseburn Warehouse Workshops
Sunderland Culture
Signees: Graeme Thompson, Helen Connify
Sunderland Music Hub
Signee: Lizzie Nixon
Susan Ashley
AHRC Researcher
Streetwise Young People’s Project
Signee: Mandy Coppin (Taylor)
Teakisi
Signee: Salha Kaitesi, Founder & Artistic Director
Tees Valley Arts
Signee: James Beighton, Executive Director
Théâtre Sans Frontières
Signee: Sarah Kemp, Joint Artistic Director
Thinking/Practice
Signee: Mark Robinson
Tin Arts
Signee: Martin Wilson, Executive Director
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
Signee: Iain Watson, Director
Tyne and Wear Cultural Freelancers
Signee: Leila d’Aronville
Twisterella Festival
Signees: Andy Carr and Henry Carden
Unfolding Theatre
Signees: Michael Barrass, Alex Elliott, Garry Lydon, Annie Rigby and Luca Rutherford
VAMOS!
Signee: Nikolas Barrera
VARC
Signee: Helen Pailing
Voices of Virtue Gospel Choir
Signees: Mathapelo Imarhiagbe, Chinyere Igun, Glen Smiley
Waka Waka Africa North East
Signee: David Faulkner
We Make Culture CIC
Signee: Laura Brewis, Project Director
Well Newcastle Gateshead
Signee: Mark Mulqueen, Programme Director
Women Artists of the North East Library
Signee: Holly Argent, Project lead
Signee: Lindsay Nicholson, Co Artistic Director
Workplace and Workplace Foundation
Signee: Miles Thurlow
Wunderbar
Signee: Ilana Mitchell, Director
Yvette Ja Hawkins
Visual Artist