You can work with Modern Culture consultancy in three ways:

PROGRAMMING
To programme bespoke festivals in literature and debate, film and visual culture or cross-disciplinary festivals devoted to ideas and themes

POLICY
To shape the narrative and direction of an existing arts programme or policy

PARTNERS
To broker partnerships with organisations, arts centres and programmers to commission new projects

With a career in the arts spanning 20 years, Martin Colthorpe has significant experience in events and festival programming, arts policy and partnerships. This has included work with lobbying groups such as the National Campaign for the Arts, national bodies, such as the Poetry Society, and a major international arts venue, Southbank Centre, one of the Arts Council’s ‘big five’ clients.

Martin gained vast experience at Southbank Centre of both running an annual programme of events, and of shaping bespoke festivals, including London Literature Festival, Africa Utopia, Poetry Parnassus, Alchemy Festival of India and South Asia, Festival of Britain and Festival of Neighbourhood.

Martin has witnessed huge changes in the arts over the last twenty years, including the onset of lottery money to feed projects like the now legendary Poetry Places, whose legacy is still felt today through the organisation, Poet in the City. He’s also experienced huge organizational change, through the relaunch of the Royal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre in 2007, both in terms of a physical site and as a rebranded organization. The current post-2008 climate of sponsorship and innovation and a tightening of the public purse

Martin has set up sponsorships with organisations as diverse as Childline, BT, The Foyle Foundation and the Book People and built programming partnerships with organizations including The Economist, International PEN and the Caine Prize for African Writing.

Modern Culture is currently working with a range of clients including Kings Place, Beacons Festival, Musicity and the House of St Barnabas.

To contact Modern Culture about consultancy work, please email martin@modernculture.co.uk or use the contact form.