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Cultivating Creativity: Building the Creative and Cultural Industries of North East Scotland (Keynote and welcome address)

This keynote, Aberdeen (2011), launched Cultivating Creativity, a Creative Scotland 30k innovation initiative. It critically revealed the lack of appreciation of the positive performance of the creative and cultural industries (CCIs) in NE Scotland. Harris demonstrated that the region’s CCIs were comparable to Agriculture, Food and Fish Processing, as well as Tourism, out-performing other priority sectors, such as Food and Drink, and Life Sciences. The keynote’s objective was to challenge the economic strategies of the region with regard to their existing priorities, infrastructure, aims and objectives by providing research-informed evidence that revealed existing strong regional foundations. The underpinning argument analysed employment and economic data, drawing on multiple contextual studies (Creative Graduates Creative Futures Report, Jan 2010; EU Green Paper on the Creative and Cultural industries 2010), testing prevalent regeneration theories [Landry (2000), Florida (2003),Scott (2006)] in a culturally specific context. This methodological approach made visible economic opportunity across policy and strategy areas, including the potential of association with food and tourism.

The conference, funded by Creative Scotland’s Creative Futures, included representatives of Scottish Enterprise and Local Authorities among over 90+ multi-disciplinary delegates.

The keynote was a catalyst to new research:

1. Design in Action AHRC funded Knowledge Exchange hub (2012-16) (£4.8m). Harris is co-investigator focusing on Design, Food and Drink. (www.designinaction.com)

2. Cultivating Creative Collectives with partners University of West of Scotland and Glasgow School of Art, funded by Creative Scotland, 2013 (£80k), developing infrastructural models of organisation and marketing.

3. Aberdeen’s Economic Strategy (ACSEF Management Report Feb 2012) establishing the CCIs as a priority sector (ACSEF’s Economic Action Plan for Aberdeen City and Shire 2013-2018) through presentations to ACSEF Board 2011 and Keynote, AB+ Cultural Conference, Aberdeen 2012, foregrounding the CCIs in the City’s place-making and strategy, and informing 2017 UK City of Culture bid.