About Culture Forward
Culture Forward takes its name from the City of Birmingham’s dynamic motto; it takes its cue from the University of Birmingham’s renewed commitment to its civic mission, and the success of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
It is a forum that draws together the University’s experts, students and researchers with organisations across the arts, cultural, creative, heritage and community and local government sectors that are based - or working - in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Culture Forward enables member organisations to:
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Meet and engage, share ideas and best practice, and develop new, impactful partnerships
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Work with the University’s dynamic research community, as well as our professional services experts, on a range of activities such as policy development, evaluation, proposal writing, bid processes, review activity, research, and research impact
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Enhance their talent through providing internships, work experience and other opportunities for our student community
Please complete this form if you are an organisation interested in joining the Culture Forward network and a member of our team will be in touch. To learn more about the initiative, please have a look at our Charter.
Birmingham is a forward thinking and dynamic city, with an arts and culture scene that is second to none. Collaboration is key in this sector and Culture Forward further strengthens the relationship between the city and the university to deliver civic culture and pride. The University of Birmingham is one of the city council’s key partners and I am delighted to be working with colleagues at the university to celebrate our city’s uniqueness and diversity through arts and culture.
Meet the team
Academic Director: Professor Sara Jones
Academic Director: Professor Sara Jones
Sara Jones is the Academic Director of Culture Forward. She is Professor of Languages, Cultures and Societies and Deputy Director of Research for the College of Arts and Law. She has significant experience of engaged research in the fields of art and culture, NGOs and education.
Professor Ewan Fernie
Professor Ewan Fernie
Ewan Fernie was the founding Academic Director of Culture Forward and is the academic lead for the Serious About Comedy project. He is Chair, Professor and Fellow of the Shakespeare Institute and Director of the lottery-funded ‘Everything to Everybody’ Project: a ground-breaking collaboration with Birmingham City Council, which is reviving Birmingham’s pioneering public Shakespeare collection – the first great Shakespeare library in the world – with the people and communities who actually own it.
Fernie advised on the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and he believes in the City’s tersely optimistic motto: ‘Forward’. He hopes that Culture Forward will contribute to Birmingham’s momentum and the sense of palpable excitement in the City.
Dr Abigail Rokison-Woodall
Dr Abigail Rokison-Woodall
Abigail is Deputy Director (Education) of the Shakespeare Institute. For the past few years she has been working with the RSC on ‘Signing Shakespeare’, a project which has produced a series of resources and films for teaching Shakespeare’s Macbeth to deaf children.
Abigail is leading the ‘Signing Shakespeare’ work for Culture Forward, working with Braidwood Trust School for the Deaf in Birmingham and the Birmingham Rep. She is also leading on the work on Culture Forward internships and embedding Culture Forward into Education.
Partnerships Manager: Dr David Evans-Powell
Partnerships Manager: Dr David Evans-Powell
Dr David Evans-Powell is the Partnerships Manager within the College of Arts and Law, managing relationships with critical partners across the cultural, creative and other sectors that further strategic teaching, research and civic ambitions.
David has over 20 years’ experience working in the cultural and higher education sectors in development, stewardship, relationship and stakeholder management. He is a proud University of Birmingham alumnus, holding a BA History with Ancient History and Archaeology and a PhD Film Studies, and has previously published articles and chapters on British screen horror
David is a supporter of the Campaign for the Arts and has lifelong passions for theatre, film, television, museums and heritage.
Project Officer: Zarah Alam
Project Officer: Zarah Alam
Zarah Alam is the Culture Forward Project Officer and a strong advocate for the arts and cultural sector. She has enjoyed collaborating with many organisations in previous years, including the National Literacy Trust, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Sampad Arts and, most recently, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre where she was Chair of the Youth Board (Nov 2021-Feb 2023).
Zarah studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham, after which she worked as a Graduate Management Trainee at the same institution, leading numerous projects across Professional Services’ departments. She is also a poet and aspiring novelist.