Arts Lancashire proudly announced the launch of LANDS (Lancashire Arts Network for Developing Sustainability) at their bi-annual Lancashire Arts Exchange, hosted at Horse + Bamboo in Rossendale earlier this week.

LANDS is positioned as a vital program of climate action, engagement, advocacy, and support for Lancashire artists and arts organisations. In support of Climate Justice, the initiative aims to address the unequal impact of the climate crisis within the sector to foster a sustainable creative community within the county. The primary focus is on sharing knowledge and best practices, making artistic practices more sustainable, and contributing to Lancashire’s net-zero target.

LANDS is also proud to be part of the Project Constellation Network facilitated by Sustainable Arts In Leeds (SAIL), a coalition of green arts networks across the country sharing learnings, successes, challenges, and opportunities for sustainable approaches to art creation.

To coincide with the launch, LANDS members curated this year’s Lancashire Arts Exchange programme around Climate Leadership, Action, and Justice in the arts. The event featured a diverse lineup of speakers and panellists, including Abdur Razzak from Tagore University of Creative Arts, Bangladesh, Resolve Collective (interdisciplinary design collective), Ergon Theatre (Manchester-based theatre company), IoT Horizons (digital transformation service company), and a host of Lancashire artists and arts organisations including:

• Lancaster Arts, who presented work in progress from ‘On Our Doorsteps’, a current live ‘We Live Here’ project that is bringing artists into dialogue with communities in Lancaster and Morecambe to explore environmental justice issues in our place over a six-month period;
• The National Festival of Making who spoke about their co-commissioned work with Blackburn People’s Jury On The Climate Crisis, and artist, Get It Done, resulting in a multi-faceted creative outcome;
• and The Creative Principle, a Lancashire artist collective who founded the Preston Scrap Store which was piloted at Preston Bus Station during 2023’s Lancashire Encounter Festival in Preston.

Esther Ferry-Kennington, Chair of LANDS, expressed the significance of the initiative, stating,

“LANDS is an important new development for the arts sector in Lancashire. It’s time to commit to action to understand and improve the carbon footprint of our work in a way that acknowledges the unequal impact of drastic climate changes. We hope we can help to do that. I’m really proud to be chairing this burgeoning network and look forward to welcoming new members, sharing knowledge and bringing about much-needed change.”

In celebration of the launch of LANDS’, a new artwork called ‘The Mark of Resolve’ is being co-created by Source Creative and attendees of the 2024 Lancashire Arts Exchange, as a visual symbol of the collective commitment of the Lancashire cultural sector to a more climate conscious approach It will soon be available to download from the Arts Lancashire website.

Additionally, a Green Festivals & Events guide was developed with the assistance of peers in Yorkshire, adapting resources from the Kirklees Council’s Creative Development Team.

Robin Widdowson, Creative Operational Manager, Environment & Climate Change, Kirklees Council, emphasized the guide’s purpose, stating,

“The Kirklees Sustainable Festival and Events guide was originally developed by Kirklees Council’s Creative Development Team as part of our outcomes for Kirklees Year of Music 2023 and to support the wider cultural economy. The guide was created through desk research, exploring other policies and documentation, liaising with internal teams and external consultants. Global environmental issues impact on all of us, and the better we collaborate and support one another the more effectively we may make positive differences. Sharing the document and approach with LANDS was a conscious decision to move this forward and to build our supportive relationship for the future.”

Alex O’Toole, Chair of Arts Lancashire, highlighted the importance of working in partnership, stating,

“Collaborating with partners both within and beyond Lancashire to establish local support initiatives such as LANDS and the Green Festival & Events Guide aligns with Arts Lancashire’s mission. One of our key aims is to enhance the collective knowledge and skills of our local sector in adopting more sustainable approaches to commissioning, creating, and sharing art. We eagerly anticipate the growth and development of LANDS’ membership and programme, further encouraging the sector’s collective action and contributing to Lancashire’s ambitious goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.”

For more information about LANDS, please visit artslancashire.org.uk/Lands.

 

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