Creative Cultures - the partnership

Creative Cultures was established in 2000 by Brian Mitchell and the late Vanessa Bone, experienced cultural and heritage development consultants. David Mander joined as a partner to support the heritage work in 2008. We specialise in providing high quality consultancy support in arts development, arts and local cultural strategies, cultural and heritage project feasibility work and project management, organisational development reviews, audience development, partnership-building and local consultation.

Brian Mitchell

Brian is a partner with Creative Cultures and has considerable career experience of the cultural sector. He was for many years Chief Executive of a national arts organisation (the Poetry Society). He joined Greater London Arts in 1987 as Assistant Director (overseeing client development and awards of over £6m for 200 annually-funded arts organisations). Brian was subsequently appointed by LB Hackney as Head of Arts and then Assistant Director of Leisure, responsible for the delivery of arts, library, archives and museum services.

Brian has extensive experience in cultural development, regeneration, project management and organisational development. He also has had responsibility for high level project development, having undertaken project management of a major £3m water-sports and environmental centre in the London Borough of Hackney (which is viewed as a model project by Sport England).

Brian and Vanessa co-authored the ILAM good practice publication 101 Ways to Develop a Local Cultural Strategy (November 2000). In July 2004, they produced guidance on integrating cultural and community strategies on behalf of the DCMS and Local Government Association (published as ‘Leading the Good Life’). Vanessa and Brian also created the Pathfinder programme on Culture and the Shared Priorities in 2005.

David Mander OBE

David worked as an associate of Creative Cultures before joining as a partner in 2008. He has over thirty years of experience of archives in London, through managing archive services, notably for the London Borough of Hackney, where he developed a service nationally renowned for a track record of excellence in service delivery and fund-raising. David has developed a strategic overview of archives through the foundation of a number of London-wide archive bodies over twenty five years, and is currently the Chair of Archives for London Ltd, a membership body for practitioners and users. He has also served as a board member for MLA London, and is active in bodies involved with standards, data and quality at a national level.

Since becoming a full time consultant in 2005, David has worked on a range of projects including service assessment, audience development, project evaluation, implementing cataloguing and related software, and community archive research.

David was the editor of the Public Service Quality Group's 2008 edition of "A standard for access to archives 2008."

David is a registered archivist, qualified librarian and was awarded an OBE for service to archives and local government in 2007. He is also a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.