Hi Emma, what can you tell me about The Atkinson?
The Atkinson is a cultural hub for Southport and we're just over a year old. We bring together five previously dispersed services under the roof of a beautifully refurbished building where we have a library, a 400-seat theatre with state-of-the-art cinema equipment, a flexible studio theatre, exhibition galleries for our fine and decorative art collections, plus retail and catering offers. The final bit of the jigsaw will be our museum, opening later this year.
Why was the redevelopment needed?
Essentially there were two issues: the existing buildings were in poor repair and needed a lot of work doing to them; and there was a desire to create a critical mass for culture across the borough, in particular to help regenerate Southport as a seaside resort.
Were there any teething problems with the project?
The main problem was opening too soon. But 80% of something is better than 100% of nothing so I felt that, having been completely shut and off the radar for three years, it was worth opening the doors. I really had to hold my nerve with that decision though – people were saying: what about this, what about that and what about the signage? I've heard nothing but "what about the signage?" for 12 months. We had to ride through the grumbles about not having everything perfect at once.
What's been your biggest challenge?
Creating a new organisation out of five separate ones. I learned that if you're going to restructure, do it fast. A number of my colleagues were convinced that disaster was just around the corner, but I knew what kind of workforce the organisation needed and so I just kept going.
You have to take absolute responsibility for change and embody it. I've been fascinated to find out all the names I'm called. They're really funny in a way because the point of getting to this level is that you're not bothered about being referred to as the Eye of Sauron, the Grim Reaper or the Whirlwind. My favourite is the Queen of Darkness.
What can you tell me about The Atkinson's focus on health and wellbeing?
This was the real epiphany for us. Because of its sea air, Southport was developed as a seaside resort specifically for recuperation during the latter part of the 18th century. The area's motto is Salus Populi, meaning "health of the people".
We also have an established and award-winning "arts on prescription" service, which has been helping people suffering mild or moderate anxiety and depression. No one had quite added all that up. Now everything we do is about engaging with the wellbeing of people through culture and arts and I'm very comfortable putting it that way around.
How does that ethos translate into practice?
Southport has an ageing population and so our tea dances and activities for older people are a means of escape from the deprivation and depression that comes from isolation. Our thinking is that people can come to The Atkinson and connect, participate, learn, do things as a group, as a family, or take a guided walk along the coast. All of those things would be how I'd define out contribution to wellbeing.
From where did the £18m redevelopment money come?
The first injection of funding came from the Sea Change programme and we also secured some Arts Council England funding, but most of the money for the redevelopment has come from the local authority. We've subsequently raised nearly £1m from Heritage Lottery for the museum. Because our story and what we offer is very different from other cultural venues in the region, we've had quite a lot of success and every application is getting us on the radar of another group of people.
My biggest priority now is developing a proper fundraising strategy. We won't attempt to compete with the big players on an arts level; we'll look at culture through a wellbeing lens, which broadens our funding options.
£18m is a huge sum during a time of widespread arts cuts…
Cuts to the arts in small local authorities are tiny in comparison to cuts in adult social care and we're very much part of the answer to cuts in those areas. I don't know if that's a replicable model but it's how we see what we do. So if daycare centres have to close then we're part of the answer to that. If there's an issue with employment opportunities for young people, we can make a contribution with apprenticeship opportunities or work experience placements for people coming out of the care system. We're part of the answer.
Emma Anderson is director of The Atkinson in Southport, Merseyside – follow it on Twitter @AtkinsonThe
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