East Street Arts and its partners are inviting artist collaboratives, groups and spaces in Bath to apply to be part of Guild, a pioneering four-year national partnership programme.
The pioneering programme is aimed at transforming the landscape of artists’ spaces nationally.
Funded by Arts Council England’s Sector Support Organisation programme, Guild will explore new approaches to business modelling to embed groups within their localities and advocate their impact on political and social environments.
Working with 20 artists’ spaces across England, the programme will seek to address the challenges they face such as limited funding, resource and their tendency to experience burnout.
The University of Salford has now joined the Guild programme partners – East Street Arts, a-n Artists Information Company, Key Fund, University of Leeds and Stockholm Institute for the Environment – who will work together to use their knowledge, reach, networks and influence.
The bespoke support could include developing a business plan, securing funds for physical and organisational development, devising strategies and action plans to embed the groups firmly in their localities, and developing networks and contacts outside of the arts sector.
There will be a series of master classes, networking opportunities, mentoring and research trips.
Primarily focused on the visual arts groups, which are more likely to be self-led and self-managed, the opportunity is open to new, small and emerging groups as well as more established enterprises.
Interested parties can find out more and apply through the East Street Arts website: www.eaststreetarts.org.uk/apply-to-guild
Gaynor Seville, strategic manager for Guild said: “We’re at the beginning of a really exciting project which is set to make a real difference to the sector.
“We’d like to involve a variety of artist spaces, groups and collectives from across the country to really understand the challenges they face and implement a range of bespoke support services to enable their long term resilience. I’d like to encourage artists in Bath to apply.”
For more information about the Guild programme and to be apply, go to: www.eaststreetarts.org.uk or email: [email protected]