SEAS Skegness & Mablethorpe
Waiting… in Skegness. Photo: John Byford
In Skegness the international contemporary art of SEAS met an old fashioned seaside resort. In presenting Black/North SEAS co-organiser Arts Council England and host East Lindsey District Council hoped to change the image and self-image of Skegness through an international festival.
The Places
Skegness, and its smaller coastal neighbour, Mablethorpe, on the rural Lincolnshire Coast of the UK are regarded in Britain as a cultural icon of the old fashioned, gaudy, cheerful English seaside holiday resort. For over 100 years Skegness has been the vacation destination for workers from the industrial Midlands of England, affectionately known as “Skeggy”.
Political and cultural context
The Lincolnshire coast is an area of deprivation: Skegness has a seasonal economy – its residential population of 25,000 expands to over 100,000 in the summer. But it has an aging population (it is a popular retirement place.) Obesity, poverty and unemployment are higher than average in the UK. The arrival of migrant workers from Eastern Europe working in the farming and hospitality industries have brought inevitable prejudices and tensions. And with cheap foreign holidays available there is are diminishing returns from holiday and tourism trade. Something has to change if Skegness is to survive. Its neighbour, Mablethorpe, had already started to rethink itself with an annual arts event called Bathing Beauties and the involvement of local artists in what has become a very popular and high-profile festival.
Main partners and setting
Arts Council England in the East Midlands, coorganisers in the EU grant, wished to develop new audiences for art in the coastal area and support the work of the East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) in developing their cultural events provision for local residents and tourists. SEAS linked with Bathing Beauties and with East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) and Skegness Town Council. Both were keen to engage through SEAS with other European coastal communities to exchange ideas around common problems.
The eventual SEAS programme of local and European art was entitled ‘Skegness International’. This title was designed to appeal to the British sense of humour – the idea of Skegness being the venue of an international arts event sounded absurd to UK people but it symbolised the change of attitudes which ELDC, Skegness and the Arts Council were aiming to effect. An international arts event in Skegness? Why not! ELDC created a large locally curated programme to engage the local residents and inspire future community activity.
ELDC led a consortium of local organisations including Skegness Town Council, Lincolnshire County Council, Lincoln University and Arts Council England in the delivery of the project. A project team was formed within the Health, Arts and Events Team who worked in the project for over a year, and ELDC coordinator Nicki Gardner first joined the project at the SEAS Gathering in Constanta in September 2006. She worked with the assistance of Helen Duffy, ELDC and with John Cairns, ACE.
Funders
Arts Council England provided the bulk of ELDC’s funding with other partner organisations contributing, most notably Lincolnshire County Council.
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Venues and more partners
Some of the success factors
SEAS Skegness in figures
Number of days: 9
Activities: 93 separate events in both the international and local programmes for SEAS Mablethorpe and Skegness International
Total audience: 21,500 people (nearly equivalent to the whole resident population of Skegness itself). This verified audience count (made by ELDC) was the largest of any SEAS Event.
Marketing Material
SEAS Skegness
Local host
Local partners
Financed by
This event is financed by:
Productions
This event appears on the following Productions:
