CIDA's Chief Executive, Anamaria Wills answers your second round of questions on the arts in Yorkshire.
Question 1:
I live and work in Kirklees and would like to initiate an arts project but i'm unsure as to who I should contact.
Phillip Ellis, Batley
Answer 1:
One of your first contact points should be the Culture and Leisure Department of Kirklees Metropolitan Council. Depending on the type of project you are interested in developing, there are different people who could help you.
Richard Bealing is the Assistant Director of Culture and Leisure, dealing with strategy and planning.
David Morby is the Head of Development for the department.
Adele Poppleton is the Cultural Industries Manager and is the contact for the Creative Industries team.
For information on festivals and social enterprise, contact Glenis Burgess.
An agency similar to CIDA operates out of Batley, LOCA. Part of Kirklees Metropolitan Council, LOCA uses artists for community engagement. Your contact there should be either Tracy Shaw or Robin Widdowson.
Question 2:
Can you explain to me about RDAs?
Anne Hall, Cleckheaton
Answer 2:
RDA stands for Regional Development Agency. England is divided into 9 regions, each with its own Regional Development Agency. Yorkshire's RDA is Yorkshire Forward whose remit is the economic prosperity and social regeneration of the region. Yorkshire Forward is funded by the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department for Education and Skills and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
Yorkshire Forward takes responsibility for 8 industry sectors/clusters in which they will invest. This includes the Creative and Digital Cluster which encompasses ICT, Electronics, Design, CCM (Cultural, Creative and Media) and Print.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport set up the Cultural Consortium to represent the sectors covered by the DCMS and there is one in every region, working alongside each RDA. The Cultural Consortium covers the arts, sport, cultural heritage, tourism and film.
Yorkshire Forward is divided into:
1) Business Directorate
2) Skills Directorate
3) Environment
Question 3:
How do I find out about Museum work?
Rachel Johnson, Huddersfield
Answer 3:
A good place to start is the Yorkshire Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Your contact there is Jane Walton who is Head of Learning, Skills and Access. Other contacts you may wish to try are 'Engage' which provides training on how to run arts workshops in gallery education and 'GEM' which is the Museum equivalent. It would also be worth contacting the Museum’s Association.
Question 4:
Who are good arts contacts in Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster?
David Baker, Barnsley
Answer 4:
The Arts Development Officers covering these areas are as follows:
For Barnsley District Council, contact Graham Riding. For Rotherham District Council, contact Lizzy Algwersaran. For Doncaster Council, contact Huw Champion. For community based arts projects in Doncaster, contact Janet Wood at DARTS. For multimedia based projects and training, contact Janis Britland at Corridor Arts in Barnsley.
Question 5:
I am in a band and we have been given the opportunity to do some showcases abroad. Is there anyone I can talk to about this?
Sam Taylor, Leeds.
Answer 5:
In regards to exporting the Creative Sector, your best port of call would be the UKTI. The music contact for this is Phil Patterson.
In terms of other forms of support, the following organisations may be worth contacting with regard to funding opportunities:
The Wingate Foundation
www.wingate.org.uk
PRS Foundation for New Music
www.prsfoundation.co.uk
I would also suggest contacting Leeds City Council, Department of Learning and Leisure, Provider – Arts and Events. They do offer the provision of grants so may be interested in what you're doing. They can be contacted on 0113 2476457
Some other Leeds based contacts include: Red Tape studios, Cloth Cat productions and it may be worth contacting Arts and Business as an advisory centre. Fuse Leeds and Musical Futures are all part of Education Leeds and the City Council. As they cater specifically for 11 – 18 year olds, depending on the age range in your band, they may be a useful contact.
Question 6:
I want to set up as an artist but I don't even know where to start. Can you help me with the basics?
Jane Walker, Huddersfield
Answer 6:
A very good place to start is the AN website (www.a-n.co.uk) which is The Artists Information Company. In particular, there is a section on the website entitled The Code of Practice which takes commonly-agreed principles of good practice and demonstrates why and how they should be applied. This can be accessed at:
http://www.a-n.co.uk/cgi-bin/db2www.exe/tour.d2w/input?section=4&topic=75008&id=92660&textonly=0
The entire website is packed full of information that you will find incredibly useful as a starting point.
Question 7:
Are there any arts organisations I can contact in the Bradford area?
Paul Harris, Bradford
Answer 7:
For any festival-type projects, a good contact is Jenny Wilson who you can contact through Bradford Theatres. For theatre-based work, contact Ian Bloomfield of 'Theatre in the Mill' at Bradford University, or Adam Renton, the Manager of Bradford Theatres. If you're interested in more community based arts projects, contact Bev Morton at 'Artworks' which is a Bradford Community Arts Programme.
Question 8:
What is 'Creative Partnerships'?
Simon Mansell, Holmfirth
Answer:
The aim of Creative Partnerships is to increase creativity in the school curriculum by working with schools to develop ideas and find artists to get involved.
Based at Arts Council England, Creative Partnerships has a unique approach to working with schools. It first helps schools identify their individual needs and then enables them to develop long-term, sustainable partnerships with organisations and individuals including architects, theatre companies, museums, cinemas and many others.
It is not a funding body but aims to establish genuine collaborative partnerships to enable the development of projects that reflect the interests, specialisms and shared vision of those involved.
There are 4 creative partnerships working within the Yorkshire region:
Bradford – contact Francesca Canty
Sheffield – contact Nick Nuttgens
Hull – contact Helen Cagney Watts
Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham – contact David Gilbert
The Arts in Yorkshire Part 2