We are excitedly planning our 2010 activity and getting the funding applications sorted. We received funding from NAN towards our activities and are planning a trip to the Southern counties, hopfully the research trip will inform the development of our future programming.
We will have on overnight trip and stay in Bristol, and there meet some of the artists we are working with this season, whilst having a look at Bristol’s art spaces and activities. We also plan to sample what Frome has to offer, relating to art activities in a sparsely populated area.
I have become more familiar with art activities in smaller cities and towns, even villages since working on the Lincoln Art Programme. Despite many sceptical opinions I believe that with perseverance small places can sustain art environments, and Frome is proof of this.
In other news we are attempting the new online ACE application system and rather hoping that there isn’t an official word limit. We seem to be rather good at exceeding all word counts on applications.
We have also set up a new mailing list subscription page on our website, which should make it a lot easier for people to receive information from us.
Amelia
After a short down time it seems to have been all hands on deck for Lincoln Art Programme over the past few weeks. We have had countless meeting which have been really helpful, many of which involve trying to find an office space free of charge, not a small order by any means. We may have hit lucky with this, but am not counting my chickens before they have hatched, there is always strings attached. It also came from an unlikely source through our business adviser who I may add is surprisingly helpful, I would recommend Business Link they are really good at what they do and seem to have time for everyone, even those asking for a free office.
Its the time of year when we are applying for funding, and dont we just know it. After many high blood pressure occasions we are about to send the first of three off in the post. This year we have gone for more of a match funding application with two main funders and one more contributory. A lot rests on these as if one funder says no the other is also likely too, which would be terrible as 2010 programme would be put on hold until we can secure the funding. The only foreseeable reason we would fall down on is that if the assessors dont think our project is art, our demand for activity is strong though, and we are doing more research to prove this.
I have updated the website so we now have a new front page which is up to date. We need to build our Facebook page now, and get lots of people directed to the site for more information. This was something that was raised recently with a meeting I had at the Collection. The Collection are about to branch into social networking as do a lot of places these days as a more cost effective and directly targeting way of communicating to people. It seems strange that the casual social networking sites that seem very unofficial are becoming places where big institutions can appeal to a mass audince, it just seems a little informal, but I see the logic.
Amelia
Our evaluation of last years activity is now complete and we have a shiny new business plan to take us to the end of 2012 in place! That said we now need to implement the plan, and that begins with getting funding!
Last year we relied heavily on Arts Council England for funding but 2010 onwards needs to see a larger proportion of income from other sources. We have set up numerous meetings to try and raise awareness of the organisation and to secure funding. Every meeting we have had thus far has gone well, but there have been no pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. We have managed to pin down application writing to an extent but not meeting styles to sell the organisation. This has become quite a worry because with out funding from other sources we wont get Arts Council funding! What we need is a wealthy beneficiary to come our way.
The plan for this year is to secure a permanent base in the city that functions as an office and base for art work to originate or tie into. We also want to formally constitute the organisation and work towards three commissions. The first stage of this is primarily meetings and application writing, I think it will be some time before any project outwardly materialises so our presence in the city will be limited for the time being. This is really why we need a base in the city. Evan a caravan with a plot would do, in fact I quite like that idea, the Lincoln Art Programme caravan….
Amelia
The slow crawl back into work begins this week as we pick up speed heading into the new year. Things on the to do list that remain, is to finish the ACE report form, and burn a DVD to go with it, and then to move on to planning.
We are planning on making a DVD of all the footage we have taken over the course of 2009, and I have spent what seems for ever editing footage for web versions and DVD versions, and then converting to compressed files, the next stage is to find out how to make an intro page to a DVD of which I have no clues about.
For 2010 we want to have a permanent presence in the city of Lincoln, and are making some headway into securing a base in the city which we can work from, as well as making connections around the city that will introduce the programme to people. Although this is obviously not as fun as programming its equally as important if we want to grow as an organisation, and support other fledgling groups in the city. Speaking of which DR are looking very promising as they have secured a short term gallery space in the city in spring of next year.
Just a few more late nights and we will have completed all the paper work etc from 2009, and then its all forward planning.
Amelia
2/2
The day ended with a Whirl in Tescos. 15 participants descended on Tescos to push an empty shopping trolley around the store for an hour. Using a highly sophisticated covert surveillance technique (a camera in a bag with a hole) I set out to document the event. Dodgy footage aside we independently walked into Tescos the idea being that we would begin to find other people with empty trolleys and follow them around the store until we had a long chain. Whilst doing this we would be in a meditative state and casually browsing. After about fifteen minuets the chain had formed creating a visual spectacle down the aisles, with people say things such as ‘Are they all out on day release’ and taking a double look. There was the odd occasion when one of us accidentally cracked a smile but on the whole we were calm, especially Chris as I kept accidentally walking my trolley into the back of his heels. After thirty minuets security realised some thing odd was a foot and asked us to vacate the premises for causing obstructions to other shoppers, and not shopping properly. That’s what Buy Nothing Day is all about!
Although Anges highest figure for Whirling is 26, we were all exceptionally happy with the experience of 15 which warranted further discussion down the pub. This series of activities across three days has really bought people together in Lincoln, as they have followed the three day marathon and made connections from it, so much so that there is now in motion an Action Lincoln group that has been initiated from this, which I will be eagerly following and supporting. There is also a rumour that the challenge of beating 26 has been set, so Lincoln may see more activity to come.
MDSC were a risk to present to a Lincoln audience for a new organisation, but I am really glad that we went through with doing so, from feedback we have received people are really refreshed to see art that addresses politics and speaks its mind, that isn’t safe and cosy, and from this we have engaged a large core of people who are now instigating their own activities, I don’t think I could ask for more. Its defiantly a high to go out on for 2009, and I have loved every moment, warts and all.
See http://www.breathingplanet.net/whirl/ for information on Whirl Mart’s and http://www.ecolincs.org/ for more information on Lincolns green activities.
MDSC can be found on http://www.mydadsstripclub.com/ , and it seems like Lincolnshire maybe seeing more of them with a few offers in the pipe line from the few days activity.
Amelia 2/2
