Abstract:In this article, a transdisciplinary cultural labour perspective is used to examine the evolving and spontaneous networks and grassroots collective movements of performing arts freelancers in two contexts: Belfast (Northern Ireland) and Athens (Greece) in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. With a principally methodological contribution, the article proposes that evolving cultural ecologies research should mirror the ecologies it studies by adopting more collaborative and improvisational research approaches,… Show more
“…Formal and informal freelancer networks (online and offline) have emerged in recent years to meet challenges of isolation of freelance workers and foster workforce solidarity and knowledge exchange they may miss from being outside an organisational context (Scott et al, 2023). Mutual aid networks, collective movements and activism also emerged directly England in response to the pandemic and increased CCW precarity (FitzGibbon and Tsioulakis, 2022;Tanghetti et al, 2022).…”
Section: Creative Work Cultural Policy and Covid-19mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…In the UK, significant connections have been made between the pandemic context and pre-existing literature critiquing the precarious nature of creative work (Comunian and England, 2020) and inequalities (Brook et al, 2020) which preceded the pandemic. However, in CCI policies and cultural strategies (including Covid recovery plans), the voices and knowledge of CCWs often go unheard (Comunian and England, 2020; England et al, 2022; FitzGibbon and Tsioulakis, 2022). Sargent (2022: 9) notes that ‘the sector can no longer evade the professional and moral responsibility to embrace those essential workers in more supportive and engaged ways’.…”
Section: Creative Work Cultural Policy and Covid-19mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…There remains, however, limited understanding of how such networks are formed and sustained, and how/whether they actually influence policy or stimulate growth (FitzGibbon and Tsioulakis, 2022). Notably, the review of the Scottish cultural workforce highlighted the need for sector-supporting organisations and networks to be incentivised, through additional funding, to support the implementation of a Fair Work strategy and collaborations to maximise resources and impact (Scott, 2022: 10).…”
Section: Creative Work Cultural Policy and Covid-19mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…This article reflects on challenges at the foundation of UK cultural policy making, that the people – specifically freelance creative and cultural workers (CCWs) 1 – and relationships that produce culture and drive the creative economy are often under-considered, under-valued and under-protected. It seeks to identify how freelancer CCWs, as the most precarious CCWs, can be better included in cultural policy (FitzGibbon and Tsioulakis, 2022), and how care (Alacovska and Bissonnette, 2021; Belfiore, 2021; Dent et al, 2023) can be better embedded in institutional practices, cultural leadership and employment relationships in a move towards more sustainable and just principles for creative work (Banks, 2017).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The article also speaks to the need for a critical renewal of cultural policy studies (Belfiore, 2021), reflects on the value of researchers collaborating more with the cultural and creative communities they study (FitzGibbon and Tsioulakis, 2022) and notes challenges to overcome in communicating with policy makers in order to develop meaningful, even caring, research practices and impacts.…”
This article seeks to reposition freelance creative and cultural workers (CCWs) and conditions of creative work as the foundations of cultural policy making. Using a case study of Dundee, Scotland, in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the article draws on focus groups and interviews with creative freelancers, representatives of cultural organisations and members of a cultural strategy development group in Dundee. It presents how freelancers were not only missing from policy (national and local), their precarity was also exacerbated by cultural organisations in their response to pandemic-induced uncertainty. The potential for more caring modes of engagement with freelance CCWs are identified. Crucially, the article argues that this support work must also be resourced to be effective and sustainable. The article presents opportunities for rethinking the position of freelancers in cultural policy and sector leadership, and reflects on the capacity for academic research to support such work.
“…Formal and informal freelancer networks (online and offline) have emerged in recent years to meet challenges of isolation of freelance workers and foster workforce solidarity and knowledge exchange they may miss from being outside an organisational context (Scott et al, 2023). Mutual aid networks, collective movements and activism also emerged directly England in response to the pandemic and increased CCW precarity (FitzGibbon and Tsioulakis, 2022;Tanghetti et al, 2022).…”
Section: Creative Work Cultural Policy and Covid-19mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…In the UK, significant connections have been made between the pandemic context and pre-existing literature critiquing the precarious nature of creative work (Comunian and England, 2020) and inequalities (Brook et al, 2020) which preceded the pandemic. However, in CCI policies and cultural strategies (including Covid recovery plans), the voices and knowledge of CCWs often go unheard (Comunian and England, 2020; England et al, 2022; FitzGibbon and Tsioulakis, 2022). Sargent (2022: 9) notes that ‘the sector can no longer evade the professional and moral responsibility to embrace those essential workers in more supportive and engaged ways’.…”
Section: Creative Work Cultural Policy and Covid-19mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…There remains, however, limited understanding of how such networks are formed and sustained, and how/whether they actually influence policy or stimulate growth (FitzGibbon and Tsioulakis, 2022). Notably, the review of the Scottish cultural workforce highlighted the need for sector-supporting organisations and networks to be incentivised, through additional funding, to support the implementation of a Fair Work strategy and collaborations to maximise resources and impact (Scott, 2022: 10).…”
Section: Creative Work Cultural Policy and Covid-19mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…This article reflects on challenges at the foundation of UK cultural policy making, that the people – specifically freelance creative and cultural workers (CCWs) 1 – and relationships that produce culture and drive the creative economy are often under-considered, under-valued and under-protected. It seeks to identify how freelancer CCWs, as the most precarious CCWs, can be better included in cultural policy (FitzGibbon and Tsioulakis, 2022), and how care (Alacovska and Bissonnette, 2021; Belfiore, 2021; Dent et al, 2023) can be better embedded in institutional practices, cultural leadership and employment relationships in a move towards more sustainable and just principles for creative work (Banks, 2017).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The article also speaks to the need for a critical renewal of cultural policy studies (Belfiore, 2021), reflects on the value of researchers collaborating more with the cultural and creative communities they study (FitzGibbon and Tsioulakis, 2022) and notes challenges to overcome in communicating with policy makers in order to develop meaningful, even caring, research practices and impacts.…”
This article seeks to reposition freelance creative and cultural workers (CCWs) and conditions of creative work as the foundations of cultural policy making. Using a case study of Dundee, Scotland, in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the article draws on focus groups and interviews with creative freelancers, representatives of cultural organisations and members of a cultural strategy development group in Dundee. It presents how freelancers were not only missing from policy (national and local), their precarity was also exacerbated by cultural organisations in their response to pandemic-induced uncertainty. The potential for more caring modes of engagement with freelance CCWs are identified. Crucially, the article argues that this support work must also be resourced to be effective and sustainable. The article presents opportunities for rethinking the position of freelancers in cultural policy and sector leadership, and reflects on the capacity for academic research to support such work.
The purpose of the present research was to investigate the agents involved in an innovation ecosystem within the realm of the creative industry, drawing on relevant international literature. The interest emerged from the need to assess the existence of international examples identifying new innovative protagonists. To this end, a systematic review of publications indexed in the Web of Science database was undertaken, using the content analysis method based on Bardin (2016). After developing the protocol for filtering and analysis, 46 articles published on the platform between 2020 and 2024 were identified and examined. It is possible to observe that the discussion about innovation ecosystems and the creative industry transcends regional boundaries, addressing the need to integrate both urban and rural areas. This integration is achieved through the creation of innovation districts, innovation zones, creativity collectives, creative cities, and smart cities, all spaces guided by sustainability concerns, with the purpose of unifying the interests of industry, civil society, government, and academia. For the effective generation of innovative products, it becomes indispensable to have creative professionals endowed with specific managerial skills, supported by well-defined business models and organizational flows. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain constant attention to aspects related to intellectual property rights and the implementation of public policies that promote the development of the creative industry.
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