On our mark for Olympics run-up
Oct 2 2007 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal
THE Government has appointed a ‘cultural ambassador’ for the North-East to ensure the region benefits from the 2012 Olympics.
Lorna Fulton has been tasked with ensuring the region contributes to an “inspiring Cultural Olympiad” in the run-up to the London games.
Ms Fulton is the Creative Programmer responsible for ensuring North-East schools, libraries and museums share in the cultural events planned for the four years up to the start of the games. She will also act as the region’s link with the London organising committee, and is responsible for judging whether any local art projects are good enough to be used by the committee.
Her appointment comes after 400m runner Alison Curbishley launched an Olympic art project at St James’s Park.
Ms Curbishley said: “Museums, libraries and archives have an important role to play in ensuring that people in the North-East can really feel the Olympic spirit, get involved and make 2012 the best Games ever.”
On her first day in the job, Ms Foulton yesterday said she was looking forward to setting out an Olympic arts programme.
She added: “There is a lot going on with the sports projects and the Olympics and I’m going to be particularly looking to see this from an arts and culture point of view.
“I’m really looking at how we can make sure the arts sector joins in with the sporting events.
“And I’m just looking forward to getting started.” The Department for Culture Media and Sports say her work will focus on “grass-roots community projects,” something Ms Foulton will be familiar with from her work with Culture North-East.
Despite the arts project, the Olympics committee has been criticised by regions outside London over worries that the mammoth cost of the games– anywhere up to £8bn – will deprive sports and arts groups of essential funding.
The North-East will lose out from 2009 onwards as lottery cash is diverted to fund the Olympics.
In July Olympic supremo Sebastian Coe visited Gateshead International Stadium to explain what the rest of the UK would gain from the games as the Government pushes the cultural benefits.
Lord Coe hailed the Cultural Olympiad festival as a “vital component” of the games’ success.
Museum group MLA North-East has started a series of events to get the region more involved with arts projects as the games approach, launched last Friday by Alison Curbishley.
The Setting the Pace campaign allows people to record their own experiences of the Olympics and have them exhibited in local museums and libraries. Penny Wilkinson, chief executive of MLA North-East, said: “The work carried out by our museums, libraries and archives is perfectly aligned with the vision of the Cultural Olympiad and the 2012 Games.
“Inspiring young people and welcoming the world is what they do on a daily basis.
“Through museum collections, archival records, library books and internet access everyone, regardless of background, has the opportunity to explore new and exciting countries and cultures.”
For more information go to http://www.mlanortheast.org.uk
