Arts and Business
Our core work involves brokering strategic relationships at all
levels between the region’s business and cultural sectors. Our
purpose is to enable businesses to be more successful by engaging
with the arts and to increase resources for the arts from
business.
We deliver a range of services to both sectors. These include
securing funding from central government which helps us to foster
innovative and long-term partnerships between business and the
arts; running a series of highly reputed professional development
programmes which promote the exchange and development of skills
between the business and arts communities; and offering
advice, training, networking and consultancy on a wide range of
issues to business and the arts through our membership
programme.
www.aandb.org.uk
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Arts Council England, South West
Arts Council England is the national development agency for the
arts in England, working to get great art to everyone by
championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that
enrich people's lives. We develop and promote the arts across
England, acting as an independent body at arm’s length from
government.
Between 2006 and 2008, we are investing £1.1 billion of public
money from government and the National Lottery in supporting the
arts. This is the bedrock of support for the arts in England and
includes our Grants for the Arts programme, regular funding of key
organisations and a range of other projects and services. We
believe that the arts have the power to change lives and
communities, and to create opportunities for people throughout the
country.
www.artscouncil.org.uk
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ArtsMatrix
ArtsMatrix is the continuing professional development agency for
creative practitioners in the South West. We enable individuals
working in the creative industries to make the most of their
careers. There is tremendous creative talent in the South West. We
nurture that talent and help individuals realise their potential
through a programme of services that includes skills audits,
seminars, professional development planning, mentoring, and online
and print publications.
Working through partnership to develop initiatives that improve and
widen access to learning opportunities, ArtsMatrix complements the
work of the region’s arts organisations, support agencies and
training providers. We provide up-to-date and relevant information
on career development, specialist networks, arts facilities and
infrastructure, business support services, funding and learning
opportunities, promoting continuing professional development as an
essential part of working in the creative sector.
www.artsmatrix.org.uk
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Asian Arts Agency
Asian Arts Agency is an arts development agency that develops,
promotes and supports international contemporary and traditional
South Asian arts in the South West of England. The agency supports
others working to increase cultural diversity in the creative
industries. We welcome new collaborations and creative
partnerships. We’re forward thinking, open to new and highly
creative ideas.
Our work is varied and includes promoting performances,
festivals and exhibitions; Asian Arts workshops; producing and
managing tours; commissioning new works; artists’ professional
development; and community cohesion.
www.asianartsagency.co.uk
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Audiences South West
Audiences South West (formerly South West Arts Marketing) works
with cultural organisations to fulfil their business potential
through growing audiences and building participation. Working in
partnership with other regional bodies, the agency develops
marketing and audience development initiatives that respond to the
strategic objectives of local authorities and arts
organisations.
Our staff have expert knowledge in culture and an in-depth
knowledge of the region, making the agency uniquely positioned to
help cultural organisations find practical solutions for reaching
new and existing audiences. Through support, advice, consultancy
and business development we support a diverse range of
organisations, from galleries to artists networks, theatres to
museums, community groups, arts centres and more.
www.audiencessw.org
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B&NES CVS
B&NES CVS (Council for Voluntary Services) is a local
development agency for all voluntary and community sector
organisations in Bath and North East Somerset. Our core work is to
support and develop voluntary organisations, community groups and
charities which operate within Bath and NE Somerset and to enable
them to be more effective.
Our 5 core service delivery areas are support, networking and
liaison, representation, strategic partnerships and development. We
offer a range of services, publications & documents, resources,
information, job vacancies, events & training listings. In
addition we provide a range of 'add on' services in partnership
with other voluntary sector or statutory partners to meet the
sector's needs.
We have developed the Voluntary Sector Forum to provide a
structure through which all voluntary and community sector groups
in Bath and North East Somerset can come together to address
strategic issues that affect them. We encourage groups to become
members of B&NES CVS to help build a stronger voice for the
local voluntary sector. Membership of B&NES CVS is free (visit
our Members section to download an application form).
www.banescvs.org.uk
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Business Link
Business Link provides the information, advice and support you
need to start, maintain and grow a business. Rather than providing
all this help itself, it fast-tracks its customers to wherever they
can get the expert input that they need. The Business Link service
is a crucial part of the government's campaign to promote
enterprise and to make the UK the best place in the world to start
and grow a business.
Business Link is available locally and quality assured regionally
to clear national standards. It is primarily funded by the
Department of Trade and Industry, supported by a number of other
government departments, agencies and local authorities.
www.businesslink.gov.uk
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Business West
Business West incorporates the Bristol, Bath and South
Gloucestershire Chambers of Commerce. We are a membership
organisation, offering our members exclusive benefits and
opportunities to network and promote their business.
Business West can help you and your company reach its full
potential, by providing information and advice on international
markets and people development. We also offer a range of practical
training courses from management and supervision to finance,
employment law and health and safety. Our aim is to help lead the
development and prosperity of the West of England by encouraging
and supporting a successful and profitable business
community.
www.businesswest.co.uk
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Creative Learning Agency
Creative Learning Agency operates across the West of England as
a web-based news and information service supporting educators and
artists in arts education work. If this is your area of work, visit
our website for news, views, events (including training,
conferences and arts education initiatives), opportunities
(including residencies, job opportunities and creative education
projects), a funding database and other resources. The site also
hosts an online searchable database of over 150 artists working in
all artforms and with all age groups and abilities.
The website is updated weekly, and a free weekly ebulletin will
keep you up to date with the latest additions. We're also
developing new areas of the service including one to one funding
advice surgeries for arts education projects, and support to
schools applying for (or who have) Artsmark Awards and Specialist
Arts College status. If you can’t fine what you need on the
website, email and telephone enquiries are welcome.
www.creativelearningagency.org.uk
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Culture South West
Culture South West's mission is to provide strong strategic
leadership to people interested in the region's cultural
development. Our role is to help improve the quality and range of
cultural activity available to those living in or visiting our
region and support the further development of our creative
industries. We take cultural activity to mean the arts in their
various forms, recreational and sporting activities, the
appreciation of our landscape and what we've built on it or used it
for, our museums, libraries and galleries.
Culture South West is one of the eight regional consortia
established by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in 1999.
Our brief is to represent the whole spectrum of cultural and
creative interests in the region; create a common vision expressed
in a cultural strategy for the region that will take us into the
future (see In Search of Chunky Dunsters, 2001); advise key
regional bodies on cultural issues; and broker new partnerships
between organisations and people, acting as the principal
communication hub for the cultural sector.
www.culturesouthwest.org.uk
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creating:excellence
creating:excellence is all about know-how. It is one of the
regional centres being set up in England (Taunton) to help
communities and professionals understand what works and what
doesn’t in building sustainable communities. It does this by
promoting good practice and avoiding mistakes, and by encouraging
better skills in regeneration and renewal. creating:excellence will
make it easier for economic, social and environmental projects, big
and small, to really make a difference by helping people get the
information, advice and support they need.
Networking and learning are crucial to the success of
creating:excellence. The Regeneration South West Network is at the
heart of creating:excellence. It enables people to learn from each
other across professional, sector and geographical boundaries.
Please visit our web site, or give us a call, to get
involved.
www.creatingexcellence.org.uk
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DCMS
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is
responsible for Government policy on the arts, sport, the National
Lottery, tourism, libraries, museums and galleries, broadcasting,
creative industries including film and the music industry, press
freedom and regulation, licensing, gambling and the historic
environment. We are also the Government Department responsible for
the 2012 Olympic Games & Paralympic Games.
The DCMS provides funding for the arts in England via Arts
Council England, and supports arts based initiatives, often in
collaboration with other government departments. We do not provide
funding direct to individuals. We allocate money to our agencies
and sponsored bodies, setting the policy and financial frameworks
within which the distributing bodies operate.The Department helps
the creative industries thrive by raising their profile and
supporting their development. Our vision is that the UK becomes the
world’s creative hub.
www.culture.gov.uk
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NCVO
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) believes
passionately in the voluntary and community sector. This is a
sector with the power to transform the lives of people and
communities for the better. Our goal is to support members by
creating an environment in which voluntary organisations can
flourish and develop.
NCVO has several specialist teams that provide information, advice
and support to others working in or with the voluntary sector.
These teams produce publications, briefing papers and guidance
notes; run conferences and seminars; and offer a range of
practitioner forums. NCVO's Help Desk is a free telephone, email or
textphone service for anyone involved in the voluntary sector,
whether as a volunteer, paid worker or trustee. NCVO is also a
highly effective lobbying organisation and represents the views of
its members, and the wider voluntary sector to government, the
European Union and other bodies. We are at the leading edge of
research into, and analysis of, the voluntary sector.
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk
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Public Art South West
Public Art South West is a development agency which takes a
leading role in co-ordinating a range of strategies for public art
development in the South West. It is funded by Arts Council England
and works in partnership with a wide variety of organisations in
the public and private sectors. It welcomes collaborations and
works closely with artists, architects, developers, local
authorities and all those concerned with the quality of our
environment. It aims to create opportunities for artists and
craftspeople to contribute to the built and natural environment,
through initiating and supporting projects which encourage quality
and innovation in regard to the concept, context and medium
used.
PASW’s website Public Art Online is for anyone involved in public
art whatever their discipline and whether new to the field or an
experienced professional. It contains practical guidance, case
studies from around the world, a links section, news, information
and current research, and covers all aspects of working with and
commissioning artists, whatever the context.
www.publicartonline.org.uk
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Shape
Shape is the country’s leading disability arts organisation. For
almost 31 years Shape has been at the forefront of change, aiming
to achieve access to the arts for disabled and deaf people;
supporting deaf and disabled artists to challenge perceptions and
promote Deaf and Disability Culture; empowering people to enrich
their lives through enjoyment of the arts and active
participation.
Shape's services include events listings, the Shape Tickets scheme,
projects, training, an online forum and more.
www.shapearts.org.uk
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South West Forum
South West Forum was established in 1999 to ensure that
voluntary and community organisations have a strong and effective
champion at regional level. The Forum's key role is to be an active
and dynamic influence in the region ensuring that the voluntary and
community sectors are genuinely engaged in developing and
influencing policy. Working closely with regional bodies, including
the Regional Assembly, South West Regional Development Agency and
Government Office South West, the Forum seeks to raise
understanding of the importance of the voluntary and community
sector to the social and economic life of the region.
The Forum is giving a high priority to developing strong
communication and feedback links between its members and
representatives on regional bodies. The Forum has a particular
interest in tackling disadvantage and promoting social inclusion
and sustainability. South West Forum is a regional Champion for
voluntary and community groups; an advocate for social change; and
a network for sharing information, promoting good practice and
encouraging partnership.
www.southwestforum.org.uk
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South West of England Regional Development Agency
The South West Regional Development Agency was established in
1999. Our most important role is to ensure the long-term economic
success of the region, by promoting the right skills among its
workforce, the most innovative businesses, and a high quality
environment. It leads the development of a sustainable economy in
South West England, investing to unlock the region's business
potential.
Our core strategy is focused on creating the conditions for
productivity-led growth; developing a low carbon economy; and
creating successful places.
www.southwestrda.org.uk
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South West Screen
South West Screen is the Regional Screen Agency leading the
development of film, television and interactive media in the South
West. Our objectives are to develop a strong infrastructure and
sustainable future for the region's media businesses; to develop
and invest in the professional talent of the region's workforce; to
increase access to media product; to promote the region's assets
and encourage more inward investment.
South West Screen takes the lead in five core areas: informing and
influencing opinion; awakening and nurturing; giving grants;
providing information, advice and assistance and taking action to
expand access and diversity.Through us, public funds are channelled
into a wide range of creative initiatives, management and support
services and outreach. Our work reaches across all areas of screen
creativity and production - from meeting the needs of established
professionals to nurturing fresh and emerging talent, students and
communities who are new to engaging with the media. We also
maintain a crew and resources directory and a location-finder
service.
www.swscreen.co.uk
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Voluntary Arts Network
Voluntary Arts Network (VAN) aims to promote participation in
the arts and crafts across the UK and Republic of Ireland. We
recognise that they are a key part of our culture and as such they
are absolutely vital to our health, social and economic
development. Over half the UK adult population is involved in the
voluntary arts and crafts - those arts and crafts that people
undertake for self-improvement, social networking and leisure, but
not primarily for payment. They are wide-ranging and include folk,
dance, drama, literature, media, music, visual arts, crafts and
applied arts, and festivals.
VAN works with policy makers, funders and politicians to improve
the environment for everyone participating in the arts, and we
provide information and training to those who participate in the
voluntary arts sector. This includes over 300 national and regional
umbrella bodies, and through them, their member groups of local
voluntary arts practitioners. Our services include a quarterly
newsletter, information on opportunities, seminars, funding and
news about members; briefing sheets offering advice on issues
relevant to the sector; a comprehensive, up-to-date website;
specialised arts management training and research into the
organisational development needs of the sector; consultation
responses, responding to government and relevant organisational
initiatives on behalf of voluntary artists and arts
organisations.
www.voluntaryarts.org
