MEASURING THE EXPERIENCE – 6
Stage 1 report – Refreshing alternatives collected short information from c300 artists’ groups/organisations including
– artist run festivals/events
– community arts groups with visual arts prominent
– education groups
– exhibition-based groups
– fine art performance groups
– galleries and exhibition spaces
– print, photography, sculpture, media workshops
– professional associations
– public art groups
– studio groups
Several groups commented when they sent in material on the value of the study: “We are glad to be able to contribute to such a worthwhile study, as well as having our work and achievements recognised.” [1] and “The comparative knowledge which will be provided by the study is sorely needed.” [2]
[1] Contact Gallery, Norwich
[2] Cubitt Artists, London
After having explored various other options, the following categories are offered here as a starting-point for further study. Groups have been divided into two types:
(A) Groups in which individual activity is enhanced or supported through a group structure
This covers groups which in some way support, promote, or otherwise provide advocacy or resources for individual visual arts practice.
Studio-based groups (eg which hold open days, group exhibitions, run educational activities,etc)(22%) Exhibiting groups (9%)
• Galleries and exhibition spaces (9%)
• Workshops (eg print and sculpture studios) (8%)
• Artform specific groups (eg acrylic painters, women photographers,
textile artists, etc) (6%)
• Professional bodies (eg national, regional representative/lobbying organisations, etc) (6%)
• Joint promotion/marketing initiatives (eg marketing co-ops, publications, networks, etc (3%)
• Information resource (eg slide index, archive, etc) (2%)
• Critical debate (eg about contemporary art practices) (2%)
• Specialist training organisation (1%)
• Campaigning/lobbying (eg on specific issue not necessarily related to visual arts practice) (1%)
• Cultural action (eg concerned with cultural differences) (1%)
(B) Groups where collective activity supersedes individual activity.
• Community action (eg works generated through participation, education-based projects, etc) (8%)
• Public art (eg concerned with temporary or permanent art making in public settings and including exhibitions in non-gallery settings) (6%)
• Environmental (eg including cross disciplinary groups where engagement with people may not result in ‘artmaking’) (3%)
• Celebratory events (2%)
• Live art/performance events (2%)
• Symposium (eg where art works are made) (1%)
69% of groups surveyed were in category A, with studio groups making up a fifth of the overall survey.
Thus a separate study Survey of Group Studio Provision 1995 was produced through a collaboration with the (then) National Artists Association which I will cover in separate posts.
