At the beginning of 2013, TCCE hosted a winter roundtable on What Universities Can Learn from the Arts. The roundtable explored the many parallels between Higher Education and the arts, and provided a valuable occasion for new strategies, networks and initiatives to be developed to tackle refocusing within the sectors.

Over the recent past, universities have had to manage enormous changes, from how they are funded and what is funded, to intensified scrutiny and expectation in areas such as research impact, public engagement, external reputation and student satisfaction. Arguably, the arts have had to deal with such precariousness for somewhat longer; cultural organisations have unceasingly coped with reductions in grants, changes in leadership, as well as the challenge to continuously attract diverse audiences and adapt their artistic vision. Reflections from professionals in the Cultural and Creative industries during this knowledge exchange unlocked some lessons for the Higher Education sector.

Contributors/Speakers:  Deborah Bull, Assistant Principal of King’s College London (Arts and Culture) and former Creative Director of the Royal Opera House.

Attendees:
Karen Turner, ICA; Nancy Groves, Guardian online; Dr Jocelyn Probert, Judge Business School Cambridge; Imogen Brodie, Young Vic; Professor Anne Marie Rafferty, KCL; Sarah Weir, Legacy Company; Professor Katie Normington, RHUL; Dr Trudi Darby, KCL; Anne Thidemann, Frieze; Sally Taylor, TCCE; Suzie Leighton, TCCE;
Evelyn Wilson, TCCE