Setting up 18 studios, Long Eaton, Nottingham

I was talking to an artist on Friday who is collaborating with another professional across the Atlantic. As you can imagine, the costs of meeting are not insignificant. Expecting she had financial support, I enquired who was funding the project. She was. Increasingly I am speaking to artists who can’t face the painful process of filling in the forms and the agonising wait. They prefer to do overtime and pay out of their own pocket.

I am fortunate that HMS is self-sufficient. Though, I am grateful for the financial contribution from the Arts Council and Tina and Sarah gave sound advice, my partner has threatened divorce if I go through the proceedure again. He says the £5000 sum received, divided by the time it took to complete the form – equals the minimum wage plus a bucket load of stress.

I was going to let this blog die a natural death, but it seems HMS has generated a lot of interest. It’s not long since I returned from the studio providers conference at Spike Island, Bristol where I realised HMS is quite a unique set-up. It was depressing talking to a number of artists whose studios were at risk from disappearing because developers were moving in. Leases were coming to an end and studio groups are forced into premises with ever shorter leases – some less than it takes to do a body of work.

The last studio group in one city is struggling to survive in a damp, leaky building. Desperately looking for funding, they are in the unenviable position of having to prove ‘need’. As their building contravenes every health and safety regulation, they dare not advertise. They are not replacing artists who are leaving and so it becomes increasingly difficult to prove ‘need’. This is the LAST affordable studios in a major city. When I set-up HMS I was encouraged by the local arts council who were convinced artists would be drawn to affordable studios. Indeed this proved to be the case. But I am left wondering whether had I applied for more significant public funding, would I too, have been required to prove need.

Thank goodness the NFASP are on the case!
http://www.nfasp.org.uk/

Anyway, I will move on to our latest project – Allotments. Kat has done an amazing job. Details can be seen on http://www.standingroom.org/

The work for Allotments is by open submission on a first-come-first-served basis. Entirely unselected, I was expecting the entries to be pretty average. But most of the work is great, and it is like Christmas opening the packages. Work was submitted from all over the country including Newcastle, Stockport, Oxford, London as well as local residents.

Submission was also online and the artists chose their spaces – so the curation is quite random. However, it’s amazing how visual connections are already being made between the pieces. We haven’t finished hanging yet, but it promises tobe quite an exciting show. It will be previewed next Friday and I am v excited.

I have had a few difficult decisions to make which initially gave sleepless nights. One artist had to leave, but Jem is taking over the administration of the licenses and I think it will be easier being one-step removed.

Being on the Nottingham/Derbyshire border means we have feet in both camps. Our launch coincided with the Nottingham Contemporary Arts festival, but a Derbyshire wide festival takes place in May. The studio is split on whether we participate. From a personal perspective, it is too soon after the October one and I really haven’t got involved in my work yet . From previous experience, I realise it takes time before a new studio feels like a second skin and I haven’t achieved that oneness yet. However, I know this isn’t the same for everyone, and I would support those who want to take part. I think it would be good for the stuidos to be in the Derbyshire loop too.