WN? does not have a single message, nor a preferred medium/ format for communicating with the public – it could be a chat with a taxi driver, or a national media campaign, or a TedX presentation, and more!

WN? is an alliance that relies on the people (individuals and organisations) who come both to shape the agenda and to act. The vision for this alliance is that the arts matter, that creativity matters, that culture matters, to people and our society. For instance, this longer excerpt comes from a recent WN? document around the upcoming general election:

“Creativity is vital to society. It enhances almost every aspect of our daily life, from the music on the radio to the design of our smartphones. It impacts on the vibrancy of our local area, our children’s education and the kind of jobs we all do. Investing in culture doesn’t only produce excellent art, it also creates informed and engaged citizens, promotes good mental health and personal wellbeing, increases community cohesion and regeneration, and raises our profile overseas. Culture is the engine driving the growth of Britain’s creative industries – the fastest growing section of the economy – and is responsible for a huge proportion of our tourism and export earnings.”

The purpose is that we should talk more, listen more, and exchange ideas more – yes between ourselves as individuals and organisations, but more fundamentally with our publics (engaged, attending, participating, and not) about whether/ how the arts and culture matter to them. That in turn helps to filter that through every aspect of daily life, be that the media, local and national politics, education, etc.

Those who come on Wednesday mornings and engage through the rest of the week are the ones that shape the agenda and ideas and actions. We don’t have to all agree to do any one single thing. If no-one volunteers then things don’t happen, as there’s no central resource or team. Those who do volunteer their time, assets, ideas, resources and more are the ones that make things happen, for which we are thankful.