As part of our feasibility research project for a large scale arts venue in Leamington Spa, we are visiting a number of arts venues across the country who do similar things and have similar aims to what we imagine this space to be.
Our first research trip was to Leeds, where we visited five venues over three very hectic but exciting days.
Our first visit was a massive and very DIY space called Assembly House Leeds, which has been created inside an expansive warehouse. While a bit dilapidated, the building is chock full of character, and the can-do attitude of the tenants has created something vibrant and inspiring for its users.
Second was Sunny Bank Mills, which is on the opposite end of the scale. Situated on a former mill and factory site, this series of buildings has been carefully restored and adapted to house a large gallery, studio spaces, workshops and a huge range of equipment. It also has retail spaces, a cafe and even an on-site micro brewery.
Open Source Arts is a smaller scale site with an incredibly passionate team. They support all forms of creativity, having started life as a performance group. They have space for dance and movement as well as smaller studio pods for desk work and visual arts.
Juice Studios in Hull is a very similar setup to what we imagine a new arts venue in Leamington to be, but with a focus on printmaking. They host a smaller number of private studio spaces for artists and makers, as well as amazing print facilities and communal project spaces. While they don't have as much on-site, they have great connections with other small arts spaces in the area for exhibiting and equipment sharing.
Finally, East Street Arts was an incredible visit, with a beautiful venue and many more arts spaces scattered about the city and even the country. They have a long legacy of helping people get started in the creative arts and provide mentoring and advice as well as space.
We conducted thorough interviews and came away with some really fascinating insight into what makes an arts space work, as well as some amazing advice and a few warnings!
The people we met along the way were so inspiring and we are so incredibly grateful to each and every one of them. Here are a few of the big takeaways that kept coming up.
1. It's all about the people
This really rang true for us. An arts organisation with aims to bring more people into the arts is not there to judge quality of work, but to make sure that the people passing through the organisation gets as much out of it as possible. The venue is there to help people learn, improve, be inspired and connect with others.
2. Get good at finances
Money is, unfortunately, king. To have a good understanding of the business world and everything that goes with it is crucial.
3. Events mean income
Putting on events and having a bar available seems to be the best way to bring in money, but this has to be finely balanced with the true aims of the space.
4. Storage, storage, storage
Artist and makers have a lot of stuff. Never underestimate the amount of storage space needed for all of the equipment and amazing creations that will exist in the space.
5. Be flexible
It's all well and good having a plan for how a space like this will work, but one of the most vital things is to understand that needs change. Actually being in the space will be very different from looking at plans, and all sorts of unexpected factors can affect how the space works, so you have to plan for inevitable change and adjustment and be ready to let fixed ideas go in favour of something that might work better.