Securing a bright and exciting future for Cornerstone Arts Centre
Plans are being prepared this month to secure a bright and exciting future for Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot.
The much-loved arts centre has provided Didcot and the surrounding areas with an important and vibrant focus for arts and the community for over a decade.
Cornerstone supports the wellbeing of residents by offering a high-quality programme of affordable live performances, activities, classes, exhibitions and outreach work.
A report going before South Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet on 15 February, sets out plans to enhance the future of the arts centre – to maximise its community benefit and financial efficiency, and to establish its long-term sustainability.
The report outlines an 18-month action plan for the arts centre that will strive to optimise in-house operations. This ranges from the launch of an Arts and Culture Strategy and also encompasses practical work on improved show programming, and working closer with the community and local businesses, to enhancing signage, marketing and branding.
Cllr Maggie Filipova-Rivers Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing at South Oxfordshire District Council said: “Arts, culture and heritage plays an important part in improving quality of life, community wellbeing and social connection.
“Our action plan shows our commitment to securing an even brighter and exciting future for Cornerstone Arts Centre. This is to maximise community benefit and financial efficiency, and to establish the long-term sustainability of the centre.
“Whilst financial efficiency is a focus for improvement, the arts centre is a valuable public service and part of our ongoing, long-term commitment to investing in arts and culture for the wellbeing of our communities.
“Once our action plan is embedded, we can turn our attention to longer-term options – but for now, we have our sights set on some very clear goals to get us where we need to be.”
The work is set against the wider national challenges to all arts and culture facilities following the impact of the Covid pandemic, and subsequently by the inflationary environment and cost of living emergency.
Over the last four years, as well as commissioning external expert reviews, the council has made a series of changes to the delivery of its arts service in an effort to reduce the various costs whilst also protecting this valued service, including the introduction of externally funded activities and a major decarbonisation project.
Cllr Filipova-Rivers added: “Alongside this important focus on Cornerstone, we will also develop a district-wide Art and Culture strategy which will look at how we work with, support and deliver local facilities, events and initiatives. We will seek the views of residents and all our stakeholders on this.
“The development of a vision for arts and culture will help steer our future role and direction, help us to understand how we can better support partners and create a way forward for the wider arts, culture and heritage sector in South Oxfordshire.”
View the full report and action plan here (Item 8).
Find out more about Cornerstone Arts Centre at www.cornerstone-arts.org
