S1:E0 Introducing The Three Bells – Adrian Ellis in conversation with Stephanie Fortunato
Guest
Adrian Ellis
In conversation with
Stephanie Fortunato
Key Takeaways Contributor
Criena Gehrke
In this bonus pilot episode, our host Stephanie Fortunato, speaks with Adrian Ellis, Founder and Chair of the Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN), about the origins of the podcast. Afterwards, Stephanie is joined by fellow host Criena Gehrke to discuss key takeaways.
Date of Recording
19 Jan 2021
Date of Publication
15 Apr 2021
Transcript
[00:00:07]
Stephanie Fortunato: Hello, and welcome to The Three Bells - a podcast brought to you by the Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN), in which we explore the challenges and opportunities waiting for us at the intersection of culture and urbanism.
I am Stephanie Fortunato, Director of the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism for the US City of Providence, Rhode Island. I am currently sitting in the ancestral land of the Narragansett and Wampanoag people, and I want to gratefully honour the indigenous elders past and present who have stewarded the land throughout the generations, as well as the first peoples across all the lands and countries who are joining us today.
Providence is a dense post-industrial city in the North-eastern United States of just under 200,000 people. Home to a vibrant arts community supported in part by our local government office. We are proud to call ourselves the creative capital.
We have been members of the GCDN since 2016. And I am thrilled today to be speaking with Adrian Ellis, Chair and Founder of the Global Cultural Districts Network.
Arts communities and our partner industries around the world have felt the impact of this global pandemic. Our artists and creatives are struggling right now. Cultural institutions of all sizes are grappling with the economic fallout, their own responsibility to local, black, indigenous, people of colour in their communities, and larger issues around racial justice.
The yet unrealised uncertainties on the horizon in the post-pandemic period with the climate crisis. An eternal optimist, these radical upheavals have also helped usher in a new era of change. And I hope that we are moving toward what one colleague calls, “a new better”. That's why I'm thrilled today to be speaking with Adrian and looking forward to hearing more about what he sees in this cultural moment and beyond, and how peer networks like the GCDN and its members fit into this story.
After my chat with Adrian, I will be joined by members of the Three Bells production team for a key takeaway segment to identify actionable insights to take from today's conversation. The Three Bells is produced by AEA Consulting and The Binnacle Foundation.
The podcast and supporting material can be found at https://gcdn.net/podcast/.
[00:02:15]
Stephanie Fortunato: Adrian Ellis. He needs almost no introduction to listeners of this podcast, as he is friend to many and ultimately responsible for bringing us all together, as they say it's all his fault. I do want to highlight a few notes of his biography.
He founded AEA Consulting, is a prolific speaker writer, thinker, and cultural critic. He has served on many arts and civic organisations as a board member, volunteer, consultant and staff - really too many to even list here. But I do want to say something that I always found really interesting about Adrian. A lifelong jazz fanatic, he served as the Executive Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center from 2007 to 2011. And in 2012, the Jazz Journalists Association named him Jazz Hero of the year, which I feel has to be one of the highest honours that he's received in his really distinguished career. I also love that he actually began his career in government, in the UK - something that I have an affinity for.
And so I want to welcome Adrian to the program. Hi, Adrian.
[00:03:14]
Adrian Ellis: Hi, thank you. I'm thrilled to be here.
…
External References
Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN), an international federation committed to improving the quality of urban life through the contribution of the arts, culture and creative industries.
AEA Consulting, a global firm setting the standard in strategy and planning for the cultural and creative industries.
"Sydel Silverman, 85, Dies; Defended Anthropology in Academia", an obituary by Sam Roberts, New York Times
Three Bells of Civilization – The Life of an Italian Hill Town, a 1975 book by Sydel Silverman, Google Books
About Our Speakers
Adrian Ellis is the founder of AEA Consulting (1990) and the Global Cultural Districts Network (2013). He has worked in senior management and as a board member in both museums and the performing arts and as a strategy consultant to leading clients in the cultural, public, and business sectors around the world. +
Stephanie Fortunato is Director of the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism for the City of Providence. Her work sits at the intersection of cultural planning and urban development, collaborating with local communities on creating policies and partnerships to strengthen neighbourhoods and transform public spaces. +
Criena Gehrke is Chief Executive Officer of HOTA, Home of the Arts. She has a diverse and eclectic background in arts management and a particular passion for the role of arts and culture in building strong and connected communities. She has worked with all tiers of government on the development and implementation of cultural policy. +