The Barbican exists to serve its wide and diverse audiences. We engage
with many arts lovers through our programme at the Centre. Our work
across East London (including Creative Learning activity and free
events) introduces new audiences to great arts experiences. In the past
year we were chosen to be one of Arts Council England’s new National
Portfolio Organisations from 2012. This recognises our innovation and
achievement in working in productive partnership with local
organisations, from Wilton’s Music Hall to the Hackney Empire, and
Gillett Square to Shoreditch Festival. Inspiring a new generation of
audiences is a key aim, hence our freeB membership programme offering
free tickets to 16 – 25-year olds.
Over 1.5 million people come to the Barbican each year – for our wide-ranging artistic programme, our successful commercial events, and for our spaces where you can enjoy a bite to eat away from the traffic, meet friends, use wi-fi, or simply relax. Your first points of contact are often our box office staff and customer experience team, highly praised for their friendliness and efficiency. Our increasing focus on digital media means that we can gather feedback more easily and respond, better inform and entertain visitors, and reach out to international audiences.
'Institutions second, audiences first: in the end we don't matter, they do'
Sir Nicholas Kenyon, Independent, September 2010
Folly for a Flyover
Commissioned by CREATE, Folly for a Flyover stands out from last year’s programme as an innovative way of reaching new audiences in partnership with others. A group of volunteers created a fantastical handbuilt structure from local, reclaimed and donated material underneath the A12 road in Hackney Wick. Twenty thousand people enjoyed an eight-week programme of waterside cinema, plays and events, visited the café and took boat trips. This public art commission was conceived, designed and built by Assemble CIC, recipients of the Bank of America Merrill Lynch CREATE Art Award, and produced in collaboration with the Barbican Art Gallery’s Watch Me Move: The Animation Show.
Over 1.5 million people come to the Barbican each year – for our wide-ranging artistic programme, our successful commercial events, and for our spaces where you can enjoy a bite to eat away from the traffic, meet friends, use wi-fi, or simply relax. Your first points of contact are often our box office staff and customer experience team, highly praised for their friendliness and efficiency. Our increasing focus on digital media means that we can gather feedback more easily and respond, better inform and entertain visitors, and reach out to international audiences.
'Institutions second, audiences first: in the end we don't matter, they do'
Sir Nicholas Kenyon, Independent, September 2010
Folly for a Flyover
Commissioned by CREATE, Folly for a Flyover stands out from last year’s programme as an innovative way of reaching new audiences in partnership with others. A group of volunteers created a fantastical handbuilt structure from local, reclaimed and donated material underneath the A12 road in Hackney Wick. Twenty thousand people enjoyed an eight-week programme of waterside cinema, plays and events, visited the café and took boat trips. This public art commission was conceived, designed and built by Assemble CIC, recipients of the Bank of America Merrill Lynch CREATE Art Award, and produced in collaboration with the Barbican Art Gallery’s Watch Me Move: The Animation Show.
