18 November 2010 10am Notes from pre ACE mtg Present: Maria Bota, SIAF (Chair of WAP until March 2011) Caroline Peacock, SIAF Deryck Newland, SAC Tracy Sullivan, WAP Development manager
MB contextualised the mtg as coming out of a WAP Exec conference call held earlier in the month. The call had focused on WAP’s forthcoming G4A application and the need to gather intelligence from Wiltshire Council and ACE about WAP’s benefits to these two stakeholders before the forthcoming WAP planning day on 2 December. The aim of the planning day is to begin to draft an outline plan for WAP for the next 3-5 years, which can then be shared with the members for their views and feedback, further developed building on this crucial input, and then submitted in a G4A in February 2011. DN: we need to look at WAP’s place within the context of Wiltshire, and the possibility of a single governance, single framework, single voice with a unity of purpose. He referenced the Creative Wiltshire model. Feedback on Creative Wiltshire’s proposals from the brief presentation at the last full WAP mtg was agreed by all as being: 1. Concerns around artform specivity 2. Question around governance and ownership 3. Question around leadership DN responded to these areas of concern: 1.
Artform Specivity: The vision is that after the pilot year there is the mechanism, led by the wider arts ecology, for additional or alternative Creative Producers representing new artforms or any cross cutting areas that are identified as needing support
2a. Governance: That this would be a group of people initially made up of up to three each from TheatreWork’s and Wiltshire Dancing’s current board reps, WYAP. Deryck extended an invitation to WAP to sit on this Governance if it was felt appropriate that WAP should join this proposed new framework for arts development in Wiltshire. In addition there would be space for further co opted members to fill identified skills gaps. Wiltshire Arts Promoters, Development Manager, Tracy Sullivan, C/O Arc Theatre Trowbridge, College Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 0ES Tel: 07540 938936 email wiltshireartspromoters@gmail.com
2b. Ownership: That this model is designed to be one of democracy and equality of voice for the local arts ecology using tools such as Action Learning Groups and Open Space debates as a core part of the ethos to enable this. 3. Leadership: The Creative Producers lead the vision for the content within their priority area with the support of the ecology through action learning groups. The governance champion and hold the process in terms of the ethos, model and the structure. Both Creative Producers and chair of governance can act as “the face” where necessary DN advised that Creative Wiltshire is considering National Portfolio status in the forthcoming ACE funding round, bridged by a G4A to test the model and transition from TW and WD to a fully fledged and refined new model. MB suggested that the focus of the 2nd December planning day will necessarily be WAP’s plan going forward. At the end of the planning day, it would be important to look at WAP’s plan alongside Creative Wiltshire’s plan, to identify any areas of overlap. All present agreed that the plan of action for the immediate meeting with Raj Patel from ACE was to talk about WAP’s work thus far, its existing plans and future potential, based on feedback from Wiltshire Council. The group would also advise Raj of the Creative Wiltshire plans, so that he could advise best approach with an overall picture of developments in Wiltshire. Action arising from pre-meet DN to provide a one or two sider summary of Creative Wiltshire’s transition year and longer term purpose, to support discussion at the end of the WAP planning day about any potential overlap and consider the value in a single governance with Creative Wiltshire and ask the core group where it sees WAP in this. TS to ensure that all WAP members are aware of the consultation opportunity on the 24th November, which has been organised by Theatre Works and Wiltshire Dancing. All of the above is mindful of the timescales that both a G4A and possible national portfolio application allows for Creative Wiltshire. MB also clearly stated that WAP have been mindful of Creative Wiltshire throughout it conversations and is operating with a sense of real care for both TheatreWorks and Wiltshire Dancing
11am – notes from meeting with Raj Patel, ACSW Raj Patel, Relationship Manager for Regional Development, covering for his job share partner Caroline Corfe, joined the meeting. Carrie Creamer, WYAP also joined the meeting at this point. Raj used to be WAP’s principal contact at ACE up until 18 months ago and is, therefore, very familiar with the Wiltshire setting. Wiltshire Arts Promoters, Development Manager, Tracy Sullivan, C/O Arc Theatre Trowbridge, College Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 0ES Tel: 07540 938936 email wiltshireartspromoters@gmail.com
The purpose of this mtg was identified as: a. Share where WAP are in the context of Wiltshire Council and Wiltshire arts as a whole b. Identify where ACE see WAP positioned within the overall Wiltshire arts ecology c. To gain advice from Raj’ about the best way forward for us in relation to a G4A application MB began by updating RP on what WAP has achieved over the past 18months: business planning, producing advocacy materials, establishing good communications with the new Wiltshire Council, playing a part in the Automatic Transmission development, recruiting a development officer who now attends key Wiltshire meetings, such as the Wiltshire Assembly, and feeds back to the WAP membership. At the last WAP meeting, new working groups were suggested by the wider WAP membership and are coming together, as WAP develops mechanisms through which activity can be delivered. These include a Cultural Olympiad Programming Group, to draw together and share Wiltshire’s wide offer during the Olympic period and identify additional opportunities; and a Web Development Group, to work on ensuring profile of arts events, linking up with Wiltshire Council and Visit Wiltshire. A WAP day is planned on 2 December, to begin to draft an outline plan for WAP for the next 3-5 years, developing the existing plan which has been informed by members. The draft plan will be shared with members for their views and feedback, further developed building on this crucial input, and then submitted in a G4A in February 2011. MB advised that the recent meeting with Peter Tyas, at Wiltshire Council, attended by Keith Nimmo and Tracy Sullivan, had identified the following potential roles/priorities for WAP in relation to Wiltshire Council: 1. A forum for Wiltshire-wide arts promotion and knowledge transfer, working closely in partnership with Wiltshire Council. 2. WAP as a sounding board as PT develops the new cultural strategy for Wiltshire. (NB: WAP have been invited to be part of the writing of this, which we welcome. We are mindful that this is Wiltshire Council’s strategy and there is an opportunity, through this involvement, to bring this closely together with the arts sectors’ strategies and to maximise benefits for Wiltshire’s communities) 3. WAP canvassing its membership for collective responses to best approach to developing and capitalising on Wiltshire Council’s key priorities: a. Providing Superfast broadband throughout Wiltshire b. Children’s attainment c. Vulnerable adults and social care TS shared that Peter Tyas had posed a direct question to the WAP membership about the impact superfast broadband will have, both now and in the future, on their work and ability to work more profitably. WAP will share this question with its membership and feedback their views to PT.
Wiltshire Arts Promoters, Development Manager, Tracy Sullivan, C/O Arc Theatre Trowbridge, College Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 0ES Tel: 07540 938936 email wiltshireartspromoters@gmail.com
MB advised that WAP will need to apply for a G4A in order to continue its work around strategic planning with Wiltshire, developing its delivery of performance elements, e.g. identifying gaps, piloting activity around learning, health, social care, youth justice agendas, and being ready to work closely with Wiltshire Council as we all work to be smarter and tighter in harder economic times.
RP was positive about what WAP had achieved in the last 18 months and congratulated the group on managing the funds to stretch over a longer time than had originally been anticipated. His view is that WAP is a fair way down the path begun on over 18 months ago. He recalled WAP thinking about what a development agency model for Wiltshire might look like at that stage. In relation to the superfast broadband question and the Web Development Group, RP was excited about a ‘bespoke’ package being available to tourists and residents of Wiltshire through which they can design their own cultural menu, and that this should be looked at in partnership with Visit Wiltshire. He congratulated WAP on focusing on this area of work and linking with Wiltshire Council and other agencies. RP sees it as being very positive that WAP are within the conversation and writing of Wiltshire Council’s Cultural Strategy. RP sees WAP as having 2 key strands to its work: a. Strategic Planning b. Programme of performance RP suggested that a G4A from WAP might be about ‘Organisational Development’, looking at what our 3-5 year plan is. WAP can demonstrate that it is actively engaged in the commissioning debate, in relation to its involvement in Automatic Transmission, which RP perceives Wiltshire as being somewhat ahead on. Key question to focus on 2 December is WAP’s mission and where it is going over the next 3-5 years WAP also needs to identify partnership commitments from Wiltshire Council and other agencies, as part of its G4A. There needs to be some cash commitments as well as intended and potential commitments, to contribute to the overall budget and proposal.
The group then moved the conversation to Creative Wiltshire and WYAP’s Automatic Transmission bid, in order to provide RP with more background to developments in Wiltshire. DN gave RP an overview of the aims and structure of ‘Creative Wiltshire’ and asked how RP see it might fit within the offer of Wiltshire. RP asked us how many organisations will be putting bids in from Wiltshire and whether we’d had the conversation with other organisations who are going to apply to have a National Portfolio holding relationship with ACE. It was reported that although formal conversation hasn’t taken place there Wiltshire Arts Promoters, Development Manager, Tracy Sullivan, C/O Arc Theatre Trowbridge, College Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 0ES Tel: 07540 938936 email wiltshireartspromoters@gmail.com
were at least 5 organisations that we’re aware of (excluding Creative Wiltshire) applying for this. RP felt that Wiltshire would be very fortunate if all of these were to be funded, but that judgements will be made looking across the whole portfolio so it is not possible to know at this point what the overall picture of National Portfolio organisations will look like. RP noted how successful Wiltshire is in its partnership working. DN pointed out that this does result in many meetings of many of the same people around a number of different tables. It was agreed that what was needed were ‘fewer, better connected tables’. RP says that it is very important to be having detailed conversations with lead officers before and during the process of writing the bids. RP suggested that Creative Wiltshire might want to just apply for National Portfolio status in order that there is not such an overlap with the G4A. However, it was explained that the timeline does not lend itself to that with the current phases of Theatreworks and Wiltshire Dancing ending in March and June respectively. RP also noted that there will be 3 Wiltshire-focused G4A’s being processed at a similar time, WYAP (Already submitted), Creative Wiltshire and WAP. RP recommended that each bid acknowledges the others in their introductions and that we each need to be very clear about ‘where we’ve been, where we’re going and the legacy that we intend to develop’. RP said that Relationship Managers are trying to gain an idea of the amounts organisations are applying to ACE for, either through the National Portfolio or G4A, as they want to ensure that people are responding to the fact that there will be less funding available due to the spending review. Following the mtg Tracy asked for RP to clarify on a question that has arisen before the meeting began about if an organisation asks for more than ACE has to give whether Ace would enter into a negotiation with the applicants and possible offer them less. RP said that this is not the case either the full amount will be awarded or the application will be unsuccessful. ACTIONS TS to contact Nema El-Nehas at ACE re opportunities within the digital media field. TS to develop WAP’s G4A for submission in February 2010, working with the Exec Group and the wider WAP membership.
Wiltshire Arts Promoters, Development Manager, Tracy Sullivan, C/O Arc Theatre Trowbridge, College Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 0ES Tel: 07540 938936 email wiltshireartspromoters@gmail.com