Our business is more vital than ever...
As an organisation largely concerned with gathering people together in our home, either for local film nights or international residencies, there is no doubt that the COVID-19 virus has hit the company hard. However we are small, nimble and adaptable. We have successfully been able to move all the ArTELIER program online, establish new online projects and spend time developing our business planning, future imagining and online presence. We are convinced that the post coronavirus epidemic will need creativity more that ever for recovery and repair - of individuals and communities. That is why we feel our work is more vital than ever.
“Their integrity engenders a trust which allows for artistic and organisational innovation and flexibility. The organically
collaborative approach that imbues their work as a collective of artists leads to the development of new skills and competencies which strengthen the artists capacity to develop an ethically sustainable career. ”
2021 Business planning
Our 2020 pivot
COVID-19 has made designing 2021 very difficult for many companies. However we were able to transfer our Learning Exchange program online very quickly and continue to support our artists and communities. More than just providing an opportunity to survive, this new platform has opened up a range of new creative and communication possibilities to support artists across the state.
We are designing new online programs with national and international colleagues for 2021 while also localising our practice further by planning some new local community-based initiatives.
Having completed his PhD in 2019, Simon has more time and energy to devote to the company. Being forced to manage his role at Regional Arts Australia remotely (rather than spending many hours on aeroplanes) during this lockdown period has also led to more time to recalibrate and reflect on our practice. In 2019, Simon also completed a Diploma in Business Governance with Our Community Dip. Bus. (Gov) giving him the ‘responsible person’ status from the ATO.
Our residency program has been severely curtailed by COVID-19 as has the international project with TEXT (with Tate Modern in London and St Ives, UK). We were able to host some musicians from the Flinders Quartet at the beginning of the year but we are not planning to have any further residencies at the property until 2021. We anticipate TEXT will continue in another form in 2020/21.
We have been busy!
We have had enough reserves to protect our cashflow and with no business loans and low fixed costs have been able to continue to expand our Learning Exchange program online. At the same time we have been able to invest more time in the development of two new websites, all that we are and ArTELIER. Both have now become a daily activity where we share program, build resources and prepare for being able to once again offer residencies.
During 2020 we have also undertaken essential maintenance and redecoration on the building while completely converting the existing studio space into a self contained live/work studio space for future artist-in-residencies.
2021 planning
We are confident that we have the capacity to deliver an even better program in 2021. Our strategic planning has given us focus, we have adopted the new opportunities of online Learning Exchanges and we are connecting our programs more holistically (residency program to the ArTELIER program for example).
Business planning background
Company structure
All that we are is a company limited by guarantee, established in 2016 (ABN: 29609300030), with a not-for-profit clause specifying that directors of the company cannot take profits and their fees for specific programs are made transparent to funders or partners. We have three directors on the board, Simon Spain, Victoria Ryle and Georgia Spain. Our accountants are Tony Nagle Accountants in Melbourne and we use Xero to stay up to date with our company finances. Our lawyers are Dewer Law of Melbourne. We have insurance with Bizcover in Sydney.
Social and environmental responsibility
All that we are has a deep commitment to people and the environment. We acknowledge we have environmental, ethical and legal responsibilities and will endeavour to address these in an effective manner.
We seek to develop our way of living at 1450 as environmentally friendly and commit to reducing our footprint through refusing, recycling, reusing, and nourishing the land. We commit to buying carbon offset for all travel associated with funded projects by undertaking an annual audit of travel.
Our ethical values are centred on integrity and honesty and we will ensure all our legal and financial requirements are undertaken in a timely manner in good faith.
Strategic Planning
In the first quarter of 202 we invested in working with a marketing and business Anna Lise de Lorenzo to reframe the company to better target our participants. We devised a storytelling strategy, new residency program elements, a re-branding timeline, social media strategy and competitor analysis. This work was interrupted by COVID-19 but is proving invaluable in being able to focus in such uncertain times.
Goals
All that we are goals include:
● To build a sustainable not-for-profit organisation in Tasmania centred around the capacity building of artists, practitioners and creative activists
● To establish an internationally known residency destination for artists and others
● To build and give status to the sector of high-quality arts engagements for children, young people and families through intergenerational practice
● To work locally, nationally and globally as practising social practice artists and educators
● To maintain and grow an effective web presence for this sector in Tasmania
● TO INCUBATE, GENERATE and ACCUMULATE initiatives and projects through the organisation with different projects at different phases at any one time
Marketing and promotion
Our primary audience for many of our programs are artists and creative activists in Tasmania and across Australia. In addition we seek to work with international visitors through residencies.
Members of this community are geographically diverse and use various tools for finding out about things of interest. We have an easy-to-update website and have in-house skills to create images and texts for social media, web and printed materials.
We currently use Res Artis (members), Arts Hub and Tas Arts to distribute information and publicise events. Crucially, as our work is in partnership with others (particularly venues) we are able to
Measuring our success
Initial measures for success include:
· number of artists engaged in program
· percentage of year filled with artist residencies
· programme reach – the ripples of the program
· Diversity of artists and communities impacted