The Glasgow School of Art

On the morning of 28^th September 2016, creative practitioners, cultural organisations, policymakers and academics came together at The Glasgow School of Art to explore what it takes for creative cities — and Glasgow in particular — to thrive.  

We would like to thank all of our speakers for taking part, and for agreeing to share their presentations below: 

Dr Bridget McConnell CBE, Chief Executive of Glasgow Life, discussed Glasgow's strategic progress as a 'vibrant city', from the strength and depth of its long-established cultural institutions and infrastructure, and the history of culture-led regeneration in recent decades, to its current and future plans for contemporary art, music, heritage, events, sport and tourism. Download the presentation here.  

Brian McLaren, Managing Director of Ekos, explored the role of creative industries in Glasgow's economic strategy, asking whether the city has lost ground in recent years to other places, and arguing that an integrated approach to Creative City development is necessary to ensure Glasgow's resurgence. Download the presentation here. 

Professor Jonathan Dovey, Director of REACT and Professor of Screen Media at the University of the West of England, explored the role of higher education as a partner in vibrant creative ecosystems, drawing lessons from his own experiences in Bristol, including the importance of innovative third spaces, creative producers making connections in diverse networks, and defining appropriate objectives and measures of success. Download the presentation here, and the final REACT report here. 

Professor Brian Evans, Professor of Urbanism and Landscape at the Mackintosh School of Architecture and director of the Glasgow Urban Laboratory at The Glasgow School of Art explored how Glasgow can develop resilience in an era of global 'super cities', and revealed the city's encouraging performance in European Commission studies of quality of life in European cities, based on a wide range of indicators. Download the presentation here. 

Professor Ken Neil, Deputy Director (Academic), The Glasgow School of Art, gave an overview of the main themes and ideas that emerged at the Glasgow: City of Creative Production workshop held on 7^th September 2016, and suggested a number of ways in which those with a role in Glasgow's Creative Sector might work together to support its future development. Download the presentation here. View a short film about the workshop here. See images from the workshop here. Download the summary of workshop outcomes here.

(Note that audio recordings of the presentations will also be posted here soon.)

A further event about Glasgow's creative economy is planned for late November, when we hope to identify a range of collaborative initiatives that The Glasgow School of Art can develop with partners in the city and further afield.