Sunderland Culture

At the University of Sunderland, we work closely with local businesses to help promote equality, diversity, inclusion, and social responsibility.

National Glass Centre

The National Glass Centre held the Re-Purpose exhibition, that featured the work of artists who create their work by re-purposing existing objects made in glass or ceramics. The exhibition supports the Design Lab Nation programme delivered in partnership with the Victoria & Albert Museum, with an aim to encourage local young people to consider careers within the creative industries.

Cultural Spring

• We have started to include a statement about under-represented groups in our programme of events and activities within our artist briefs.
• We ask for monitoring information which is anonymized when recruiting artists for commissions to better understand if there are any gaps / check perceived gaps in who is attracted to apply for our opportunities.
• Members of the team have taken part in LGBTQIA+ Awareness Training with Curious Arts. We are looking at our data collection questions because of this – ensuring they align with our main funder, Arts Council. After consultation with Arts Council England (ACE), we have not amended our data collection with regards to participants at present. ACE are following Stonewall best practice guidelines. However, we now collect additional information concerning sexuality when asking artists to complete an Equal Opportunities Monitoring form. The subject of participant data collection will continue to be monitored and reviewed.
• We will begin collecting equality and diversity information from our staff and steering group members. This will also be fed back to Arts Council England.
• We are match funding a project with our partner Sangini. The project ‘Srijoni’ is for women from the Bangladeshi community, who live in Sunderland or South Tyneside. We are learning about innovative approaches – the importance of including Bengali speakers as artists and facilitators. 30 BAME female participants took part in workshops and an exhibition of their work, and the two female BAME artists who also worked on the project, ran from May 21 – July 21 at Washington Arts Centre.
• As a Creative People and Places project we also work with the other 32 places on this project and the Peer learning network as recently commissioned Dawn Cameron to undertake a piece of research for us on the theme of How Diverse are we Really?
• Supported the focus group element of the Creative People and Places (CPP) research with Dawn Langley with a focus on diversity. Report due in July and will be released via the CPP network.
• Work is underway on our CPP application for 2022-2025 and specific areas of focus include under-represented groups in our programme: children and young people, people from different ethnic backgrounds, and men. This was submitted and we were successful in making it to the interview stage with Arts Council England. A final decision is expected in December 2021.
• Attendance at Artworks-U Access and Inclusion Manifesto conversation (May)
• EDI continues to be included in our quarterly steering group conversations and the steering group have asked for EDI training to support their work in this area.
• Work with Sangini, a Black and minority ethnic (BME) led, multicultural women’s organisation based in Sunderland on the Srijoni project and shared learning.

• Graeme Thompson has been diversity and inclusion lead on the board of Sunderland Culture for the past 18 months
• Arts Council England have rated the company’s Creative Case for Diversity as “strong”
• We are continuing to work with Sunderland’s BME network to support the growth of diverse led creative industries across Sunderland.
• Results from the initial mapping exercise revealed that over 80% of respondents from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds in the city earnt less than £1000 per year from their creative practice. As a result, we have worked with the network to develop a series of ‘New Encounters’ bursaries (led by Helen Green).
• Sunderland was one of only 50 places in the UK taking part in Jerwood Weston Socio‐Economic Diversity Fellowships which aims to address economic disadvantage and under representation within the cultural sector. We have appointed our fellow, Matthew Fearn, who will be joining the NGCA on 31st March. Matthew is a University of Sunderland alum.
• Michelle Daurat created and chaired the Sunderland Culture Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion group from 2019. The chair position in 2021 is now shared between Helen Green and Izzy McDonald-Booth. The group is a cross-venue meeting of staff and is responsible for advocating and encouraging a positive and supportive approach to equality, diversity & inclusion in Sunderland Culture by developing recommendations and developing plans put forward in consultation with the Senior Management Team. One of the achievements of the group in 2020 was the creation of the Sunderland Culture Anti-Racism Statement.
• Sunderland Culture is making Call Outs to artists and participants more accessible by including audio and easy read versions of guidelines as well as making the application process accessible with a choice of submission routes – via email, audio or video.
• Inclusivity in staff recruitment – in 2019 Sunderland Culture implemented a recruitment policy which includes ‘blind shortlisting’
• Srijoni exhibition at Arts Centre Washington in partnership with Sangini which presented artworks created by women from Sunderland’s Bangladeshi community during lockdown
• Arts Centre Washington also presented Sessions by Ifeyinwa Fredrick (Plaines Plough / Soho), Same But Different by Sonia Sabri and is hosting a performance by disabled artist Gobscure.
• There is work with Young Asian Voices on a print display at the Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
• Pascale Mathilde Tayou installation at the Minster as part of Black History Month