“When many people say ‘diversity’ they mean ‘find black people’. If you are a person who is in a perceived minority – I’m in several – then we must get in majority positions in our own businesses and our own creative endeavours, and then demonstrate the siblinghood that we wish other people, who have had the power for so long, were able to do.” – Rikki Beadle-Blair MBE, award-winning writer, director, composer, choreographer, designer, producer and performer working across film, theatre, television and radio 

“As a disabled queer artist with mixed/Black heritage, I am personally and professionally invested in challenging and subverting the cultural and political status quo. Learning how to advocate for and acquire the resources for the communities I represent has shown me that being minoritised does not have to mean being disempowered.” – Tarik Elmoutawakil, Creative Director, Marlborough Productions

“Using dance as a medium, Stopgap aims to create an inclusive world where diversity is not just accepted but pursued, a world where no one is limited by prejudice against D/deaf, disabled, or neurodivergent people. Our process involves listening to the diversity of voices and needs to discover a new and equitable way of working and living. We know that inclusion elevates everyone, and we want to show how this can be realised through creativity and collaboration.” – Laura Jones, Co-Artistic Director, Stopgap Dance

This chapter is co-curated by Jo Verrent, Director of Unlimited, and one of the UK’s leading voices in inclusion and diversity, particularly in terms of representation of the 20% of the UK population who have a disability.

“As ever-increasing social and environmental crises become the new normal, the cultural sector must re-examine its role. We are no longer houses of collections or didactic monologues – but must change our position within our communities and for our audiences to become relevant to contemporary issues. Our role must focus on being leaders for sustainability – from practising to advocating. The only way to prevent museums from becoming a thing of the past is to start connecting them to the future.” – Caitlin Southwick, Founder & Executive Director, Ki Culture

This chapter is co-curated by Zoe Rasbash, Environmental Emergencies Action Researcher at Bristol + Bath Creative R+D, who is working to co-develop a framework for climate action for the creative sector in the South West. 

“I met so many different people at Contact and had my perspective changed and just really got that sense of what youth leadership can be. I want to make sure that this ethos, culture and environment is protected because it was so beneficial for me and so many people that I know. It is how I became such a natural advocate for what Contact is about.” – Keisha Thompson, the UK’s first poet to run a multi-arts venue, Contact in Manchester

“In the face of compounding crises, our work interrogates how we make change pragmatic and poetic, by situating culture as integral to the imagining and realising of new systems. Through the development of spaces and infrastructure that support creative capacities, we connect communities and artists to rehearse visions for the future.” – Amahra Spence, Artist, Spatial Practitioner and Founding Director of MAIA, a Black-led arts and social justice organisation.

This chapter is co-curated by Reform Radio, a multi-award winning online radio station and arts organisation working with local creatives, DJs and young people to develop and showcase new work via online platforms.

“It is long overdue, but we won’t begin to see fundamental change in the sector until we shift our thinking away from outdated stereotypes about who gets to be an artist, where the best artistic work is presented, and who gets to engage and critique it. Let’s Create provides a framework to make progress in these areas and allows me the opportunity to tilt the power in the direction of a new generation of artists and audiences.” – Jonathan Harper, Chief Executive of Paraorchestra

“I challenge stereotypes every step of the way. In Bradford, our UK City of Culture 2025 win was built on thousands of conversations with our many, diverse communities and our extraordinary young population. They all wanted two things – opportunity and inclusivity. We need to make the creative sector accessible for people of all backgrounds and abilities – and only then will we be able to produce bold, new work of the highest quality that truly reflects the multi-faceted, multi-cultural society we live in.” – Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director of Bradford UK City of Culture 2025