North by Northwest

The Harris is a member of this network promoting and developing contemporary visual arts in Lancashire and Cumbria.

The Harris is delighted to be a member of North by Northwest, part of the Contemporary Visual Arts Network (formerly known as Turning Point). Contemporary art curator Clarissa Corfe is currently Co-Chair of the consortium with Elaine Speight curator In Certain Places UCLan.

The 12 member organisations are all different in terms of size, structure and offer; however they are all passionate about contemporary visual arts.

Why Art Works

Published in 2011, Why Art Works is the summary of an evaluation study commissioned by North by NorthWest. This is a consortium of 12 publicly funded visual arts organisations who have come together to support, promote and develop the contemporary visual arts in Lancashire and Cumbria.

The report

The report makes a compelling case for supporting and exploiting the impact of the contemporary visual arts in Lancashire and Cumbria. This case is illustrated by the Why Art Works benefits model, which identifies 10 key benefits categorised into three thematic areas:

Placemaking

1.  Creating better communities to live in
2.  Changing the way places look
3.  Changing perceptions of places

Economic Value

4.  Attracting and retaining talent, trade and investment
5.  Attracting higher value tourists
6.  Stimulating a creative economy

Engaging and connecting communities

7.  Connecting communities to the world (and vice versa)
8.  Engaging communities with other agendas
9.  Changing the way people think, see and act
10.  Creating art for its own intrinsic worth

All ten benefits are supported by case studies from the member organisations. These show how they present imaginative, inspiring programmes that deliver multiple, measurable benefits and a solid return on investment.

For more information about North by NorthWest and the member organisations, visit www.nbynw.squarespace.com