My latest installement of recorded conversations between local artists has just gone live. On this show I talk to Olivia Nurrish, one of the founding members of artwey, who are an artist led group from Weymouth & Portland.
I see artwey as a very active arts group in the borough. In a town that is not known for its cultural bent. Weymouth & Portland has no public art spaces, only some spaces in a few galleries. There isn’t really any support from the council in anyway. Artwey have done around twelve shows this year. Their logo their name is really out there and people become more and more aware of them. They have built a very good relationship with the local press.
artwey become a CIC, A Community Interest Company, in 2009 and I was interested in why they had chosen to become a CIC rather than just be a constituted group. That this entailed extra work, specifically greater records and audited accounts, which also means the group needed extra income to fund these additional jobs. They had been greatly guided by Weymouth & Portland arts officer at the time. They have since discussed if it was a good idea on becoming a CIC. But looking back, though yes it is an extra burden, Olivia feels like it was a good idea to have become a CIC so early. That it helped them secure some funding, and helped them formalise the group structure, its aims and objectives. Artwey are now just about to revisit their constitution and their ethos.
You can hear the show here: http://creativedialog.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/cre…
