New Audience Development Surgeries from South West Arts Marketing

These advice surgeries are open to cultural organisations or artists networks wishing to discuss any area of audience development and arts marketing, from how best to target new audiences to developing a three-year audience development strategy.

These advice surgeries will be taking place at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil on Tuesday 6 May. If people would like to book an advice surgery all they need to do is visit our website at http://www.swam.org.uk/swamcanhelp.asp#as

If you have any queries please contact me on tel: 0117 927 6936.

Many thanks
Katie

Katie Teasdale
Audience Development Manager
E: katie.teasdale@swam.org.uk
T: 0117 927 6936
www.swam.org.uk

Make the most of your talent!
Arts Matrix Creative Development and Enterprise - Workshops & Individual Consultations
Spring/Summer Season 2008


Are you an artist or creative professional working in the South West? Are you looking to develop your career or grow your creative business?

Whether you’re running a creative enterprise, thinking of setting up in business, or looking at how to develop your career in the arts, ArtsMatrix advisors can help you design a plan to achieve your potential.

We provide development opportunities for professionals across the creative sector. That means designers and dancers, architects and actors, poets and painters, musicians and magicians, as well as creative entrepreneurs.


Creative Development Workshops
Our Spring 2008 season launches with a series of small group workshops (up to 12 people per session) across the South West.

These sessions will enable you to:

Clarify your creative and business goals
Identify your skills, strengths and expertise
Design a plan to achieve your aims
Network with other creative professionals

Full details of the workshops – dates, locations and how to book – are below.

A place at a half-day workshop costs just £15.


Looking for tailored advice?
If you’re looking for in-depth guidance on developing your career, starting a new enterprise or growing your business, then book a one-to-one session: an initial session lasts two hours and you can book as many follow-ups as you need.

Focusing on your specific needs, this session gives you a chance to discuss in detail your professional, creative and business goals and design a plan to achieve them. An initial session is £30 and follow ups are £20.


Guidance from Creative Specialists
Most of our advisors have run – or still run - their own creative businesses and all of us understand the challenges of making a living from creativity.

Here’s just a taster of what South West artists have said about ArtsMatrix:

“The session was extremely helpful, useful and productive. Plenty of information given and leads
to potentials in the creative sector. An excellent service.”

“Excellent, well structured, brilliant advice, ways of looking at problems and problem solving.”

“Information I could only find from somebody who has worked in the creative sector.”

“ArtsMatrix helps artists make their dreams come true”

This sounds great – when can I come?

Workshops run April to July. These are confirmed dates in May:

Thursday 15th May
9.30am – 1pm
Gloucester
glos@artsmatrix.org.uk

Friday 16th May
10.00am – 1pm
Bristol
bristol@artsmatrix.org.uk

Friday 16th May
tbc
Devon
devon@artsmatrix.org.uk

Monday 19th May
tbc
Wiltshire
wilts@artsmatrix.org.uk

Thursday 22nd May
tbc
Plymouth
plymouth@artsmatrix.org.uk

Wednesday 28th May
tbc
Devon
devon@artsmatrix.org.uk

Wednesday June 4th
1 - 4:30
Taunton
somerset@artsmatrix.org.uk

Thursday June 26th

Wednesday June 9th
1 – 4:30
Glastonbury
Yeovil
somerset@artsmatrix.org.uk

To book a one-to-one session, just contact one of our offices – we have advisors based across the South West region. And if you live on a border between two counties, you can choose the nearest office – or call our central office on 0117 915 0190 or info@artsmatrix.org.uk for advice.

Bristol & Bath: bristol@artsmatrix.org.uk tel. 0117 915 0182
Devon: devon@artsmatrix.org.uk tel. 01626 830533
Dorset: dorset@artsmatrix.org.uk tel. 01202 853642
Gloucester: glos@artsmatrix.org.uk tel. 01452 417227
Plymouth: plymouth@artsmatrix.org.uk tel. 01752 666731
Somerset: somerset@artsmatrix.org.uk tel. 01626 830533
Wiltshire: wilts@artsmatrix.org.uk tel. 01249 714529


The money bit – what does it cost?

First consultation (2 hours): £30
Follow up consultation (1 hour): £20
Package of 4 sessions booked and paid in advance (5 hrs): £85

Group creative planning workshops (half-day): £15/person

These are subsidised rates for people living or working in the South West region. The South West includes Bristol and Bath, Cornwall, Devon (including Plymouth), Dorset (including Bournemouth & Poole), Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire. Similar services are provided in Cornwall by Creative Skills; Cornish residents are also welcome to access ArtsMatrix.

Group bookings
We offer a range of organisational development, business planning, and professional development planning services to larger organisations, teams and artists groups: Please call our head office for further details and rates: 0117 915 0190 or info@artsmatrix.org.uk

Artists and Creative Businesses based outside the South West
We welcome enquiries from clients living and working outside the region. As ArtsMatrix currently receives no funding to operate outside the South West, rates for those outside the region are as follows: First session (2 hours) £90; follow up sessions £60/hour. Creative professionals from outside the region can attend our Creative Planning Workshops for £30 per person.

Note: This is a new programme of work subsidised by Arts Council England, South West. If you have benefited from ArtsMatrix services in the past under previous funding streams, you are more than welcome to return to work with us again. The subsidised rates above apply to all.

New Artlife Phone Number: 01984 635300

Artlife is Moving!

From Monday 31st March 2008 the Artlife office will be at:

Artlife
c/o West Somerset Council
Council Offices
WILLITON
Somerset TA4 4QA

Government Launches Pilot Scheme to Develop the Creative Talents of Young People

The Government has announced that it is seeking expression of interests from local partnerships to participate in a £25 million pilot to give young people in England the chance to experience high quality arts and culture.
The funding is being made available through the new 'Find Your Talent' scheme and will be piloted in 10 local areas. The scheme aims to give young people the chance to discover and develop their talents.
This will include the chance to; perform on stage and attend performances, exhibitions and heritage sites; get hands-on experience of the creative industries; learn a musical instrument, and take part in a musical performance; produce creative writing; learn about - and practise - new media and digital art; and develop art and craft skills.
Each partnership has the opportunity to apply for up to £2.5 million is funding.

All Partnerships should include the Local Authority (or local authorities if covering a wider area), the local Music Service, all appropriate cultural institutions and specialist schools, and cultural programmes such as Arts Award, and, where these are in operation, Renaissance in the Regions, Cultural Hubs and Creative Partnerships.
Partnerships should also make links with local creative industries and other creators and professionals.
The closing date for submitting expressions of interests is 5 pm on the 7th April 2008.... www.creative-partnerships.com/offer

DCMS conducts first national study of voluntary arts activity in England

On 1 February, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will be launching the first ever national survey of amateur arts groups in England. Groups of voluntary and amateur participants from all artistic walks of life – from music, dance and crafts, to theatre, visual arts and literature - are being encouraged to participate by going to www.artsurvey.org.uk and completing a short online questionnaire before 29th February.
Culture Minister, Margaret Hodge, said:
“The arts are a really important part of so many people’s lives. Taking part in local voluntary arts groups is rewarding, fascinating and fun. This survey is the first step to connect with those involved. Over 70% of people in England take part in artistic activities in all their many and varied forms - but for too long, local arts groups have not been fully recognised as an important part of our thriving arts scene. This survey will try to map voluntary and amateur arts groups and look at how they are supported and how more people could be encouraged to get involved.“
The results will be published in the summer.
Public enquiries: 020 7211 6020 www.culture.gov.uk

Arts Funding 2008 to 2011

Following weeks of speculation here is the position of the Arts Council and their funding proposals

Click here to view the General Local Authority funding document written by Nick Capaldi (opens in Word)

Click here to view/download the ACESW Annual Funding schedule by RFO County and LA 2008-2011(Excel spreadsheet)

Artlife Grant Application Deadlines

The following deadlines apply for Artlife Grant applications:

Deadline 25 April 2008
Grants Meeting 12 May, Decision after 19 May

Deadline 27 June 2008
Grants Meeting 14 July, Decision after 21 July

Deadline 5 September 2008
Grants Meeting 22 September, Decision after 27 September

Deadline 31 October 2008
Grants Meeting 17 November, Decision after 24 November

For information on applying please visit our website http://www.artlife-somerset.co.uk/ and look under Resources.