A new report by Liverpool city council revealed that during the 2023-24 financial year the total number of visitors to organisations supported by the Council’s Culture and Arts Investment Programme was 3.4m, an increase of 1.8m from the previous financial year.
The programme funds 27 organisations across the city who provide a range of different arts including galleries, film screenings, festivals, theatre, comedy music and other art forms.
These organisations included Bluecoat, The Royal Philharmonic Society, Unity Theatre and FACT.
The Covid-19 pandemic was a really difficult time for many of these organisations as the Bluecoat’s Chief Executive, Mary Cloake explained: ‘The building had to close down completely at the beginning of the pandemic, but one of the things about a building like this is you can’t just lock up and leave it, a building like the Bluecoat requires a significant amount of daily maintenance, like running the water everyday for example.
“So our team had to come in everyday to do this during lockdown.”
On re-opening the building to the public, Mary said: “it’s been a slow process, but we’re starting to get back on our feet now. We’re confident that visitor figures are returning to pre-Covid levels.”
After Covid restrictions were lifted, the Bluecoat put in a huge effort to welcome visitors back.
Mary explained: “The first summer after Covid, we recognised the public’s anxiety about attending events and activities indoors, so we commissioned two artists to create an outdoor interactive artwork titled ‘Platform’. Located in our front courtyard, the work was accompanied by a programme of events and activities to take place on or around the structure.
“Children from our after school art club Out Of The Blue were invited to curate this programme of activities, choosing local artists, storytellers, performers and others individuals they wanted to see.”
The Bluecoat was heavily involved in some of the citywide events happening in Liverpool, Mary said: “We were delighted to be a part of the city wide celebration of Eurovision in Liverpool. At the Bluecoat, we hosted an artist from Ukraine, Alevtina Kakhidze, who was paired with Liverpool-based artist Ellie Hoskins. Together they turned our gallery into a working artist studio to create new work for a combined exhibition, which also featured external artwork along our wall on Blundell Lane.”
She added: “Eurovision was a big draw. The whole city was alive and it was wonderful to welcome so many visitors to the city. We’re grateful to be a part of the city wide events like this, organised by Culture Liverpool and Liverpool City Council.”
They also had a huge amount of visitors around the time pop star Taylor Swift was playing in Liverpool stadium Anfield as they participated in the Taylor trail where the Bluecoat had a replica of her piano in their garden. This being among their busiest time at the Bluecoat since before Covid.
The funding from the Council’s Arts and Culture Investment Programme has been essential for the Bluecoat, Mary explains: ‘it’s hugely helpful, if we didn’t have that funding we’d effectively have to close.”
She added: ‘It’s funding that’s absolutely pivotal for us, and we feel lucky to know that Liverpool City Council is committed to the arts.”
Statistics from the Department for Culture, Media and Sports revealed that the percentage of adults who have visited a museum or gallery in Liverpool was the highest amongst all of England’s metropolitan boroughs.
Additionally, Liverpool was in the top three boroughs for the percentage of adults who had watched a live arts event including theatre, visual arts or literature online.
Mary feels the arts are of huge importance to the city: ‘Liverpool is an unbelievable place for people participating in the arts. I think the arts and culture are part of the fabric of everyday life in Liverpool in a way that they might not be in other parts of the country.”
The Bluecoat has been an arts venue for nearly 100 years and is one of the oldest arts venues in the UK.
