A New Direction is commissioning responses to Leading with Purpose: Cultural Education in Practice,
our collection of essays on the evolution of cultural leadership. We
are looking to commission leaders (emerging or established) in the cultural
education sector to provide insights or creative reflections on our publication
that contribute to the discussion.
Your response can take the form of a written piece for
our blog
(max of 1,000 words) or another creative format, responding to one or more of
the articles in our resource (outlined below) and developing the conversation
further by:
- Identifying
the main challenges cultural educators are facing today;
- Addressing
issues in your field of expertise within the cultural education sector – how
it’s changed, where it’s headed, etc.; or
- Sharing
any tips or suggestions you have for sector actions and focus.
Fee
£250 - this includes either a piece of writing up to 1,000
words, or another creative response (such as a piece of digital visual art).
Project Context
Leading with Purpose: Cultural Education in Practice is a
collection of observations, studies, analysis and practical tools for today’s
cultural educators. Many of the leaders who inspired and contributed to
the resource work outside traditional institutions. They navigate shifting
policies, funding challenges and gaps in support and have developed resilience,
creativity and deep community knowledge along the way. Leading with Purpose is
not a fixed manual. It’s an invitation to recognise, resource and reimagine
leadership for the future. We hope it sparks reflection, conversation and
action.
The publication brings together three perspectives:
- Dr
David Parker explores what cultural education leadership is, why it matters,
and what support the sector needs.
- John
Riches shares the stories of ten practitioners whose lived experience shapes
their leadership and opens pathways for others.
- Dr
Chrissie Tiller connects today’s work to radical thinkers of the past, showing
how their ideas can help us create new possibilities for children and young
people.
We have organised a series of in-person events tied to
the articles and will be sharing a collection of complementary views and
reflections from your sector peers on our blog throughout Autumn 2026. To keep the conversation going, we are
looking for additional responses to share at the start of 2027.
Timeline
- Deadline
for EOI submission – 7th Dec 2026
- Successful
EOI submissions notified – w/c 7th Dec 2026
- Writing
and editing – Dec 2026 /Jan 2027
- Published
via AND – February / March 2027