Lara Ratnaraja
Liverpool John Moores University
West Midlands, England, United Kingdom
3K followers
500+ connections
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3K followers
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Lara Ratnaraja reposted thisLara Ratnaraja reposted thisWe are expanding our Culture & Creative Industries team at West Midlands Combined Authority We have three brilliant opportunities to help shape the future of the region’s creative economy. 🎭🎬🎮 These roles will play a key part in delivering the Creative Places Growth Fund, a major investment programme supporting creative businesses, talent, innovation and place-based growth across the West Midlands. It’s an exciting time to join a growing team working at the intersection of culture, regeneration and economic development. Whether your background is in policy, programme delivery or project support, these roles offer the chance to work on ambitious, high-profile initiatives that will support creative businesses, places and communities across the West Midlands. Current opportunities: Project Support Officer – Creative Places Growth Fund £33,669 - £38,895 Policy Manager – Culture and Creative Economy £59,417 - £66,614 Delivery Manager – Creative Places Growth Fund £59,417 - £66,614 Closing date for all roles: 31 May 2026 Find out more and apply: https://lnkd.in/e5YpKAHw #WMCA #CreativeIndustries #Culture #PolicyJobs #ProjectManagement #EconomicDevelopment Jim Sims Hayley Pepler Gurpreet Kaur Bachu Chris Forster
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Lara Ratnaraja shared thisLoved working with Mandy Fowler on the development of this and to see it evolve as part of the advisory group. Huge congrats to susan pui san L., Martine Rouleau and Ramatoulie Bobb for holding together such important work and the venus for being so open to the challenge. But the real stars are obviously the artists who were supported through this project to create some extraordindary work- I got to see a few of them on site, and the final conferene and exhbition showcased some beautiful, powerful and moving work.Lara Ratnaraja shared thisCongratulations to the Sector Impact Award joint winner, University of the Arts London Decolonising Arts Institute! #MandHAwards2026 This is a large-scale programme across 20 partner museums reshaping collecting policies, curatorial approaches and institutional practice around decolonisation. The judges agreed this is important, overdue work genuinely moving the dial across the sector.
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Lara Ratnaraja reposted thisLara Ratnaraja reposted thisI’m really pleased to finally be able to share the publication of the Birmingham Music Visitor Experience report, developed with Lara Ratnaraja, Patrycja Rozbicka Live Music Mapping Project (LMMP), Charlotte Holmes Birmingham Museums Trust This research asks a big question: what could a truly connected Birmingham Music Visitor Experience look like? The findings are clear. Birmingham already is a global music city. The opportunity now is to better connect, coordinate, and champion the incredible music culture that already exists across the city. What makes Birmingham unique is its story. A music culture shaped by migration, by working-class communities, by grassroots scenes, by the plurality of voices and identities that continue to define the city today. That story lives in our artists, bands, venues, neighbourhoods, archives, nightlife, communities, and cultural spaces. This report brings together the voices of nearly 1,100 participants across music, heritage, tourism, hospitality, culture, and policy sectors. It captures what people are saying, where the opportunities are, and what Birmingham could become if we work more collaboratively across sectors. The report is now publicly available to download, share, and most importantly, use. If you work in music, culture, heritage, tourism, hospitality, local government, policy, or place development, I’d really encourage you to read it and think about how the findings can inform your work, partnerships, projects, and future plans. I genuinely hope this becomes a report that creates momentum, sparks collaboration, and helps grow Birmingham’s music culture and visitor economy for the long term. But what do you think Birmingham’s music story still isn’t telling well enough? And what would make Birmingham a world-leading music visitor destination? The report is detailed and can be accessed freely from here: https://lnkd.in/e947CXiU We have also prepared a two-page Headline report for a quick and easily digestible overview Thanks to everyone who took part in this research and thanks to UKSPF funding via Birmingham City Council West Midlands Combined Authority GOV.UK who made it happen. #Birmingham #MusicCities #LiveMusic #MusicTourism #CulturalStrategy #VisitorEconomy #Heritage #WestMidlands #MusicIndustry #Culture
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Lara Ratnaraja shared thisHugely proud to have worked on this with Jez Collins and Patrycja Rozbicka. The richness and variety of music heritage in Birmingham, as well as its roots in working-class culture and immigration, is truly the story of the city. The audience survey response shows the passion and enthusiasm there is for music in Birmingham in all its forms, and looking forward to how this manifests And working with Jez and Patrycja is quite the dream team https://lnkd.in/ea9KnB9tNew report highlights untapped potential of Birmingham’s music scene as driver of cultural tourism | Birmingham MuseumsNew report highlights untapped potential of Birmingham’s music scene as driver of cultural tourism | Birmingham Museums
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Lara Ratnaraja reposted thisLara Ratnaraja reposted thisMorning all! Work experience in the arts is seeming harder to come by, and hoping my networks can help. It would be such a shame if these two can't experience more of the industries they love. I have two asks: * My youngest. A brilliant 17 year old. Would like one or two weeks of theatre experience, either w/c 8th or 14th June. Will work hard, is funny, clever & will turn their hand to anything pretty much. * My god child. A fab 16 year old. Would like to understand what goes on backstage in and gain a better understanding of the different processes that go on in theatre, and improve their skills in any area of theatre too. Week of 29th June - 3rd July Birmingham ideally, but open to other Midlands locations too. Tagging some people who might be able to help or signpost 🙏 Mathilde Petford Vicki Ellery-Slevin Lucy Ellery-Slevin Sarah-Jane Watkinson Naomi B. Renata Las Alison Gagen Amy Carroll Jennifer Holyhead Sajida Carr (Nee Aslam) 💫 Parminder Dosanjh Yvonne Gregory Neil Reading Pamela Cole-Hudson Rachael Thomas Rachael Magson
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Lara Ratnaraja reposted thisLara Ratnaraja reposted thisAnother exciting new role in our team, Principal, Culture & Heritage. ❤️ Culture and heritage matter in Greater Manchester. They shape who we are, how our places feel, and the sense of pride people have in where they live. They also play a huge role in how we grow - supporting jobs, regeneration, wellbeing and the visitor economy. We’re looking for someone to lead this work - to help shape our approach, turn ideas into something real, and work with partners across the city-region and beyond to make it happen. It’s a leadership role, so we need someone who can bring people with them. Someone who can connect the dots across policy, investment and delivery, and make sure culture and heritage are right at the heart of what we do. Take a look and share to help us get the best person possible https://lnkd.in/eGv_EBH3 Holly Jones Joe Heys Rebecca Swarray Hafiz Khokhar Lisa Dale-Clough Elisha Keswick Helen Wilding Hamza Butt
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Lara Ratnaraja reposted thisLara Ratnaraja reposted thisWe're looking for three new Governors to join our Board. 🙌 We are looking for strategic leaders who will challenge, inspire, and act as fearless advocates for the arts. And it's an extra special time to join as we continue to celebrate our 75th anniversary this year. 💓 We believe the Southbank Centre belongs to everyone. To make that a reality, our Board must reflect the diverse communities we serve. We particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates, women, people with disabilities and other groups currently underrepresented on Boards. In addition, while our base is in London, our reach is national. We’re eager to bring in voices with deep experience in the arts outside of the capital, to help to broaden our perspective and reach. If you share our vision for a creative, inclusive, and world-class future, we would love to hear from you. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gb_iHrum 📸 Image credit: © Mark Blower 2026
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Lara Ratnaraja reposted thisOne thing is now certain: Scotland's culture sector is going to have someone new to deal with in the corridors of power. In the wake of Angus Robertson's election defeat, big questions are hanging in the air. The SNP promised a lot for arts and culture while in office over the last five years. Some of that has still to be delivered, not least stable funding for some of our best-known national companies and organisations which rely heavily on director support from the Scottish Government. Even more was promised during the election campaign. It all amounts to around £140m worth of spending commitments that this industry will now expect to see taken forward into the next term of the Scottish Parliament. But how many of those proposals - which include a minimum for artists, £200 worth of culture vouchers for every young person in Scotland when they turn 18, a new national company for traditional music, a new national film and TV school, and removing Screen Scotland from Creative Scotland - will actually be affordable or viable? Who is going to be handed the responsibility of delivering on those promises and taking forward an industry worth £5.7 billion to the economy which supports more than 90,000 jobs. And now that Angus Robertson has departed the stage will culture actually have a seat at the cabinet table and a big voice in Bute House? DM me your thoughts.Lara Ratnaraja reposted thisWhatever the outcome of the Holyrood election, it feels like big changes are coming for Scotland’s cultural landscape. Inspired by the Culture Counts graphic of some of the main parties’ key arts and culture pledges, here is wee a reminder of some of my election pieces for The Herald from the last few weeks. A deep-dive into what leading arts industry campaigners actually want to see delivered after the election, including action over “system fragility and exhaustion”, funding instability, regional inequality, “exploitative” zero hours contracts and “fair work” commitments: https://lnkd.in/ecjf3HX9 An in-depth round-up of what the main parties have promised in recent weeks: https://lnkd.in/esgi4hYR Plans by the Greens to impose a new £1 ticket tax on all events with a capacity of more than 2500: https://lnkd.in/eFPEfvhK Promises to overhaul how Creative Scotland is run from Labour and the Conservatives: https://lnkd.in/eh6kbGbN Labour leader Anas Sarwar claims Creative Scotland offers poor value for money and is “broken” under its current model: https://lnkd.in/eAgU9rw7 The SNP promises to roll out a new minimum income from artists inspired by Ireland’s model: https://lnkd.in/ekA5jxda The SNP announces plans for a national company dedicated to traditional music to ensure it is given the same status as theatre, dance, opera and classical music: https://lnkd.in/ed8nSyC5 The SNP commits to taking film and TV out of Creative Scotland’s remit and relaunching Screen Scotland as a stand-alone organisation which would be directly funded by the government: https://lnkd.in/eSXYFH7C I look back at how many of the SNP’s 2021 manifesto pledges for the culture sector were actually delivered when the party was in the government over the last five years: https://lnkd.in/eJs-nY5C The Herald Scotland
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Lara Ratnaraja reposted thisLara Ratnaraja reposted thisSo, so excited about this. We’re growing our team ❤️ Culture, heritage, creative industries, music and our night time economy are what make this city-region special. They shape who we are, bring people together, support wellbeing, and play a huge role in why people choose to live, work and invest here. They don’t just add to Greater Manchester, they define it. As our ambition grows, so does our team. We’re looking for people who want to play a part in that, helping to shape policy, deliver programmes and work with partners to create real impact for our residents and communities. We have four exciting opportunities across our team (with one more, Principal, Culture & Heritage to come next week): • Senior Policy Officer, Creative Industries • Senior Policy Officer, Culture & Heritage • Senior Policy Officer, Music • Senior Policy Officer, Night Time Economy These are roles where you can genuinely make a difference - improving lives, supporting communities, and helping to grow a stronger, more inclusive economy for Greater Manchester. If you want to be part of that, we’d love to hear from you. 🗓 Applications close Friday 29 May All roles can be found here https://lnkd.in/emXzHxzb Holly Jones Joe Heys Rebecca Swarray Hafiz Khokhar Lisa Dale-Clough Elisha Keswick Helen Wilding Hamza Butt Greater Manchester Combined Authority
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Lara Ratnaraja liked thisExcited and honoured to join National Youth Arts Wales board & support creative opportunities & talent development across Wales.Lara Ratnaraja liked this👋 Cwrdd â'n Ymddiriedolwyr Newydd // Meet Our New Trustees Ymunwch â ni i groesawu Sanea, Christina, Matthew a Geraint i'n Bwrdd Ymddiriedolwyr. Rydym yn gyffrous i'w cael wrth i ni barhau i gefnogi pobl ifanc ledled Cymru. Darllenwch fwy am eu penodiadau ar ein gwefan. 🔗Erthygl lawn: https://lnkd.in/ezDrkXBa Please join us in welcoming Sanea, Christina, Matthew and Geraint to our Board of Trustees. We’re excited to get to work as we continue supporting young people across Wales. Read more about their appointments on our website. 🔗Full article: https://lnkd.in/ezDrkXBa
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Lara Ratnaraja liked thisLara Ratnaraja liked thisThursday night saw the launch of a new partnership between Storyhouse and Rooftop Social Club in Chester city centre. Bringing Moonlight Flicks Outdoor Cinema to a new venue throughout the summer months, two independent local businesses working together to create memorable nights out for local audiences.
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Lara Ratnaraja liked thisLara Ratnaraja liked thisHad a fantastic afternoon being apart of the panellists for Culture Forward’s event at University of Birmingham yesterday for their ‘l “ insight into freelancing, portfolio careers & the gig economy “ event yesterday . Having left university 10 years ago this summer, it’s rewarding to give back and share the gems I picked up along the way to the next generation of students in my hometown. A huge thank you to Rebecca Orleans & the culture forward team for putting this together and all the other panellists involved ✨
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Lara Ratnaraja liked thisIt was wonderful to have you in the room Dee. We will catch up soon.Lara Ratnaraja liked thisNamaste, I thoroughly enjoyed my invitation to Culture Forward this week, where students explored the pros and cons of freelancing – an important career path for students to consider in the future. The speakers, including Linda Spurdle, Tina Francis, Tina Hofman, Ryan Dre Sinclair, @JenWilbur shared their experiences, histories, and insights. It was lovely chatting with some of the students and sharing my golden nuggets of knowledge with them. Thanks, Rebecca Orleans, for the invitation. I really enjoyed it, and the food was delicious!
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Lara Ratnaraja liked thisFor anyone at UKREiiF on Tuesday morning, there’s a waiting list for this event but do put your name down… Thanks Katrina Kerr for telling Storyhouse’s story!Lara Ratnaraja liked thisI'm going to be contributing to this workshop-style event with Julia Hatmaker and the Place North team UKREiiF. I'll be talking about how Storyhouse sparked a cultural renaissance in #Chester and how Northgate 2 and City Gateway will write the next chapter in the city's development. The event is sold out but there is a waitlist. Annabel Turpin Stephen Parry Mike Bryce Tom Webber Bense Burnett Lisa Rogers Phil Mayall Mark Braund
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Lara Ratnaraja liked thisLara Ratnaraja liked thisAlways a pleasure to judge for the Prolific North Awards. Great people, great work and outstanding contributions to the North's creative and digital economy. And a great evening Emirates Old Trafford, Lancashire Cricket Club.
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Lara Ratnaraja liked thisLara Ratnaraja liked thisAnother award at Wolverhampton Film Festival 2026 at Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton on the behalf of the AAJAO team I collected Best First Filmmaker, that I was art department for, thank you to Maanuv Thiara. Also a film I made; Burnt Champagne was up for two awards, Best Midlands Film and Best Hair and Make Up. Seeing Burnt Champagne on the big screen confirmed the film is quality made, good script, beautiful costumes, brilliant hair and make-up, and excellent acting by two strong female actors, with an excellent backdrop, props set in a fitting location. The message in Burnt Champagne is subtle, its about race and class, the power feud that only the upper class experience, a Made in Chelsea Eastenders, bringing drama to our screens that we do not see, something we really need on our TV's. This film festival is not like other film festivals. This is the most collective film festival I have been to, its not about the rising filmmakers or the most popular in the business, its about varied eclectic films made locally or by local talent. There is no tough curation theme, allowing all film styles to be seen, shared and celebrated. Great to share Burnt Champagne, thank you to the crew and cast. Well done to all filmmakers!
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Lara Ratnaraja liked thisLara Ratnaraja liked thisCongratulations to Ian Francis, Sam, Max Harding (our own Bootcamp alumni!), Amy Smart, Rachael and the amazing wider team at Flatpack Projects. The Festival always make me feel so proud of Brum and our people. Loved the animated shorts on Wednesday and looking forward to Martin Parr, Black Country Stories tomorrow.
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Lara Ratnaraja liked thisLara Ratnaraja liked thisSo as thousands of people march today in London united only in their hatred of people who look just like me, this is what I choose to post. A flag that these racists and fascists have taken from us, but I refuse to let go. A flag that's been used to intimidate Black, Brown and Refugee communities across the country. A flag when coupled with cable-ties and lampposts is said to equate to patriotism? A flag that historically symbolises a unity between different nations, that won't become a symbol of fear for me. A flag that I deliberately choose to imbue with the opposite of the hatred on show today. Sharing love and light today isn't necessarily easy when all I want to say is something far punchier and profane, that the fiery Scot in me would probably end up in LinkedIn jail for. But it's a choice I'm making. It's how I want, how I need to resist this hatred which now marches in our streets with a renewed confidence echoing the 1970s. As a Muslim Pakistan man I'm the Baba Yaga of the far-right but today my fight comes like this. through love & light, Sal♥️ #WeRiseByLiftingEachOther🇬🇧
Experience & Education
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Volunteer Experience
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UK Council Member
Creative Industries Federation
- Present 4 years 9 months
Arts and Culture
Our UK Council plays a vital role in determining and shaping our impact priorities, steering policy positions and sharing crucial insights from across industry and the UK. It champions the priorities of its membership in our mission to ensure the best possible conditions for the growth and success of the creative industries.
Our UK Council members cover each UK nation and region, a full spectrum of creative sub-sectors, businesses big and small, freelancers, practitioners and education…Our UK Council plays a vital role in determining and shaping our impact priorities, steering policy positions and sharing crucial insights from across industry and the UK. It champions the priorities of its membership in our mission to ensure the best possible conditions for the growth and success of the creative industries.
Our UK Council members cover each UK nation and region, a full spectrum of creative sub-sectors, businesses big and small, freelancers, practitioners and education providers. They listen and feed into to the concerns, opportunities and ideas of their creative communities, and share these priorities on behalf of their respective UK nations and regions.
https://www.creativeindustriesfederation.com/council -
Equality Monitoring Group Member
Arts Council of Wales
- Present 6 years
Arts and Culture
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Co-Chair
Coventry Biennial Ltd
- Present 5 years 3 months
Arts and Culture
Board Member Coventry Biennial
Coventry Biennial is the UKs social biennial.
We are committed to inclusivity, accessibility, diversity, comfort and making things together. Coventry Biennial is about walking and eating together, its about a commitment to society, its about a personable and non-institutional approach to existing in the world.
We support and present socially, politically and critically engaged artistic practices in Coventry and Warwickshire to local, national…Board Member Coventry Biennial
Coventry Biennial is the UKs social biennial.
We are committed to inclusivity, accessibility, diversity, comfort and making things together. Coventry Biennial is about walking and eating together, its about a commitment to society, its about a personable and non-institutional approach to existing in the world.
We support and present socially, politically and critically engaged artistic practices in Coventry and Warwickshire to local, national and international audiences.
https://www.coventrybiennial.com/about/ -
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Member Board Of Trustees
Vivid Projects
- Present 6 years 5 months
Arts and Culture
http://www.vividprojects.org.uk/
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Midlands Area Council Member
Arts Council England
- 5 years
Arts and Culture
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/area-council/midlands-area-council
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Board Member
All Saints Community Catering
Civil Rights and Social Action
Board member and volunteer delivering and hosting community meals
Projects
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Hello Culture
- Present
An conference which explores how the cultural sector can exploit digital technology, innovation, knowledge and skills to improve their audience development, organisational operating process, raise their profile and collaborate across sectors to develop new product practice and partners.
Other creators -
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Developing Cultural Sector Resilience
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The Developing Cultural Resilience (DCR) programme was a major support and action research project (sponsored by the Arts Council England) aiming to provide services and explore potential policy initiatives which help the UK Arts and Cultural sector strengthen their 'resilience' capabilities. Keith, along with several colleagues will be working closely with Arts organisations in both Birmingham and London, helping them explore their tangible and intangible assets, with the aim of developing…
The Developing Cultural Resilience (DCR) programme was a major support and action research project (sponsored by the Arts Council England) aiming to provide services and explore potential policy initiatives which help the UK Arts and Cultural sector strengthen their 'resilience' capabilities. Keith, along with several colleagues will be working closely with Arts organisations in both Birmingham and London, helping them explore their tangible and intangible assets, with the aim of developing new, deverse and sustainable revenue streams. The programme, led by CidaCo but which incorporates elements of support from the Devos Institute of Arts Management based in Washington DC will run through to June 2015.
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Hello Business
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Transforming Your Business Through Digital:
Be more informed, more efficient and more expert.
To significantly increase business growth and market competitiveness, business needs to engage with digital technology, media and understand the principles of this in a business growth context. By building digital capacity within SMEs, industry can transform itself into a market leader, increasing the city region’s GDP and export potential.
By learning about underlying business…Transforming Your Business Through Digital:
Be more informed, more efficient and more expert.
To significantly increase business growth and market competitiveness, business needs to engage with digital technology, media and understand the principles of this in a business growth context. By building digital capacity within SMEs, industry can transform itself into a market leader, increasing the city region’s GDP and export potential.
By learning about underlying business principles within digital technology and media and how it can transform business and revenue models, operating process and brand value, businesses can learn and innovate from the seismic shifts in business and market models within the digital technology world.Other creators -
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Join now to viewWebsites
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https://www.lararatnaraja.com/
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https://www.hello-culture.co.uk/
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