Case for the North call to preserve North East’s cultural renaissance

Jan 26 2010 by David Whetstone, The Journal

DAVID WHETSTONE looks at the distinct cultural achievements of the North East and why they are worth preserving.

WE are no strangers to negative media coverage in the North East, whether in relation to unemployment or health. Even via football we sometimes get a bit of a kicking.

But when it comes to arts and culture, the story of the last decade has been unremittingly positive.

An extraordinary transformation of the region’s arts infrastructure has taken place since the turn of the millennium, prompting talk of a North East renaissance.

A campaign for more than £200m to be invested in new arts facilities was launched in 1995, backed by leading politicians and all the region’s local authorities.

Less than three years later, The Angel of the North – a bold statement of intent by Gateshead Council – grabbed headlines around the world, paving the way to further eye-catching developments.

In 2010 we are enjoying the fruits of the campaign’s dramatic successes: major new galleries in Gateshead and Middlesbrough; a new dance centre and the country’s first centre for children’s books, Seven Stories, in Newcastle; the National Glass Centre in Sunderland.

Theatres in Newcastle, Sunderland and Whitley Bay have been expensively updated while the refurbished Tyneside Cinema has earned universal acclaim. Only at the weekend, it was picked as one of the top 10 most interesting cinemas in the country by one national newspaper.

Against this exhilarating backdrop, new arts festivals have been established, adding to the region’s quality of life and boosting tourism.

The AV Festival of electronic arts, due to take place at venues across the North East in March, has become a leader in its field.