Attenborough Arts Centre

Description

Attenborough Arts Centre, located at the University of Leicester, is a cultural venue that produces visual arts, live performances, learning, community, and research programs. Its goal is to inspire everyone to participate actively in culture by combining great cultural experiences from local, national, and international artists with high-quality community programs. They work with many local organizations to engage the Leicester communities and national partners to raise the profile of their work. Attenborough Arts Centre aims to be a sector leader for inclusion and a center of excellence for disability arts. It is funded by the University of Leicester and Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation, and also receives support from public funders such as Art Fund, BBC Children in Need, Leicester Shire Promotions, and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Attenborough Arts Centre and the University of Leicester collaborate to explore new ways of supporting collaborations between arts, culture, and research. Situated in one of the UK's most diverse cities, both institutions engage with communities locally, regionally, nationally, and globally to effect real-world change. Attenborough Arts Centre brings artists to work with world-leading academics at the University of Leicester on groundbreaking research in various fields, prioritizing two-way collaboration where artists help academics achieve greater public engagement and academics provide specialist knowledge and expertise to inspire new creative ideas and artworks.

Attenborough Arts Centre supports research, development, and experimentation in artistic practice, incubating artistic ideas that often push at the boundaries of what has gone before. They have a long and successful track-record of supporting artists' talent and career development, providing them with advice, guidance, and mentoring, as well as time and space for artists to test ideas and gain feedback from audiences. They are particularly interested in socially-engaged, participatory, and co-created practice and have long-standing relationships with many different communities in Leicester.

The University of Leicester is a top 30 research institution that depends on creative thinking for world-leading research. Attenborough Arts Centre plays a key role in the university's submissions to the Research Excellence Framework, Knowledge Exchange Framework, and Teaching Excellence Framework.

Social prescribing is a non-medical approach to improving health and quality of life through sustainable, supportive networks and relationships. Attenborough Arts Centre recognizes the potential of culture and creativity in social prescribing and is working to formalize its work to extend the benefits to more people.

Oadby and Wigston Borough Council awarded the University of Leicester the Freedom of the Borough Award in 2021. As partners in the Civic Universities Agreement, Attenborough Arts Centre is developing a cultural partnership with the council to provide more arts and culture provision in Oadby and Wigston, a priority area of investment for Arts Council England.

Offers funding

No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

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University affiliation(s)

University of Leicester
University Road
Leicester
LE1 7RH