Case Study 1: Bristol Creatives

Background: Bristol Creatives is an artist-led networking and marketing initiative, designed to help members develop and grow their practice or business. It is currently free to join and open to everyone based in the city working in visual and applied arts. Bristol Creatives was set up as a pilot project in 2006 with the help and support of BEST (Bristol East Side Traders), an enterprise and regeneration not-for-profit organisation operating in Bristol’s inner city, and funded by the Arts Council SW, Bristol City Council and the European Union.

My involvement started when I completed a survey of inner city residents circulated by BEST that was designed to ascertain the spread of the creative industries and in particular artists, makers and performers working and living in the area. I was asked to join a small network of local creatives to help BEST develop and support a range of opportunities for local artists, makers and performers. From this group the Bristol Creatives network developed and I was officially employed as part-time Project Manager to develop an online community website, develop a membership base and to coordinate a number of free networking events.

Our Successes: Bristol Creatives has grown from strength to strength over the last two years and we currently have over 1,000-registered members, who are mainly self-employed sole traders, small partnerships and organisations, working as artists, designers, makers, illustrators, photographers, performers, musicians, film makers, animators, etc or as part of arts organisations, artists groups, cooperatives, venues, galleries, etc. We have a small steering group made up of volunteers who work in an advisory capacity, all of who are practising artists.

We have established a fast growing online community of creative people and a mechanism for them to communicate, collaborate and work with each other, to share opportunities, coordinate and promote exhibitions, advertise studio space and workshops, etc. Our networking events are popular and well attended.

Current Challenges: Our pilot funding came to an end in March 2008. We have prepared a comprehensive business plan for the next three years. It concentrates on developing a range of new products and services, designed to provide new opportunities for members, and to enable Bristol Creatives to be self-sufficient within three years. We have also consulted with members to ensure these new services and a paid membership package is attractive and of value. Visit http://www.bristolcreatives.co.uk/node/3 to find out more about some of the future plans for Bristol Creatives.

In short Bristol Creatives is successful, popular and well used and there’s nothing else like it in Bristol. We have a comprehensive business plan designed to help us to develop the network into a fully sustainable social enterprise within the next three years.

The biggest problem we face is securing funding for Stage 2 of the networks’ development. We have approached Bristol City Council and Bristol Creatives doesn’t meet their current priorities. We are in discussions with the Arts Council SW, but our initiatives are no longer a top priority, and in any case we all know that there are more Grants For Arts bids than funds available at the moment.

We are also trying to source smaller funding pots that might tie in with some of the individual projects within the business plan. We are considering sponsorship, but the so-called ‘credit-crunch’ is biting back so this may not be forthcoming. Another option is a business development loan and we are considering approaching the Bristol Enterprise Development Fund or Triodos Bank to see how that would work.

My personal dilemma is that I am passionate about Bristol Creatives and what we offer our members and the added benefits we provide to the wider community. Feedback from members has been fantastic and I think the future is bright for the network if we can sort out funding for Stage 2.

Bristol Creatives is no longer being funded, I am keeping the network going on a voluntary basis - moderating and updating News, Event and Opportunities on the website, sending out e-bulletins and sourcing funding opportunities and preparing applications. On a personal level I find it difficult to balance my own creative practice as a designer maker and often find it difficult to dedicate enough time to developing new work with my head full of cash flow forecasts and funding bids. However, Bristol Creatives is in danger of fizzling out if we can’t find some more funding and move forward.

Have you had a similar experience? Are you struggling to balance your involvement in an artist-led project with that of developing your own practice and creating new work? Are you hitting funding walls with regards to the continuation and development of an existing successful initiative? We want to hear from you, especially if you’re project has made the move from public funding to sponsorship or a commercial loan to develop and grow.

You can post your response by either emailing sally@aliasarts.org or by posting your message on the Alias Forum. Please note we will publish your email responses here.

Response from Jim Lowe at Bath Area Network for Artists

Growing and coping with change

Since its foundation over 10 years ago Bath Area Network for Artists has been fortunate in the quality of voluntary contributions from the members. Initially, a group of artists’ decided to combine to raise awareness of their presence in the Bath area. Subscribing members were then recruited through a printed newsletter and regular artists café events. The cafés usually included a presentation by a practicing artist, and attracted 40 to 50 individuals. Exhibitions of members work were held as part of the Bath Fringe Festival and other events.

Bath and North East Somerset Council provided meeting rooms and the hire of office equipment, such as a copier and a franking machine for mail outs. By 2003 the number of subscribing members was approaching 150, also including institutions and groups such as Bath Spa University and the Widcombe sculpture group. Over the years there have been as many as 540 members, and there are currently about 200.

Also by 2003 the volunteer committee had succeeded in obtaining public funding for the ‘into the light’ project. The website was launched. The first open exhibition, where members who submitted work would have at least one piece shown, was held at the Hotbath Gallery. The BANA logo was commissioned as well as other designs for printed material, and the newsletter expanded with volunteer editors. Funding for this project continued until 2004.

Meanwhile, with the support of BANES arts development office and legal and marketing advice, BANA had become registered as a non-profit making company. It was not appropriate to seek charitable status as the network only exists for the benefit of the members.

In early 2004 Widcombe studios had moved into their premises on the Upper Bristol Road and we were able to rent office space from them. We bought a computer, hired a photocopier (offering a copying service to others) and began employing a part-time administrator.

The process of incorporation had obliged us to clarify and write down the aims and objectives of BANA; Basically to raise the profile of the visual arts in the Bath Area and to welcome members with a commitment to professional practice. It also became necessary to employ a professional accountant to prepare annual documents for Companies House.

As well as receiving a bi-monthly newsletter, exhibition opportunities, notice of social events and a page on the website, members are able to purchase public liability insurance for an additional sum. As a result of pioneering negotiations with our brokers we were able to offer this, at one time unique service, in the region and nationally. Other activities pioneered by BANA, such as continual professional development seminars, have been taken up by other organisations such as Arts Matrix.

Core funding, that is to pay office rent, administration fees etc has been provided from membership subscriptions and by BANES. Proposals to expand and consolidate BANA’s activities resulted in a successful application to Arts Council England South West for a ‘Grants for the Arts’ Award. This enables the continuing program of annual exhibitions, the appointment of a development editor for the newsletter (now 12 pages in full colour) and a part time assistant to the administrator. The assistant has now become an administrator and is employed two and a half days a week.

Half way through this three-year project, we were given notice that the BANES element of core funding would not continue beyond April 2008. To some extent working to a predetermined budget for specific activities required by public funding bodies, might have deterred potential volunteers from presenting new initiatives. However it has been found possible to reallocate funds after negotiation.

We moved into a smaller cheaper office at Widcombe studios and stopped hiring the photocopier (there are now smaller and cheaper machines to do the job). Our recent annual exhibition came in under budget partly because volunteers produced designs for the promotional material. It is still the plan that the newsletter will be generating income from advertising and sales.

After much dedicated and persistent lobbying by volunteers, we have obtained business sponsorships (with consequent matched funding from Arts & Business). This has mostly been for specific events rather than core funding.

For four summers we have fielded a team in the Bath Boules league. Sponsored by the Federation of Small Businesses and the City of Bath College, with over 40 teams representing commercial and professional enterprises, this has been a great chance to get ourselves known.

The decline in attendances at events over the last few years could be attributed to the fact that many members have their own websites and are communicating electronically with each other. However we have recent enthusiastic recruits to the management committee. Early in 2009 we have invited a fundraising consultant to make a presentation to us.

We would like to suggest that a period as a volunteer on the committee is an ideal opportunity for a graduate to gain practical experience of administration and curating. It is also an excellent way for an established professional to keep in touch as we are often working in isolation. At a recent social evening it was very stimulating to hear of directors plans for their own exhibitions. BANA is already planning its own open exhibition for 2009.

You can post your response by either emailing sally@aliasarts.org or by posting your message on the Alias Forum. Please note we will publish your email responses here.