Arts Professional - issue 212 (March 2010)

Issue 212 | 1 March 2010 | £4.25www.artsprofessional.co.uk

Some trustees find CRB checking alarmingly invasive

Sean Egan outlines the new rules p12

Almost 70% of the British public support the idea of a classical ‘theme tune’ played by a full orchestra for the 2012 Olympic Games, according to a new poll conducted on behalf of the Association of British Orchestras (ABO). The ICM poll of 2,000 people asked what kind of theme music they would like to represent the London 2010 Games, and to vote for their favourite theme for a previous sporting event. Forty per cent chose Verdi’s ‘Nessun Dorma’, which was used as an anthem for the 1990 Football World Cup, and a quarter named ‘World in Union’ which was the 1995 Rugby World Cup Theme, using a melody by Holst. The poll also found that 69% of respondents felt that classical music in films contributed to their enjoyment of the film, with more than a third agreeing that they were influenced to listen to more classical music by hearing it in films. A spokesperson from London 2012 told AP that while it welcomes the interest and discussion, it has not made any decisions yet. He was confident that the Games “will cover all genres of music from classical through to popular through to world music”.

Classical theme

Legislative changes including simplifying Gift Aid, allowing acceptance-in-lieu gifts by living donors, and creating a new status for national culture and heritage bodies are among the policies put forward by the Conservative Party in a draft arts manifesto, entitled ‘The Future of the Arts’. Many of the policies will come as no surprise to the arts sector, having been widely reported already. These include enabling arts organisations to set up their own endowment funds in return for long-term funding, retaining the arm’s length principle, and “restoring the National Lottery to its four core aims”. The party says that, if elected, it would “catalyse philanthropy” by making more grants conditional on recipients raising money from other sources, and by changing current guidelines “to allow arts organisations to reward their donors”.

The manifesto also makes clear that the Tories would “insist” that funding organisations reduce their administrative costs to 5% of their budgets, saying that “the seven main funding distributors spent £120m on administrative costs – over 11% of the £1.05bn that they distributed”. These figures have already been challenged by Arts Council England which stated that “administration costs are heading for six per cent this spring”.

A further proposal with a potentially wide-ranging impact is to create a new and more flexible status for arts and heritage bodies

which are currently non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) or ‘quangos’, and which therefore report directly to the Government. Currently, organisations such as the British Museum and the National Gallery must abide by the same fiscal and governance rules as other NDPBs. Shadow Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt writes that “rules like year-end requirements to use or lose budgets are totally inappropriate. Likewise the requirement to hand back to the Treasury any funds raised, for which they then need to re-secure permission to spend.” The document states that this new format would “allow them the independence to be truly effective and entrepreneurial fundraising bodies... [with] both the ability and responsibility to raise money both for capital projects and also for endowments to give them funding security over the long term”. This mirrors a proposal made by the Liberal Democrats in ‘The Power of Creativity’ (AP211). AP contacted a number of national organisations which would be affected by these changes. The British Museum, the Tate, the National Gallery and the Museum, Libraries and Archives Council declined to comment.

There are also some notable omissions. Support for innovation is not mentioned, and recent headline policies of diversity, inclusion and regeneration are absent. The issue of access is addressed through harnessing online technology, continuing free entry to national museums and galleries, and a promise to “rationalise” schools’ arts funding. The Tories say they will promote three aims in schools: to enable all children to have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, to learn to sing and to “receive a solid cultural education”.

the Tories would “insist” that funding organisations reduce their administrative costs

Tories manifesto signals legal changes

Conservatives woo the arts sector with promises to boost philanthropy and cut administrative costs.

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NEWS02

A major new initiative to bring up-and-coming choreographers’ work to UK audiences, has been launched by the National Dance Network (NDN). ‘Dance3’ is a programme of triple bills from talented emerging choreographers, as chosen by eight dance promoters and programmers from the NDN. Marie McCluskey, Artistic Director of Swindon Dance, explained that “new artists and audiences are developed on the small-scale touring circuit and Dance3 aims to bring about a step change in the kind of work available”. Wayne McGregor, Artistic Director of Random Dance and Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet, called the scheme a “rare and unparalleled opportunity for a new generation”. It is hoped that small-scale venues will be more open to experimental work, and thus give new choreographers a platform they might otherwise not attain. The Dance3 choreographers are Claire Cunningham and Jose Agudo, Tom Dale, Laïla Diallo, Heather Eddington, Darren Ellis, Mickael Marso Riviere, Freddie Opoku-Addaie, Tanja Råman, Douglas Thorpe and Ben Wright.

Rural proposals gain political supportA coalition of countryside, farming and creative professionals has harnessed the direct support of leading political figures in a bid to gain recognition and funding for the arts and the creative economy in rural areas after a struggle to gain the attention of UK funders. The Rural Culture Forum (RCF), which emerged following the foot and mouth crisis of 2001, launched its Rural Cultural Strategy at the Houses of Parliament, at a meeting hosted by Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and attended by Shadow Arts Minister Ed Vaizey. The RCF hopes to set up an All Party Group to support rural cultural development, and believes that it has enough supporters in Parliament to do so. Lord [Chris] Smith, the former Labour Culture Secretary, has written to the RCF offering to become a member. Copies of the report have been sent to Arts Minister Margaret Hodge and to Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Environment. Hodge is currently working with Rural Minister Dan Norris on proposals for the DCMS and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to work together more closely on issues including the Rural Cultural Strategy. The strategy aims to provide a framework for the creative rural economy, and proposes a five-year rural cultural investment programme through which cultural capacity can be built in rural areas, and rural communities can gain the experience necessary to enable them to develop self-sustaining cultural regeneration initiatives. It puts forward seven specific initiatives including the creation of a National Rural Arts and Cultural Centre to replace the Royal Agricultural Show as a focus for cultural and social interaction.

The RCF claims that “rural communities, farmers and artists are contributing £500m p.a. to the national creative economy”, and argues that this could be doubled in the next five to ten years with appropriate support. Michael Hart, Chair of both the RCF and the Small and Family Farmers Alliance, called on the DCMS and DEFRA to lead on developing a strategy for environmental and economic stability. He criticised other recent national regeneration initiatives, including the Urban Cultural Programme (2004–2006), the Liverpool European City of Culture 2008 and, currently, the launch of the UK Legacy Trust Cultural Olympiad and the UK City of Culture bidding rounds, as offering “very little opportunity for rural communities to also bid in for support”.

www.ruralculture.org.uk

Local authority arts services which have been contracted out to trusts have shown growth and improvement, and have secured services which would have been at risk, according to a report published by National Association of Local Government Arts Officers (nalgao). ‘Outside In’ examines five alternative models of contracting out local authority arts: partially contracted out service; fully contracted out service; external management contract; a formal or informal service model shared among a number of authorities; and an independent voluntary trust. The report, by Paul Kelly and Rick Bond, reveals that while an independent trust is the most time-consuming and complex model, 75% of the trusts that were interviewed showed a growth in the service they could offer. Benefits achieved through contracting out services include financial efficiencies and savings, the ability to raise funds from new sources, operational flexibility and the ability to draw on support from expert board members. However, trust status does not protect services from funding cuts or restructuring, and can carry a heavy administrative burden. Nalgao Chair Lorna Brown welcomed the report, and said that the organisation would be continuing to examine alternative delivery methods.

www.nalgao.org

Outside In

The creative industries account for almost one job in every 12 in London, according to the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) fourth report on the capital’s creative industries. When combined with workers doing creative jobs outside the creative industries, this rises to one in every six. GLA’s report follows up on its 2002 report ‘Creativity: London’s Core Business’, which focused on creative employment and output in London. It shows that London and the surrounding area are dominant in the UK’s creative industries, with a third of the creative workforce being located in London, and almost 60% being based in the greater South East area. There are 797,000 creative workforce jobs in Greater London, including 386,000 jobs within the creative industries (of which only 188,000 are defined specifically as creative jobs), and 411,000 creative jobs in other industries.

www.london.gov.uk

London centric

A new generation? The Dance3 choreographers prepare to share their work

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ISSUE 212 1 MARCH 2010 www.artsprofessional.co.uk

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) has developed a new online archive covering artworks created against the backdrop of the Troubles. It aims to recognise the contribution that the arts make to understanding the Troubles, and to investigate the impact that the conflict has had on the arts in Northern Ireland. The archive includes works by more than 80 artists, including Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney. ACNI is inviting feedback on any significant gaps in the archive through a questionnaire.

www.bit.ly/96qHt7

The Big Lottery Fund’s ‘Reaching Communities’ fund, which offers grants to voluntary organisations that work to offer people better life chances, build stronger communities, develop improved rural and urban environments or improve health and well-being, has simplified its application process. In response to a public consultation in 2009, grants of up to £40,000 a year will now be administered with a ‘light-touch’ system to speed up decisions.

www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

The Office of Fair Trading has declared that there is “no realistic prospect of theatregoers losing out through higher prices or an overall reduction in choice of productions or theatres” following the £90m purchase by the Ambassador Theatre Group of 16 theatres formerly owned by Live Nation. The sale has therefore been cleared and will not be referred to the Competition Commission.

The BBC and The Henry Moore Foundation have agreed a new partnership that will put all of the BBC’s documentaries online, to coincide with Tate Britain’s retrospective of the sculptor. Tate Britain will be the first gallery to use newly digitised material from the BBC, which will be available to the public.

www.bbc.co.uk/archive

The National Campaign for the Arts (NCA) has published its Advocacy Toolkit in advance of the upcoming general election. The NCA is urging its members to promote the importance of art in their own constituencies, by writing to politicians with their suggestions and concerns. The toolkit contains advice, facts and useful information that people might wish to include when they contact MPs and politicians.

www.artscampaign.org.uk

A new research opportunity for Indian or Bangladeshi artists who use new technologies in their artistic practice is being set up by ISIS Arts, visual and media arts organisation, and Dance City Creative Partnerships. It forms part of a wider collaboration between the North East of England, India and Bangladesh.

www.creative-partnerships.com

Almost £800,000 is being shared across Scotland through the Inspiring Communities fund, which aims to connect people through the arts and encourage long-lasting links between people, places and ideas. Invergordon Off the Wall has been awarded £200,739 for ‘Evolution’ an 18-month project to develop three public artworks around the industrial history of Invergordon, reflecting the community’s role in aluminium smelting, glass manufacture and stone quarrying. The Scots Music Group in Edinburgh, which works with homeless and isolated people, and singers, musicians and dancers, was awarded £75,750.

www.scottisharts.org.uk

The Independent Cinema Office has launched a new, free advisory service for arts agencies, centres, groups, funders and production agencies. It aims to offer advice to arts organisations which wish to screen work within the UK cinema network, and can help with venues, marketing, rights negotiation, certification, technical requirements, publicity, budgets and touring.

www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk

The Musicians’ Union has launched a new campaign, ‘Music Supported Here’ to help fans understand the need for musicians to have the right and means to control how their music is used. It aims to give musicians a platform to discuss issues such as file-sharing and the Internet, as well as how their music should be distributed.

www.musicsupportedhere.com

NEWSREEL03

Kaleido Arts, formerly EQUATA, the regional agency run by Deaf and disabled artists in south west England, is to close following the removal of its £125,000 grant from Arts Council England South East (ACESW). An ACESW spokesperson told AP that it has withdrawn the grant because Kaleido has been “unable to secure wider funding to deliver their business plan, and that this funding gap is significant in comparison to other similar organisations”. The grant money will now be ring-fenced to support disabled artists in the region. A spokesperson from Kaleido expressed concern that the lack of disabled staff at ACESW “[affects]... their understanding of the issues and barriers facing disabled artists and audiences”, and said that many disabled artists in the south west would now feel isolated. ACESW says that a plan is being put in place following consultation with 700 disabled artists in the region, and that the decision “reflects the unanimous outcome of these discussions to support funding artists’ practice and development directly rather than through an agency”. However, Barry Goodfellow, a visually-impaired painter, told AP that he and other artists were “devastated at the loss of Kaleido, who have given us quality arts support for many years”.

SW disability agency closes

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Meshes of the Afternoon

No move on ticketingDespite near unanimous agreement that new and tighter principles are needed for ticket sales and distribution, regulation of the primary and secondary ticketing market by the Government must remain a last resort, according to a Consultation on Ticketing and Ticket Touting published by the DCMS last month. The consultation promises “to ensure that the secondary market provides the strongest possible safeguards for the public” and seeks to assure consumers that the Government “will, if necessary, act to improve these”. However, Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe reiterated the DCMS’s aim to “encourage a strong, self-regulated primary market, but one that recognises the need for a healthy and safe secondary market”, despite a majority being in favour of more Government involvement and regulation. Measures supported by respondents included named tickets, bar coded tickets, paperless tickets, easier exchanges/returns and refunds that included the booking fee. Most respondents doubted that a voluntary scheme would work.

www.artsprofessional.co.ukISSUE 212 1 MARCH 2010

04CHANGING FACES

The Chief Executive of Creative Scotland will be ANDREW DIXON, currently Chief Executive of the NewcastleGateshead Initiative. His appointment will be effective from

the date that Creative Scotland is formally established, but as Chief Executive Designate he will be invited to participate in Creative Scotland 2009 board meetings.

JOHN HAMPSON is leaving Arts Council England, where he is Senior Strategy Officer, Literature, to become Senior Strategy Officer, Arts and Culture in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Birmingham Royal Ballet has a new Media and PR Officer, CLAIRE LISHMAN. She has worked in communication and marketing roles at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Helmsley Arts Centre.

The UK Film Council has appointed TANYA SEGHATCHIAN as Head of its new Film Fund. She has been Head of its Development Fund since 2007.

SARAH HOWELLS is the new PR and Partnerships Co-ordinator for Earlyarts.

Theatreplan LLP has a new staff member, ROBIN TOWNLEY. He was most recently Building Project Director on behalf of DanceEast in Ipswich.

MARY LOWE has joined Voluntary Arts England as England Co-ordinator.

ZOË ROZELAAR has joined Media Arts Bath as its new Director, Business Development and Operations. She will join the current Director BRIDGET CRONE, who will move to the new post of Artistic Director.

After seven years leading Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, CEFIN ROBERTS has resigned as Artistic Director.

The Dartington Hall Trust has appointed JOHN WOOLRICH as the new Artistic Director of its international music festival, the Dartington International Summer School. He has been an Artistic Associate of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and was Associate Artistic Director of the Aldeburgh Festival. He takes over from GAvIN HENDERSON, who will step down in August after 26 years.

ANNE GALLACHER, freelance consultant and former Executive Director of Watford Palace Theatre, has been appointed as Chair of DanceDigital. She succeeds FIONA ROSS, Head of Connect at Sadler’s Wells.

Motionhouse has recruited JUSTINE WATKINS as their new Marketing Manager. Formerly Press and Marketing Manager at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, she replaces Sanna Lounasto, who has emigrated to New Zealand.

NIGEL CUTTING, formerly Head of Arts and Entertainment at Cambridge City Council, has been appointed Interim Director of artsdepot to cover

TRACY COOPER’s maternity leave.

GILL POWELL is the new Fundraising Manager at the Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, replacing SUZANNE HARRIS. Gill was previously Individual Giving Manager at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

The Chair of Leicester Theatre Trust, ANTHONY LAWTON OBE, will stand down, with immediate effect, in line with the Trust’s rotation policy. Vice Chair STEvE KING will guide the Trust until a new Chair is appointed.

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CONFERENCES AND TRAINING

19 & 25 MarCh OvErvIEw Of ArtS AwArd fOr MAnAgErS This half-day course is for managers planning to oversee, fundraise for and or manage an Arts Award project. At the course you will get familiar with the framework and practical aspects of running Arts Award, hear about the benefits of the Arts Award and how it fits with other accredited courses, initiatives and policies and get to ask questions about how the Arts Award may work in your particular setting. Cost £90.» Book training www.artsaward.org.uk/booktraining 020 7820 6178 [email protected]

BIRMIngHAM (19tH), noRwICH (25tH)

MarCh (various)

ArtS AwArd BrOnzE And SIlvEr AdvISEr trAInIng A one-day course in delivering the Arts Award, a national qualification which supports young people 11-25 to develop as artists and arts leaders. Advisers support, mentor and assess young people taking the award. Arts Award offers a useful framework for arts activities and projects with young people, providing motivation and recognition. The course covers how to deliver and assess the Arts Award and involves presentation, case studies and discussion. Cost £135» Book training www.artsaward.org.uk/booktraining 020 7820 6178 [email protected]

UK-wIdE

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PhySIcAl dIgItAl: EngAgIng And UndErStAndIng AUdIEncES An inspirational one-day conference designed to explore exciting new techniques and approaches to physical and digital audience engagement. Cost: Audiences Central Member - £85 + VAT. Non-Member - £150 + VAT (early bird £120 + VAT– book by 26 Feb 2010) » Contact: [email protected] www.audiencescentral.co.uk

15 april

15 april thInk!SPOnSOrShIP cOnfErEncE The conference is the trade meeting ground for sponsorship in the UK. Sponsors, agencies and rights-owners join us for our 13th event to discuss sponsorship’s hidden assets. CSR, commercialising digital assets, employee engagement, pricing, presenting & understanding sponsor needs are all on the agenda. Book now at the special AP rate of £199 +VAT and join over 150 delegates already booked including key sponsoring organisations for a day of networking & learning. » Catherine Hawkins, Director, 020 7485 2111 / [email protected] / www.thinksponsorship.com

SAdlER’S wEllS tHEAtRE, london


05

Q I am a box office manager, and our chief executive has gradually increased the fee we charge for every

ticket sold, because this income does not count towards the splits we have with incoming companies. While this looks great on his spreadsheets, it is a nightmare at the box office – we get such a hard time from customers. However, people do still buy the tickets, and without the income from fees we would really struggle. Is he right?

A What a difficult argument. These fees appear to your chief executive like a licence to print money. You keep

all of it (apart from VAT) and are now charging for something which you used to do for free. It is ongoing income without strings. Commercial West End theatres and big ticket agents have been doing this for years, so why shouldn’t you cash in too? On one hand, it is actually very good news that your customers complained and are still complaining – it means they give enough of a damn to tell you and they think you will listen. That is a huge compliment. When I have tried to unpick why some arts organisations seem to ‘get away’ with adding on-top fees without customer complaints and others do not, it seems all to be down to the relationship that the customer thinks they have with you and what they feel about you as an organisation. EasyJet, IKEA and Dixons all charge extra fees, and the whole brand is based around their value for money and giving you exactly what you pay for. John Lewis and First Direct on the other hand offer many free services and are trying to get you to trust them and build a long-term relationship with them.

It appears that your customers do not feel that the extra fees are in line with your brand and the image you are portraying, so there is a discord here. I would ask your chief executive to consider if the fee income is really worth the potential damage to your customer relationships, bearing in mind that for every customer who is complaining, many others who feel the same way remain silent. Perhaps a pragmatic step now is for him to give your customers an explanation about why you charge these fees. In 2007 Arts Council England published ‘Call it a tenner: the role of pricing in the arts’, which explores many elements of pricing and fee setting and could be a good springboard for your debate.

What’s rocking your boat? Send us your work-related problem and we’ll find an expert to offer you advice. [email protected]

this week’s question was answered by BEth APlIn, director, Aplin Partnership

E [email protected] t 07977 521045

hOtSPOt

On the tide of economic recession and amidst the flurry of electioneering singling out one ‘hot’ issue affecting the arts is well nigh impossible. Those who could afford to attend The State of the Arts conference left with clarity from the politicians regarding funding cuts and suggestions that an incoming Tory Government would redefine Arts Council England’s policy (for which one could also read arm’s length) role. This only adds to the turmoil. The threat to close the 60 year-old Institute of Contemporary Arts is symptomatic of this turmoil: a recipient of £1.2m Sustain funding as a recession buffer, the organisation apparently already had deep-rooted problems. On a smaller scale, the loss of KUBE Gallery is the result of public spending restrictions hitting its higher education partner, rendering the visual arts an unaffordable ‘luxury’, whilst in my home town the council is proposing to slash £25,000 from the budget of Arts Development in East Cambridgeshire which manages the very small Babylon Gallery.

However, possibly the most disturbing fact of the week is that only 79 children eligible for free school meals achieved three A grade A-levels last year. OK, this isn’t the

direct responsibility of the arts, but with a leadership role that places culture at the heart of civilised society, it isn’t ours to brush aside either. At recent Mission Models Money/ERA 21 seminars, Ben Cameron from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation pitched the fundamental crisis facing arts organisations as one of relevance rather than finance, whilst Stewart Wallis from the New Economics Foundation (NEF) challenged us to consider and foster a fairer moral economy. Many organisations, artist-led groups and artists operate with values akin to those proposed by NEF. As Liz Whitehead from Fabrica in Brighton suggested, we need to find ways of articulating these models and measures of value to policy makers beyond the arts, demonstrating their sustainability and relevance.

hIlAry grESty is director of the Visual Arts and galleries Association.

E [email protected] w www.vaga.co.uk

Hilary Gresty calls for ways to articulate the value, sustainability and relevance of the arts to policymakers.

nEEd tO knOwGot a burning question? Let ap find the expert with the answers.

The Babylon Gallery


06NEWS COMMENT

Jacqualyn Box highlights some concerns with the Arts Council of Wales’ new participation strategy.

At last, after a series of stops and starts over a number of years, the Arts Council of Wales’ (ACW) participation strategy, ‘Taking Part’, is finally out for consultation in draft form (AP210). Voluntary Arts Wales and many others have campaigned for the need to create such a strategy, as a tool both to enshrine participation across all ACW policy and to ensure the profile of arts participation is raised. Voluntary Arts Wales, with a small number of other organisations, has been involved in a working group to help ACW bring the strategy together. Despite our input, we do have some concerns about the current consultation document, which we have raised and will continue to feed into the consultation process.

Our main concern is the apparent deprioritisation of the amateur/voluntary part of the sector, which is also apparent in ACW’s new vision document ‘Imagine’. Both documents state: “Amateurs and volunteers are as much part of the cultural DNA of Wales as our award-winning artists and national companies.... By and large this won’t be an area of Arts Council priority.” We believe the emphasis is wrong here – the amateurs and volunteers are the cultural DNA and always have been. Voluntary and community arts activities are not only a breeding ground for the professional arts and creative industries, but actually create employment opportunities that support professional artists.

Would actor Ioan Gruffydd have appeared above the radar, if it weren’t for the wealth of voluntary sector youth theatres and eisteddfodau that developed him? In some people’s eyes, the whole of the participatory arts sector consists only of the groups and projects that are funded by ACW – those that are on the radar. This is a great misunderstanding. In terms of arts participation this is only the tip of the iceberg. It is therefore worrying that the draft strategy appears to focus mainly on community arts practice, which in our opinion, is just a part of the whole picture of arts participation in Wales.

In view of the above we, together with a number of partners (including local authorities), believe that mapping all participatory arts activity is extremely important in bringing groups onto the radar, enabling partnership work and enhancing advocacy for participation. Mapping of the whole sector is something we feel should be included as a fundamental action in the participation strategy, to ensure that grass roots activity is given the recognition and support it deserves. Without these roots there would be no trees.

lEttErS

Thank you for featuring our recently published report, ‘Creative Graduates Creative Futures’ (AP211). However, there is some misrepresentation of our findings. You state that “almost 80% of those employed at the time of the survey were only in part-time work”. The picture is not this bleak. Almost half the graduate respondents were portfolio workers. Around four out of five (83%) had at least one full-time job, and a similar proportion (79%) described at least one of their jobs as part-time. This suggests a considerable overlap between full-time and part-time working. There is a predominance of micro-enterprises in the sector and a contract economy, so full-time employment and linear career progression are not appropriate models.

At the time of the survey, 79% were in work that related significantly to art, craft and design; they experienced high career satisfaction and were achieving their career goals, but were not high earners. The key findings are that creative graduates are doing what they want to be doing and are settled in their portfolio careers. They aspire to achieving a good life/work balance, and their career plans are most influenced by a strong desire for new learning and the pursuit of creative practice above high earnings.

Graduate satisfactionFROM linda Ball project director, Creative graduates Creative futures, university of the arts london)

JAcqUAlyn BOx is wales Co-ordinator for Voluntary Arts wales.

E [email protected]

t 01938 556455 / 01443 681420 w www.vaw.org.uk

the amateurs and volunteers are the cultural DNA and always have been

Invitation To Tender “A Different Direction: Bristol” ProjectEnhancing Diversity In Leadership For Bristol’s Cultural Sector

Proposal from consultants/organisations to deliver a bespoke leadership development package including:

Coaching • Action learning sets • Learning histories

“A Different Direction: Bristol” brings together a range of eight cultural organisations in Bristol - Arnolfini, Asian Arts Agency (lead partner), Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol Old Vic, Cirque Bijou, Colston Hall, Picture This, and St Paul’s Carnival - to train, challenge and inspire the city’s leaders to improve the diversity of the city’s cultural leadership, and break down institutional barriers to wider representation. This initiative is funded by the Cultural Leadership Programme under its Meeting the Challenge Fund, and is supported by Arts Council England and Bristol City Council.

Fee: £19,550Length of contract: April 2010 – March 2011Deadline for submissions: 5pm on Monday 29 March 2010Interviews will be held in early April.For further details please visit: www.asianartsagency.co.uk


07ObSERvATIONS

No one can deny that we live in a digital age. With technological changes having such a profound impact on the way we live, it is essential that Arts Council England (ACE) looks at the opportunities and implications of digital technology for the future of the arts. It was therefore one area we focused on in the comprehensive review of research and literature we undertook to inform the consultation for our ten-year strategic framework for the arts, ‘Achieving great art for everyone’. This review set out the wider changes taking place in society and the challenges and opportunities they present for the arts over the next ten years. Digital technologies are already having a major impact on many of the creative industries, with research identifying the sweeping changes that are taking place in media. The ‘Digital Britain’ report1 recognised the changing role of arts organisations in providing high-quality, original digital content.

HOOKED UPOur review also showed that digital technologies are having an impact on the ways in which people access information, consume, communicate and interact with the arts. Tom Fleming’s study, ‘Clicks Not Bricks’1, identifies organisations that are starting to develop interactive online spaces for creative collaboration, allowing users to create, share, remix and discuss their work. The study highlights FACT’s Tenantspin project which has enabled tenants of a Liverpool tower block to connect and share issues through film making. They now have a studio within FACT and have been commissioned by the BBC to write their own play. These collaborations blur the boundaries between audience and content creator and reflect the expectations of many Internet users. However, they also pose significant questions around changing attitudes to copyright and licensing of original material.

Qualitative research commissioned by ACE looked at how people currently engage digitally with arts content and arts organisations. The study found that digital technology has huge potential to deepen live arts experiences – enabling artists to develop their relationship

with their audience, and giving people greater freedom to self-educate and personalise their online arts experiences. A review of the online presence of our portfolio of regularly funded organisations (RFOs) found good examples of organisations bringing great art to audiences in new, participative and interactive ways. These included the Philharmonia Orchestra’s educational tool that enables users to mix their own music using its ‘Sample Sequencing’ software1, and Resonance.fm’s site that allows users to stream radio shows live, as well as listen to an archive of podcasts and respond to content on a well-used discussion forum1. The qualitative research also found that users valued social experiences, which provides a challenge to us all in identifying how we can translate these experiences online.

UNTAPPED POTENTIALLittle is currently known about the potential reach of arts in the digital space to attract new audiences. Though the increase in access to digital tools offers the opportunity to engage people creatively, it is not clear who, or how many people, are currently creating work online. Our research found that creative participation online appears to be a niche audience within a niche, only appealing to a small fraction of people, though this is complicated by what people consider as ‘the arts’ online. The study also identified issues of access and inclusion, with arts content in general only appearing to be reaching existing arts enthusiasts.

Content businesses have had to adapt their business models and audiences very rapidly and radically as a result of changing consumer attitudes towards online content. For arts organisations that are part-commercial and part-publicly funded, there are potential tensions between using digital technology to offer universal access to their content and using

digital distribution channels to generate greater revenue from their work. The publicly funded arts sector is a long way from realising the full potential of digital opportunities.

But there have been success stories. Take the NT Live! project: research1 shows that their experimentation with cross-platform distribution resulted in new audiences for theatre (AP211), with many respondents claiming that the project made it more likely for them to visit a theatre in future. It is essential that we continue to make this kind of knowledge available to the whole sector, so we can continue to help organisations develop business models to distribute their content more widely, and judge the extent of the demand for this.

With technology developing so quickly, and with so little known about the impact it will have in future, we need to be comfortable trying out ideas, learning from successes and failures and exchanging knowledge with others. The role of ACE’s strategic ten-year framework and the consultation is to ensure that we are aware of the context in which we make decisions, and responsive to what people tell us about how the changes in the wider environment affect the way they work. Tell us what you think.

Digital natives In the first of four pieces examining the themes that

provide the framework for Arts Council England’s consultation, Lucy Hutton considers what the digital revolution means for the arts.

creative participation online appears to be a niche audience within a niche

lUcy hUttOn is Senior Strategy officer, Research at Arts Council England.

E [email protected] w www.artscouncil.org.uk/consultation

this week lucy visited ‘Exhibitionism’ at the Courtauld Institute, where she was shocked by Jordan McKenzie’s Spent and amazed at the beautiful glass sculptures of human viruses by luke Jerram (whom she went to school with). She also experienced watching Avatar in 3d, and is looking forward to watching the RSC’s film production of david tennant’s Hamlet.

1 All references can be found on the online version of thisarticle, go to www.artsprofessional.co.uk

Charles Monkhouse Night Station

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As Reb Nachman of Breslov said, hundreds of years ago, “All beginnings require that you unlock a new door,” or in twenty-first century cyber-speak, a new portal. Open Jewish Culture (OJC) is an initiative to showcase Jewish culture in the capital, under the auspices of the London Jewish Forum, a diversely drawn representative charity bringing together leaders from across London’s Jewish life. The Jewish community of London is the largest in the country, but still amounts to fewer than 200,000 people. However, within that community there is incredible diversity: it is both an ethnic and a faith-based grouping made up of numerous strands of religious and political thought. There are rich Jews and poor Jews, gay Jews and straight Jews, Black Jews and white Jews, disabled Jews, young Jews and old Jews, refugees and peers. It is very probable that there are almost as many Jewish visitors to London in a year, for business, pleasure or transit, as there are members of London’s synagogues.

COMMUNITY FOCUSThere are a small number of well established Jewish cultural producers, with a track record of working with a wide general audience: Ben Uri for Jewish art, Jewish Music Institute, Jewish Book Council, London Jewish Film Festival and the Jewish Museum. Each tends to have seasons or events at different times of year. In addition, the Jewish Community Centre for London and London Jewish Cultural Centre are also key players. These producers have demonstrated that the audience for well-crafted cultural programmes informed by Jewish perspectives extends well beyond members of the community. For example, since the 1990s, Jewish Book Week (mounted by the Jewish Book Council) has stepped up attendances from hundreds into tens of thousands, not just by attracting more Jews but also by reaching many non-Jews and tourists. There is also an enormous amount of cultural activity that never reaches a wider audience, either because the producer has limited resources or because the

work is being done for a focused membership. Many youth groups, community associations and synagogues have a vibrant cultural programme that would greatly benefit local life and community cohesion by being made more open to all. Finally, many general venues produce drama, exhibitions, films, heritage and book events informed by or connected to Jewish experience.

JOINING THE DOTSUntil now, each individual producer has had to reach their audience in isolation – often the same target markets at different times. For visitors, particularly from North America, Europe and Israel, trying to map the Jewish cultural topology is impossible. What if there was a way of building profile and reach by combining forces? This is the thinking that lies behind OJC. Our core mission is to bring London’s incredibly rich Jewish arts, culture and heritage to as wide an audience as possible. To achieve this, OJC has produced a month-long opening showcase that is running currently, and a website dedicated to bringing all of London’s Jewish cultural happenings to life. The online culture hub will be an ongoing vehicle for audience development. As well as Jewish Book Week and the opening of the new Jewish Museum, OJC is promoting individual artists, small producers, synagogue/youth/student cultural programmes, and mainstream providers like the British Library. There are over 70 events on the website for the opening month. Some of these were organised specially for the showcase, but many have

simply come to light as the project has gained momentum. Over 20,000 highlights guides have been distributed across London.

Using the website as a springboard, there will be mobile, Facebook, and iPhone apps to enable people to find out what’s happening, to share events or to follow specific genres and providers. Behind the scenes, each producer will have the ability to load and amend their own events and there will be a producer-only OJC networking space to promote information exchange. We are also expecting to be able to be able to sell tickets and take reservations online. Viral and online strategies are being deployed to get the message out, and we are encouraging producers to upload video content.

Opening Jewish culture Jack Gilbert looks

at the wealth of Jewish cultural life and explains how one organisation hopes to share it with the world.

JAck gIlBErt is director/Producer of open Jewish Culture, which welcomes collaboration with the wider arts community, from national theatres to local libraries.

E [email protected] t 020 7922 7832 w www.openjewishculture.org

this week Jack has been listening on his iPhone to ‘the Farthest Shore’ Ursula le guin, which he last read over 30 years ago. It is as immersive and as alien yet familiar, as he recalled, although now he identifies with themes of life and death, and with the characters very differently! He also enjoyed the comeback Sunday afternoon concert of dame Julie Paid, the doyenne of drag torchsong, at the Soho theatre.

FEATURE: ARTS AND RELIGION


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The biennial Art and Architecture Awards, set up and run by Art and Christianity Enquiry (which works with visual art and religion), was the first of its kind in this country to recognise good practice in responding to the challenges of creating and enhancing buildings for worship. Now well established in their fourth cycle, the awards also invigorate the national debate on the quality of new religious art and architecture. Entries are welcomed from all faith traditions, although most commissions are from Christian communities.

The process of the award is straightforward, consisting of an open submission, long-listing on the basis of images and short-listing after visiting sites. Fifty-one projects were submitted. If we had a disappointment, it lay in the fact that predictably, a disproportionate number of stained glass windows appeared. However, we were not looking for mere innovation of technique and were all delighted to be introduced to Leonard McComb’s mosaic St Francis of Assisi preaching to the birds at Westminster Cathedral, London. Why did we instantly consider this for the short-list? Mosaic is one of the most ancient techniques in Christian art and is also a keynote to the interior of Westminster Cathedral. The original design included a programme of mosaic decoration which was not completed, so the Cathedral has now embarked on a series of contemporary commissions. The Art and Christianity Enquiry Award recognises not only the quality of works of art but the thinking behind the commission and hopes to encourage best practice. We found in McComb’s work many qualities that we were to search for throughout the judging process. Technically, the work is of the highest quality. St Francis of

Assisi is surrounded by his ‘sisters, the birds’ depicted in exquisite and moving detail. As with all the short-listed works, we responded to the modesty of the work and the manner by which the artist achieved impact through simplicity and without rhetoric.

Our eventual short-list consisted of the McComb mosaic; Brian Catling’s Processional Cross, Dorchester Abbey; Tracey Emin’s For You, Liverpool Cathedral; Shirazeh Houshiary and Pip Horne’s East Window, St Martin-in-the-Fields; Rona Smith’s Northern Elevation and Alison Wilding’s Garden Fountain, Drinking Fountain and Baptismal Font, all at the Lumen Centre, United Reform Church, London.

We considered the works by Smith and Wilding both individually and as one project. Like Houshiary’s work, these commissions were managed by the art consultants Modus Operandi as part of major architectural projects. One of the messages that came through strongly is that the skills of such consultants are invaluable in creating strong and successful partnerships between client, architect and artist. Smith and Houshiary each took the vocabulary of the stained glass window and its metal frame to create entirely new forms. Houshiary in particular has created a remarkable sculptural effect which combines, through line only, the shape of Christ on the cross with an ellipse of light at its centre. Wilding’s three small sculptures with water as their linking theme and function, define and punctuate a visitor’s walk through the church from door to enclosed garden.

Our winner was Tracey Emin’s ‘For You’ in Liverpool Cathedral. Coloured glass, light and text have been the cornerstone of art in Christian worship for centuries

and this work combines all three but as pink neon. The artist’s own feminine handwriting – a rare element in Christian iconography – reads “I Felt You And I Knew You Loved Me”. Its material and the fact that it is not functional nor built into the fabric of the building might suggest that it is temporary. Our task as judges was to look at both permanent and temporary projects, but the standard of the permanent commissions was so high that we wished to highlight this by choosing a short-list of outstanding works that will remain in perpetuity. The permanence of the Liverpool commission is significant and indicates risk-taking with conviction on the part of the Cathedral. The material and the message are ambiguous – by which I mean they could exist with equal

weight in a secular setting – but set above the red sandstone of the west door the work carries a very simple and direct message, intimate as well as contemplative.

An award for art in places of worship aims to encourage debate and recognise the best examples, writes Gill Hedley.

SEEING THE LIGHTS

gIll hEdlEy is an independent curator and museum consultant and former director of the Contemporary Art Society. Her fellow judges were: Michael Bracewell – writer and critic; nicholas Bury – dean of gloucester; Ann Elliott – independent curator and art consultant; Ben Quash – Professor of Christianity & the Arts, King’s College london.

w www.acetrust.org

CASE STUDY

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Tracey Emin ‘For You’ 2008

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The diversity team at Arts Council England has been running an ‘Arts and Islam’ programme for the past four years. Its purpose is to use informed debate and interventions to explore the issues between artistic practice, religious belief and contemporary society. For all the controversy generated around Muslims and their religion, there is at least an equal thirst to explore Muslim cultures, to grasp Islam’s historic and contemporary relationship to artistic expression,

and, above all, to participate in fruitful dialogue. We are fortunate that there exists in Britain a burgeoning and talented group of artists whose work is informed by their Islamic belief, although we hesitate to label them ‘Muslim artists’, as that would lump together a disparate group. It would also be wrong to describe their art as purely religious or traditional. That would be to miss out on the subtle and rich interplay between the individual artist, the society they live in, their

training and talent, and the religion they practice.

There are barriers to surmount. The arts in Britain, reflecting wider society, can demonstrate uneasiness when religious belief is linked with artistic expression. We have to some extent ‘secularised’ religion in art – for example separating iconic Christian imagery such as the crucifixion from its religious content. Seven out of ten Muslims in Britain are from the Pakistani or Bangladeshi communities, two of the most economically impoverished groups in society. The remaining 30% include Somalis and working class North and West Africans. It is a struggle for many young Muslims to overcome class disadvantage and prejudice to make a living in what remains a middle class profession. The graffiti artist and founder of Soul City Arts, Mohammed ‘Aerosol Arabic’ Ali, explained that “Our parents from the Indian subcontinent came here for economic benefit, to give to their families what they never got. That’s why my dad worked in restaurants until four in the morning. The arts is not a well paid sector and my dad did not want me to struggle like he did.” There are also barriers towards understanding where artists interested in their Muslim cultural heritage are coming from. Contemporary visual artist Zarah Hussain says that she experienced a lack of support and understanding from art teachers and colleges, and in some cases the art world: “I wanted to explore art from an eastern perspective and was very interested in Islamic art. I have often been discouraged, mainly because many people do not understand it… religious art is looked down upon and heavily criticised.”

There is resistance amongst elements of the Muslim community

to participation in some of the arts, although it is not always clear whether this stems from religious, cultural or ideological roots. There is also a danger that artists from Muslim backgrounds are diverted from their path of artistic development towards becoming ready-made proxies for other agendas. As Hussain observes, “I have often been encouraged to make work that is critical of Islam and particularly work that is critical of Islam’s supposed injustice towards women.” Arts and Islam has been active in opening up all of these debates and putting the interests of artists and their art foremost. To that end we have organised educational seminars, debates, artists’ workshops, film tours and live performances both here, in Europe and in the USA.

We have been hosted by arts organisations, universities and mosque authorities. Our explorations range from the architecture of mosques to the vibrant world of Muslim hip hop. As Hussain says, “Arts and Islam has… provided a community of like-minded people that you can talk to and share experiences and support each other.” Perhaps one of our most rewarding moments so far came after a film showing in Lewisham Mosque in South London, when a hijab-wearing woman came up to us and said, “That was wonderful. How can I get my little girl interested in art?”

Hassan Mahamdallie and Abid Hussain profile the work of Arts and Islam and draw out the diverse range of work that falls under that heading.

HAvING FAITH IN THE ARTS

hASSAn MAhAMdAllIE is Arts Council England Senior Strategy officer, Arts Strategy, diversity and ABId hUSSAIn is officer, diversity for Arts Council England, west Midlands.

E [email protected] [email protected] w www.artsandislam.com

CASE STUDY

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Arts and Islam symposium In the Heart of the City - Faith, Buildings and People

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11ObSERvATIONS

The arts sector provides many opportunities for children to challenge themselves, develop new skills, engage in new activities and learn. It is important that the creative community engages with the next generation. A number of arts providers work closely with schools and other organisations in the local community to improve the learning experiences they provide. Educational visits can be amongst the most vivid memories from childhood and it is important that today’s children are given the same opportunity. For many children, these educational visits are often their first experience of the arts world, and there exists the potential to form such a strong attachment that it can foster a lifelong love of the arts world. A visit to a local art gallery or dance studio can also inspire other areas of a pupil’s educational development as well as their general behaviour. Most teachers agree, children learn best when they experience first-hand what they have read about in the classroom. Indeed, last year Ofsted recognised the power of learning outside the classroom, finding that getting out and about in small, frequent doses improves understanding and school standards as well as helping social and emotional development.

RECOGNISING QUALITYIt has now been a year since the launch of the Quality Badge, awarded by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom. The Quality Badge is awarded to organisations and venues – such as museums, galleries and theatres – that offer good quality learning experiences whilst managing risk effectively. Visiting badged organisations makes life easier for teachers and parents organising educational visits as they can feel confident that their children and pupils are receiving high quality educational experiences in a safe environment whilst enjoying inspiring and exciting activities. As more and more organisations are awarded the Quality Badge, it is becoming the benchmark by which all providers of educational visits are judged – so schools, groups and families thinking about undertaking visits are likely to check that their chosen venue either has the badge or is in the

process of acquiring it. Arts providers are particularly likely to benefit from applying for the Quality Badge as parents and teachers will want to arrange education visits to those organisations that can introduce children to the arts in a manner that is both educational and accessible – something that badged organisations can demonstrably offer.

SHINING EXAMPLESThe Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, was one of the first arts organisations in the country to be awarded the Quality Badge. It offers a range of exciting and inspirational opportunities for thousands of people, including over 22,000 local children, to get involved in live music-making of the highest quality. Working with the Faith Primary School in West Everton, the In Harmony Liverpool project involves pupils making music with a team of highly skilled musicians led by Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra violinist Sally Anne Anderson. Just 12 weeks after picking up an instrument, the Faith pupils performed a special arrangement of Hey Jude alongside musicians from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in the Philharmonic Hall. Not only orchestras but also art galleries, dance studios and theatres across the country are establishing strong links with schools and the local community through several different educational opportunities.

One of these is the Quality Badge-accredited New Art Gallery in Walsall, which hosts a series of events designed specifically for children and families and acts as a great introduction to contemporary art. Their dedication to engaging

with schools and children even extends to Disco, a tailored family gallery and hands-on area where visitors can touch everything, dress up as a Victorian dandy, create some computer art or compose a song on the xylophone. The Liverpool Philharmonic and the Walsall New Art Gallery demonstrate what many arts organisations across the country are doing to reach out to the local community and engage with the next generation of arts enthusiasts. Learning about the arts first-hand in galleries and theatres allows children to develop their creative skills whilst also inspiring other aspects of their education, but the arts community can also benefit from a closer relationship with schools and by inspiring the next generation of arts enthusiasts.

We need to start engaging children young if we’re going to inspire the next generation of arts enthusiasts, Beth Gardner believes.

Here, there and everywhere

Children need to experience museums, galleries and theatres first hand

BEth gArdnEr is Chief Executive of the Council for learning outside the Classroom, which believes that every child should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development, whatever their age, ability and circumstances.

E [email protected] w www.lotcqualitybadge.org.uk

this week Beth enjoyed an evening of camp hilarity at the pantomime performed by Youth on Stage – a Birmingham-based youth theatre – but failed to find her Prince Charming that night.

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12MANAGEMENT FILE

Arts organisations are under increasing scrutiny and regulation when working with children. The licensing and chaperone arrangements for performances are well established. The spotlight currently is on the new requirements on individuals and organisations under the Vetting and Barring Scheme which was established by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and launched in part on October 2009. Under the scheme, broadly, individuals who wish to work with children or vulnerable adults frequently or intensively (referred to as ‘Regulated Activity’) will be vetted and required to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). Those that are deemed unsuitable to work with these vulnerable groups will be placed on the Children’s Barred List and/or Adults’ Barred List. Examples of regulated activity relating to children include

teaching, training, instruction, supervision, advice and guidance. It can include other child-orientated activities such as moderating a children’s chat forum. Supervision or management of an individual carrying out a regulated activity will also be a regulated activity, and trustees of children’s charities will also be engaging in regulated activity even if they have no contact with children.

UNDERSTANDING THE LAWThe Scheme applies to both paid and voluntary activities, but does not apply to activities within the family or to unpaid activities in the course of a personal relationship. The Act’s focus is on a number of new duties and criminal offences on individuals and those who engage them. Of these the following came into force in October 2009:• Employers must refer cases to ISA where they have dismissed or ceased to engage an individual because they think the individual has harmed or poses a risk of harm to children or vulnerable adults.• It is an offence for an individual on one of the Barred Lists to engage in a Regulated Activity (or attempt to) with children or vulnerable adults.• It is an offence for a person to allow an individual to engage in

a Regulated Activity if he/she knows or has reason to believe that the individual is barred.

The requirement to register comes in from 1 November 2010 and will be phased in over a five year period. The first phase, namely new entrants to the workforce, can apply for registration after July 2010. Clearly, the scheme will have an effect on organisations working with children, particularly in schools, but also across a whole range of activities. Those organisations should consider as standard checking the Barred Lists when engaging workers who work with children or vulnerable adults.

When the Scheme was announced there was an outcry that it went too far and the Government agreed to review it. Sir Roger Singleton issued his report ‘Drawing the Line’ in December 2009. His recommendations were accepted by the Government. The recommendations included: The definitions of “frequently” and “intensively” should be amended, and individuals who go into different schools or similar settings to work with different groups of children will not be required to register unless they visit the same school frequently or intensively. This is of particular significance to educational arts organisations. There remain a number of unanswered questions about the Scheme, and further guidance is expected in March.

CRB CHECKSThe new scheme does not replace the existing CRB scheme; it may still be good practice to carry out CRB checks on eligible workers and/or trustees. ISA registration does not mean the individual has no criminal record. Carrying out a CRB check will tell you about that individual’s criminal history and therefore allow you to judge their suitability for the role in question. Other risk assessments and safeguards (such as checking references and ID) should be in

place – being on the ISA register may not be enough of a safeguard on its own.

Since October 2009, all regulated activities are eligible for an Enhanced CRB check. Trustees of children’s charities will be engaging in a regulated activity. Broadly, a charity is a ‘children’s charity’ if the normal workforce includes individuals engaging in regulated activity. Arts charities need to identify whether any of their workers fall within this definition not only to determine whether those individuals need to be CRB checked and ISA-registered but also to determine whether the trustees should be checked. Some trustees find being asked to undergo a CRB check alarmingly invasive. It is also worth noting that the Charity Commission form for applying for registration as a charity requires a declaration by the trustees as to whether the organisation is “required” or “entitled to” obtain CRB checks for trustees (and if so whether yet obtained). Most arts charities working with children are unlikely to be legally required to obtain CRB checks for trustees, but they are likely to be entitled to obtain such checks. The Charity Commission requires charities seeking registration to explain why they have not carried out CRB checks on trustees if they are entitled to obtain them, and what safeguards for children they have in place. In practice, therefore, charities need to have a good reason for not carrying out CRB checks if they are entitled to do so.

Not child’s play Sorting out

the legal side of working with children can be time consuming, confusing and costly. Sean Egan advises on what you need to do.

SEAn EgAn is head of theatre and Arts at Bates wells & Braithwaite london llP solicitors.

w www.bwbllp.com

Jasmin Vardimon Company Seeks new Board Members

Jasmin Vardimon Company (JVC), a leading force in British dance theatre, seeks two new Board Members with expertise in Finance, HR and Legal.

Working with Artistic Director, Jasmin Vardimon and Executive Producer Ian Ross, the Board of Directors is responsible for agreeing the strategic vision, mission and purpose of the Company, and for guiding the organisation towards achieving its goals.

JVC is an Arts Council England Regular Funded Organisation and is based in Brighton. Board meetings take place 3 times a year, usually in London.

Please note that this is a voluntary role. Expenses will be reimbursed.If you are interested or would like further info, please contact: Ian Ross e: [email protected] w: www.jasminvardimon.com Closing date for applications: Monday 8th March Interview date: Monday 15th March, Sadler’s Wells, London


13

dAvId rOgErSOn is digital and new Media Manager at Sound and Music.

w www.soundandmusic.org

WWW.FREEMUSICARCHIvE.ORGI couldn’t decide whether to choose this, New York radio station WFMU’s blog or Ubu.com as my favourite place to discover unheard, weird and esoteric gems, but seeing as they’re all connected in some way I’ve plumped for the newly launched Free Music Archive (FMA). FMA is a library of high-quality, legal audio downloads. It works with organisations and individuals as curators to build archives of free music – extending public access broadcast to digital communities.

WWW.FOLKSONOMY.ORG.UKI came across this site when it was started as a research project by Simon Perkins of Nottingham Trent University. It is an attempt to

create a “structured repository of digital culture and creative practice”. It’s like a blog of academic references, including photographs, videos and documents. It’s free to add your own clippings and even if you’re just a lurker, adding this to your RSS reader will provide a rich source of content, research and ideas.

WWW.EMILYCHANG.COM/EHUBIf you want to know what the new developments are in web 2.0, then bookmark eHub – a resource of next generation web, mobile and social software. Set up by interaction designer Emily Chang, the blog now has a team of editors who contribute daily listings, features, reviews and interviews. It was here that I first heard about 37 Signals (check out their book ‘Getting Real’), Etsy and a thousand more interesting web apps.

WWW.WE-MAKE-MONEY-NOT-ART.COMA blog that explores the intersection between art, design and technology, this is an unpretentious, if oddly designed, stream of quality reviews, previews and comment. I’m not quite sure how these people see so much but they claim to “Cover events around the globe, from nightclub-based installations in Tokyo to

academic conferences in Madrid.” Run by Regine Debatty, the site has won two ‘Webbys’ (the international award for web excellence) so not exactly underground, but definitely one to visit. It’s another one of those blogs where you quickly find you’ve lost half your day.

WWW.GAMA-GATEWAY.EUThis is a project to keep an eye on if you’re interested in new media art or in digital archiving. GAMA, the Gateway to Archives of Media Art, is a new European media archiving project which provides access to information on both well-known and emerging media artists. The media art content initially comes from eight European organisations and can be searched and browsed in a variety of ways, including visual search and guided tours. The portal includes text and visual information on more than 10,000 works. Still in its early stages, it will be interesting to see if it can meet its ambitions in the future, once the novelty wears off.

David Rogerson lists his favourite sites.

MY TOp 5 WEbSITES

Building on the success of the first International Dance Festival Birmingham (IDFB) in 2008, Festival producers DanceXchange and Birmingham Hippodrome are seeking an experienced, motivated and conscientious Evaluator for IDFB 2010, a major biennial Festival taking place from 19th April to 15th May 2010. Drawing on the work already begun to ensure sound monitoring systems are in place, the Evaluator will manage and coordinate several key research strands and produce a comprehensive evaluation report that responds to the Festival’s strategic aims and ambitions, addresses the reporting requirements of our major funders, and clearly evidences and articulates the reach, impact and benefits of IDFB 2010.

IDFB 2010 is funded by Advantage West Midlands, Arts Council England West Midlands and Birmingham City Council, and sponsored by Brewin Dolphin. The Festival is an integral part of the West Midlands Culture Programme for 2012, celebrating the region as a vibrant cultural destination.

Applications may come from individuals or from groups with appropriate expertise. Applications made through recruitment agencies will not be accepted.

Timeframe: March-August 2010, with final report completed by 27th August 2010

Fee: c. £8-£10k inclusive of expenses

Deadline for proposals: 9am, 15th March 2010

For a full brief and submission details, please visit www.dancexchange.org.uk and click on ‘jobs’, or call 0121 689 3170

dx and IDFB are committed to equal opportunities, welcoming applications from all sections of the community.

Invitation to Tender: International Dance Festival Birmingham Evaluation

Management & Operation of The Castle Theatre – Wellingborough CouncilWellingborough Council is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from suitable organisations for the management, promotion and operation of The Castle Theatre; a multi-purpose arts and public entertainment venue. The facilities include a 500 capacity Main Auditorium, Lounge, Studio, Art Gallery and Bar/Restaurant.

The Council wishes to attract innovative proposals for the future management of the facility and the delivery of services. The Council is willing to provide a contract for a period of ten years (with the possibility of an extension).

The Council considers that the existing staff at the facility will transfer under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE). Although the Code on Workforce Matters and Pensions Direction are thought unlikely to apply, bidding organisations should comply with the principles set out in the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice for Staff Transfers in the Public Sector.

Bidding organisations must complete a Pre Qualification Questionnaire and demonstrate a dynamic and proven successful track record in the operation of an arts venue in order to be included on the Council’s tender list. The successful bidder will be selected through a negotiated tender process.

Interested organisations can request an information pack and pre-qualification questionnaire from: Jon Carney, Senior Consultant, Strategic Leisure, 3rd Floor, Rutherford House, Warrington Road, Birchwood Science Park, Warrington WA3 6ZH. Telephone: 01925 855 550 Email: [email protected]

The closing date for the return of completed questionnaires is 12 noon Friday 30th April 2010.


RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING 01223 20020014

Student and Enrolment Co-ordinator£25,000 p.a.

Application details available from www.enbschool.org.uk

Head of MarketingSalary £40,000 to 45,000 depending on experience

The ISM is the professional body for musicians. We promote the art of music and support the interests of musicians through a range of services, campaigns and practical advice. The last year has seen remarkable growth for the ISM and we want to build on this success.

We are now seeking to appoint a Head of Marketing. This is a critical role for the Society and you will be working at both a strategic and operational level, driving forward growth for the ISM.

You will have at least 5 years experience in marketing with a proven track record of developing sustainable income streams and a sound understanding of effective marketing strategies and techniques. You will have a thorough knowledge of direct marketing, digital technologies, web management and e marketing. Knowledge of the music world and a subscription based organisation would be an advantage. You will be joining a professional staff team based just off Oxford Street, London where the emphasis is on good communication and team work.

For an informal discussion about this post please contact Deborah Annetts on 0207 079 1200.

For an application pack, please contact Elizabeth Fulton on 0207 079 1201 or email [email protected]

Closing date for applications is 5pm, Monday 8 March 2010. Interviews will be scheduled for 11 and 12 March 2010. Second round interviews will take place the following week on 18 and 19 March.

Box Office CoordinatorFull time: Salary £13,400 - £14,505

Marketing CoordinatorPart time, three days a week: £13,400 - £14,505 pro rata

Deadline for applications: Thursday 18 March, 12 noonInterviews will be held on: Wednesday 24 March

For more information and to receive a job pack, please call 01722 343020, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.salisburyartscentre.co.uk

As an equal opportunities employer we welcome applications from all sections of the community. These posts are subject to an enhanced CRB disclosure check. Reg. Charity No. 1023945

Two exciting opportunities to join this highly regarded and progressive multi arts venue

DEVELOPMENT MANAGERPart time (2 days/week)

Leading fundraising for Little Angel Theatre as we enter our 50th year.

Salary: £25,000 pro rataDeadline: 19 March, 5pmInterviews: 25 March

“wonderful work that celebrates the possibilities of theatre” (The Guardian)

For an application pack see www.littleangeltheatre.com

Outdoor Events Production ManagersMagnetic Events are looking for production managers with experience of Safety Advisory Groups, & creating Operating Schedules and Event Management Plans for a number of arts projects throughout England in 2010 and beyond.

Send CV and contact details to [email protected] date 5th March

MARKETING MANAGER (Fixed term Maternity Cover)Octagon Theatre, 161 hours permonth – £23,708 Pro RataTeam and manage our busy Marketing and Sales Departments.Would you relish the opportunity to market and promote Somerset’s premiertheatre? The Octagon Theatre is looking for a bright and creative individualto manage our Marketing and Sales Department for a period of maternitycover. The successful applicant will have excellent communication andorganisational skills and will have experience Arts Marketing, databasemanagement and leading a team. You must be prepared to work flexiblehours including Bank Holidays, evenings, weekends and throughout theChristmas period.The post is subject to an enhanced CRB check.For further information on The Octagon Theatre please visit www.octagon-theatre.co.uk For an informal chat please telephone Adam Burgan, Arts & EntertainmentManager on 01935 845911. Job Ref: AB/1207For all roles, we offer further development and flexible working, plusthe opportunity to develop your career the way you want. Find outmore by visiting our website, www.southsomerset.gov.uk/jobs or01935 462462.Closing Date: 5 March 2010, 10am, Interview Date: TBCSSDC IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Voluntary Arts, the UK & Ireland development agency for the voluntary and amateur arts, is seeking a Project Officer for the Voluntary Arts ‘Once in a Lifetime’ project which aims to encourage voluntary arts groups across the UK to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Deadline: Noon, Tuesday 9 March 2010

The ‘Once in a Lifetime’ project is co-funded by Making Music and we expect approximately one third of the Project Officer’s time to be dedicated to work that will directly support amateur music groups

Download an application pack from www.vaengland.org.uk. Our appointments are based solely on ability to fulfil the duties of the post. VA Equal Opportunities Policy is available in the application pack. Charity No. SC 020345

‘ONCE IN A LIFETIME’PROJECT OFFICER(22.5 hpw / £14,493 pa)Based in Making Music, London

Sing Up Area LeaderOne year contract, 3 days per weekSalary £23 - £25K pro rataKent Music is delighted to be working in partnership with Sing Up, the National Singing Programme, to host the Area Leader for Kent for a year from 1 April.This is an exciting and developmental role designed to be at the forefront of future strategy for singing in Kent. You will work with a steering group and partners to deliver a programme throughout the County.You will be based at Kent Music’s offices in Maidstone. For more information and an application form contact Denise Milne by email at [email protected]

www.kent-music.comClosing date: Monday 15 March 2010, 12 noon.

Creative Scotland/ Alba ChruthachailChair and Board Members

We are seeking to appoint the first Chair and Board Members of Creative Scotland.For full details and an application pack please visit www.appoint-for-scotland.org

DEVELOPMENT MANAGERFull time £30,000 p.a.Closing date: 19 March 2010For more information call 01954 718881or email [email protected]

WYSING ARTS CENTREFox Rd Bourn Cambridge CB23 2TXwww.wysingartscentre.orgWAC is an equal opportunities employer


RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING 01223 200200 15

To advertise

call Paul or

Tricia on

01223 200200

Head of ProductionThis award winning, unique, producing Theatre is seeking a

creative, knowledgeable and experienced Production Manager to lead its production team in a new phase of the Theatre’s

development. Working closely with our Artistic Director, David Thacker, the post holder will be responsible for all

aspects of production planning, creation and implementation of a season of at least eight plays together with a range of

complementary events. An in-depth experience of producing theatre is essential along with commitment, drive and

outstanding leadership and management skills. For further details and an application form telephone 01204 529407 or email [email protected]

Closing date for applications 22/03/10Interviews will be held on 29 or 30/03/10

The Octagon Theatre positively welcomes applications from all sections of the community. www.octagonbolton.co.uk

ARTLINK CENTRAL(Stirling)

Finance & Administration Officer£19,621 pro-rata (22.5 hpw)

Arts agency seeks experienced individual who will handle and

develop all finance and operational areas of business.

Closing date: Friday, 12th March 2010.

Full details at www.artlinkcentral.orgReg charity number: SC008158

Development Manager (Individuals)Salary: Grade 7 £27,052 to £30,011 (bar at £29,236)

Ref: NB50749257/11Location: Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, M2 3JL

Hours: 35 per weekPermanent

Join us to help raise funds from individuals for Manchester City Galleries Trust(charity number 1048581), the charity that supports Manchester City Galleries.

In this role, you will be responsible for securing income through our Patrons and Friends scheme,as well as major gifts, regular giving, donations, appeals, events and legacies. You will also have

responsibility for managing our new Collectors Circle initiative.

We welcome applications from people wishing to job share.Apply online www.manchester.gov.uk/jobs. Application forms: 0161 227 3373.

Closing Date: 15 March 2010

Manchester City Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer

dmarts:Layout 1 19/2/10 09:15 Page 1

General ManagerStopGAP Dance Companyf/t. Farnham, SurreySalary: £25,000 - £27,000

StopGAP is a contemporary dance company made up of 5 professional dancers with and without disabilities.StopGAP needs a General Manager to be responsible for the smooth running of the company, managing its people, systems, finances and policies.For an application pack, [email protected]

01252 745443Closing date: 29th March 2010, 5pm

StopGAP strives to be an equalopportunities employer and welcomesapplications from people withdisabilities.

StopGAP Dance Company, Farnham Maltings, Bridge Sq, Farnham, GU9 7QR

Wellington College, a leading independent school for children aged 13-18, has the above vacancy within the Music Department, The job holder will assist with the efficient running of a very busy and successful music department.

Further details and the application form are available from our website www.wellingtoncollege.org.uk Alternatively please contact the HR Department, Wellington College, Crowthorne, Berkshire, RG45 7PU. Tel: 01344 444039, Email: [email protected]’s without an application form will not be accepted

Closing date for applications: 5th March 2010

Please note this position is subject to an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure. The college is committed to equality and diversity. The college is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Wellington College is a Registered Charity

Music School Administrator

Up to £24,000

35 hours per week, 40 weeks per year

Western Wedge Street Arts Development ProjectResearcher (part time, freelance contract) Fee: £4800 Over 3 months

The Western Wedge is looking for an experienced cultural researcher to carry out a piece of mapping and research into the street arts/ outdoor performance sector across the UK. Your work will inform a major piece of strategic development in west London.

This is a freelance contract to be carried out over three months, starting in mid March 2010.

Deadline for applications: 5pm 10th March 2010For an application pack please contact Stephen Gilby, Festivals Manager at London Borough of Brent: [email protected]

Craft Northern Ireland invites tenders for themanagement and delivery of group stands at trade shows in GB.

For further information and full tender brief contact Orla at:e: [email protected]: 028 9032 3059w: www.craftni.org

Poorboy Theatre Companyrequire an Organisational Development Coordinator

Fee: £24K p.a.Application deadline 22/3/10

For further details please visit www.poorboy.co.uk

or email General Manager [email protected]

Development and Relationship ManagerSalary £26,500 - £30,000

Theatre Workshop Scotland provides a voice to marginalised groups by telling their stories through high-quality, challenging theatre and film productions.

A demanding and exciting role, requiring a creative individual with highly developed communication skills. You will be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with a range of stakeholders including funding bodies, organisations in the cultural, film and community sectors, other partners and press as appropriate, leading on all development and fundraising activity and managing project based staff.

For more details see: www.theatre-workshop.com. For application pack please contact Edith Young at: [email protected] Closing date: April 7th.

The next issue will be published on Monday, 15 MarchBook your advertising by noon tuesday, 9 March call 01223 200200

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORThe Royal Lyceum Theatre Company is Edinburgh’s premiere producing theatre with a strong artistic reputation for producing a varied range of large scale work with the highest production values.

The board wish to appoint an ambitious, dynamic Executive Director to work alongside the Artistic Director as joint Chief Executive to build on the success of the company, develop its profile and respond to the opportunities and challenges of working in a rapidly changing arts environment.

This is an exciting and challenging role for someone with demonstrable skills as a business leader in a theatre or arts organisation, strong financial and commercial acumen, combined with a commitment to artistic excellence, flair and vision.

For a detailed information pack and how to apply please visit our website at www.lyceum.org.uk or call 0131 248 4800. Closing date 22nd March 2010

The Royal Lyceum Theatre Company is an equal opportunities employer.The Royal Lyceum Theatre Company is a Charity registered in Scotland No SC010509


LAST WORD

Pockets to letPhilanthropy is so obviously a good thing to most of us (except possibly hard-line Communists) that it can be difficult to criticise the idea that it should take a larger role on the arts funding stage. If wealthy – or even moderately well-off – people want to give their money to the arts, we should welcome it. However, an arts economy based on what people want to fund could be a step in the wrong direction. The Tory manifesto (p1) isn’t strong on innovation – in fact, ‘excellence’, a far more fluid concept, has swept that aside as the buzzword of the day. It’s well known that large, high-profile and generally successful organisations attract philanthropic giving more easily. Can smaller, lower-profile, localised, cutting-edge or community work attract this money and attention? Probably not – or not unless philanthropists become educated in their ways and their needs. Tory proposals to allow arts organisations to ‘reward’ donors sound fine and dandy if you have a velvet-and-gilt ballroom to drink champagne in and a few international stars to drink it with. If you have temporary tenancy of someone else’s scruffy green room, a few bottles of cheap wine and artists who boast potential rather than fame, you may find yourself outgunned. Additionally, philanthropists can’t be lobbied en masse: many are intensely private people who feel they need to protect themselves from being constantly importuned. They don’t have to listen to public policy, either. So there are

no prizes for guessing that the next big move in the arts fundraising world will be seeking to influence and enthuse donors.

Match-making Another of the Tories’ proposal may also be causing fundraisers unease (though of course the election hasn’t happened yet). Requiring more Arts Council England grants to be made contingent on raising funds from other sources could place immense stress on some parts of the arts economy – as indeed the closure of Kaleido, the south west’s arts and disability agency, shows (p2). It can prove difficult to raise funds for projects which don’t tick all the right boxes. It’s easier to raise funds for young people’s projects, because they top everyone’s list. As different groups and causes go in and out of fashion with trusts, sponsors and private donors, this requirement, if it ever comes into force, could multiply problems for some arts organisations, and will certainly require more outlay on administration – surely an unintended side-effect.

Catherine Rose, Editor

this week Catherine enjoyed Shapeshifter’s jolly but thoughtful production of ‘Huck’ at greenwich theatre, felt slightly disappointed by the lack of chronological sweep at the national Maritime Museum, and queued to meet the wonderful Sara Paretsky, who was signing her new V I warshawski book in Milton Keynes.

Opinions expressed in ArtsProfessional, APe-mail and ArtsJobFinder are not necessarily those of the publishers and no responsibility is accepted for advertising content. Any material submitted for publication may be edited for reasons of style, content or available space.

Meanings will not be intentionally altered without permission from the author.

All right reserved. Reproduction of any parts of the magazine, email bulletins or websites is not allowed without permission of the publishers and any of the other copyright holders.

© ArtsProfessional 2010 ISSN 1474-385X

Editor Catherine Rose Editorial Co-ordinator Eleanor Turney Consultant Editor Liz Hill

Chief Executive Pam Henderson All correspondence ArtsProfessionalPO Box 1010HistonCambridgeCB24 9WH

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The team at ArtsProfessional has launched Culture Jobs International (CJI), a new web-based service that keeps arts professionals (or ‘cultural operators’ as we tend to be known in Europe) informed about jobs in Europe, and enables cultural organisations to recruit from across Europe.

Our main collaborator is Trans Europe Halles, one of the most active cultural networks in Europe, operating in 20 countries. It has built a wiki that provides everything a cultural operator might need to know to work in a different European country, except the actual jobs. That comes from CJI. Cultural employers (Europe-speak for ‘arts organisation’) such as venues, companies, festivals, galleries, museums and funding bodies can create an account and tell cultural operators about their jobs in just a few minutes. Cultural operators can search the website for jobs that interest them, and sign up to get jobs by email, RSS, Twitter and other social media.

If you would like to receive information about arts jobs in leadership and management, resources, communications, artforms or learning across Europe, then set up an account with CJI at www.culturejobsinternational.org. It’s free, and you might just end up working somewhere sunny.

New jobs abroad


Documents

Arts Professional - issue 212 (March 2010)