Presented by Lynda Martin at the event 'Commissioning for Culture and Sport, 5th December 2014':
http://knowhownonprofit.org/events/commissioning-for-culture-and-sport-5th-december-2014
Part of the Cultural Commissioning Programme
http://www.ncvo.org.uk/cultural-commissioning-programme
NCVO/CFG Webinar: Financial management and accessing government funding combi...
Arts alive in north Cambridgeshire libraries
1. Arts Alive in North
Cambridgeshire Libraries
Lynda Martin
James Nicol
Nathan Jones
2. Summary
Arts Council award of £99,850 towards the delivery of
high quality arts experiences selected by the community
in 8 libraries across north Cambridgeshire (areas of low
arts engagement)
This builds on the successful Library Development
Initiative partnership project delivered in Fenland
Partners are AdEC (Arts Development East
Cambridgeshire ) and CS3 (Cultural Consortium for
Cambridgeshire and Suffolk)
3. LDI summary
Four Fenland Libraries
Library Friends Groups commissioned arts activities
from CS3 with the support of AdEC
Diverse range of high quality activities in libraries (many
a sell-out) – including theatre performance, comedy,
creative writing, Manga workshops, photography
Building community (and arts organisation) recognition
of libraries as flexible spaces for community use
Recognition that Libraries are trusted spaces for arts
activity
Raising the level of aspiration and expectation in areas
of the county often overlooked for arts events
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8. Activity
Chatteris, Littleport, March, Ramsey, Sawtry,
Whittlesey, Wisbech and Yaxley libraries
Timescale – completion by mid June 2016
Two rounds of commissioned arts activity of £3,800 for
each library (i.e. £7,600 in total for each library)
Strong links to local communities for decision making
and skills development
Building strong links between libraries and arts
organisations
Budgets for marketing, project management, evaluation
and equipment
9. Process
Steering Group in place to guide the project
Each library has a community decision making group
This group will be supported by Library staff and AdEC to
design an arts brief linked to their locally defined outcomes
The brief will be openly circulated with bids for activity
managed through the CS3 consortium
Bids will be collated into a costed menu
Community groups will choose the activities for their library
Round 1 - Spring 2015
Income from ticket sales or sponsorship will be expected to
build future sustainability
Process repeated for Round 2 of activity building on
experience – for Autumn 2015
10. Links to other activity
Any activity will complement and link with “Creative People
and Places” plans
Links with District and Town Council plans (such as festivals
and local history)
Links with existing library activity such as “Summer Reading
Challenge”, “Reading Aventures”, “ImagiNation”, book
festivals, music tasters, reading groups and EngAGE events
Links with other arts activity such as the Young Fenland
Cultural Consortium
Links with partners in the buildings such as Sawtry Village
College, Children’s Centres, and a multitude of other users
Marketing via print, news releases, Shape Your Place and
social media
11. Evaluation
Numbers of new people engaged with arts activity and
feedback from events
Comparison with Arts Insight data and Active People
Survey data
Success and sustainability of local commissioning
model
Integration of new arts activity in libraries
Impact of the activities on library use (new customers,
new opportunities and partnerships)
Design of library and Community Hub spaces for arts
activity
Feedback from community groups, AdEC, CS3 and
library staff
12. Learning so far
The time it takes for community consultation and
decision making
Managing ambitions upwards (rare opportunity to “give”
funds)
Finding the right mix of people if there isn’t a Library
Friends Group or partners group
Supporting and managing concerns over expectations
from community groups
Need to create even more flexible library spaces
Value of leaving the commissioning process to Arts
experts
The community energy that this releases for more
activities
Library staff “letting go” but supporting where necessary