Untangling creativity and art for policy purposes : ethnographic insights on Manchester International Festival and Manchester Day Parade

Symons, JIJ

Abstract

This paper draws on anthropological fieldwork of a civic parade in Manchester
from 2010 to 2012 to argue for engaging with creativity as a process rather
than an attribute of a particular sector or individual. It shows how the focus on
funding and supporting ‘creative industries’ defined as ‘cinema, television,
music, literature, performing arts, heritage and related areas’ actually excludes
and diminishes the potential for others to engage with ideas and creative
processes. Two major events in Manchester’s cultural calendar – Procession by
artist Jeremy Deller, produced by Manchester International Festival and
Manchester Day Parade, a council-led civic celebration – both combined community
groups with artist input to put large-scale structures and people on the
city’s streets. In this ethnographic analysis, I argue that the ‘creativity’ sought
from these artists is their adaptive and productive approach to making ideas tangible.
By focusing on creativity as a process rather than a character trait, there
is even greater potential for stimulating a ‘creative’ city.

Citation

Symons, J. (2018). Untangling creativity and art for policy purposes : ethnographic insights on Manchester International Festival and Manchester Day Parade. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 24(2), 205-219. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2016.1150268

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 11, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Mar 10, 2016
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Mar 21, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 24, 2016
• Journal: International Journal of Cultural Policy
• Print ISSN: 1028-6632
• Electronic ISSN: 1477-2833
• Publisher: Routledge
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 205-219
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2016.1150268
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2016.1150268
• Related Public URLs: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/gcul20/current
• Additional Information: Projects : Cultural Intermediation