Public ArtsAnnual Report 09/10

Empty Stages, Tim

Etchells and Hugo G

lendinningLooking Aside Exhibition, Peter Scott G

allery, 2009

Season Finale 2010. Photograph: Roger Whitham

hello

It has been quite a year for us. In April 2009, Lancaster University’s public arts providers came together as a single, merged entity within Lancaster Institute

for the Contemporary Arts (LICA). Since then, the Peter Scott Gallery, Nuffield Theatre and Lancaster International Concert Series have put in place a single staff team, and have brought together all management, curatorial, financial, administrative and technical activity.

The new structure saw new staff join us from some major arts organisations in the region, bringing expertise in music, dance, visual art, marketing and digital communications. The year also marked the increasing cross-fertilisation of the artistic programmes, now the remit of a team of artform specialists, with activity sited throughout the Great Hall complex, outside the building, across campus and in the city. It also saw a large number of new partnerships with other arts and industry organisations, and thematic links with a range of Lancaster’s broader teaching and research activity.

This report reflects on our first year of merged activity, gives some examples of projects and initiatives, reports on the findings of our consultation, and signposts future developments. In a fast-changing political and economic landscape, I also hope it gives a sense of the excitement we feel about the potential of this unique cross-arts offer for the campus, the city and the region.

Matt FentonDirectorPublic Arts, Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts

June 2010

some highlights from 2009-10

Autumn 2009 saw us launch a combined programme of music concerts, theatre and dance performances, exhibitions, projects and events in a single brochure. The following are some of our

highlights from the year:-

A world quality concert programme was warmly received as one of the most enjoyable for years. Of many highlights, Adrian Brendel’s two-part rendition of Bach’s Cello Suites, performed in the round at close quarters, was extraordinary. Gavin Bryars Ensemble’s brooding take on Shakespeare’s sonnets, set to music by such luminaries as Antony Hegarty (Antony and the Johnsons), Mira Calix and Alexander Balanescu, included a mesmerising performance by Virgin Prunes singer Gavin Friday. The year included both UK and world premieres, important projects with Opera North and Orchestras Live, and featured the continuation of the series’ innovative web-casts that are enabling a worldwide audience to see our events.

The theatre and dance programme was characterised by a range of site-specific performances in unusual locations. These included a musical performance in Morecambe’s Winter Gardens, Tim Crouch in the PS Gallery, Mem Morrison in Lancaster Town Hall, A2 in the Storey Gallery, and Rajni Shah in St Nicholas Arcade. Nuffield commission The Soldiers Song saw artists collaborate with British soldiers in the creation of a karaoke booth installation in which the public join soldiers in song. Built by our technical team, the piece was proto-typed in the Management School, and is currently attracting large audiences at Manchester City Art Gallery.

Exhibition highlights included FutureEverything’s exploration of art and sustainability, Environment 2.0; the world premiere of the stunning Spill Performance Tarot; and our collaboration with the Experimentality research programme that led to a photographic exhibition featuring local residents, staff and students. Exhibitions featured artists and curators with links to the music and theatre programmes: Tim Etchells and Hugo Glendinning (Forced Entertainment), Tom Bangbala (BBC Philharmonic), and Lucy Cash (Goat Island, Rajni Shah Co). We also hosted two student exhibitions: the undergraduate fine art show and the Masters in Professional Contemporary Arts Practice.

Throughout the year, two artists, musician Jonathan Raisin and writer Elizabeth Willow, worked slowly to create a garden just outside of the gallery. Selected from over 50 proposals to our national call-out for artists to respond to the idea of a year-long performance, the Making Time Garden has literally been grown from nothing, with gifts of plants and seeds donated by passers-by and University grounds staff.

Meanwhile our commissioned work toured extensively nationally and internationally, including to Barbican (London), Kunsten Festival Des Arts (Brussels), Festival Ad Werf (Utrecht), Zoom Festival (Croatia), Theatre Du Nord (Lille), West Yorkshire Playhouse (Leeds), the Lowry (Salford), Bristol Old Vic and Warwick Arts Centre.

Retina Dance, ‘Antipode’Nuffield Theatre, January 2010

Lone Twin Theatre, ‘Daniel Hit By A Train’Nuffield Theatre, May 2010

facts & figuresIn 2009-10 we delivered the following activity:-52 professional performances46 artists delivered training or peer support40 artists involved in the creation of new work14 completed artist’s residencies12 new performances commissioned, all touring nationally or internationally9 World or UK premieres presented7 major public exhibitions4 newly commissioned public realm artworks1 international artists summer school

7,500 attendance at professional performances 6,000 attendance at exhibitions2,100 attendance at participation projects1,450 attendance at artist support sessions3,000 attendance at free, outdoor or site-specific works7,400 attendance at student society or arts partner cultural events

This represents a total attendance of 27,450 for our core and directly supported arts/cultural activity.Plus, we supported a further 17,900 attendees for non-arts events in the Great Hall complex, including Graduation Ball, Fresher’s Fair and open days, giving a total attendance of 49,350 for 2009-10.

finances

Turnover for 2009-2010 was approximately £500,000. Two-thirds of this came from Lancaster University in core support, the remainder from Arts Council England (£100,000), ticket sales and commercial activity (£70,000). Commercial income generation, and strategies for diversifying the funding mix, met challenging economic times across the funding landscape. It is therefore extremely important that our marketing foregrounds our most accessible events, those relevant to schools and colleges, family friendly events and well-known names, to ensure we grow and maximise attendance. We also need to proactively seek new commercial and consultancy activity to bolster increasingly competitive funding streams.

This year we invested significant resources to bring together all box office, online booking, marketing and patron information systems into one patron management and ticketing system, Patronbase. This will enable us to grow and track audiences more effectively, chart audience cross-over, and benchmark our activity against other providers. A single online presence is currently in development to replace the existing three separate websites, to go live in Summer 2011.

you spoke, we listened

2009-10 saw consultation with staff, audiences, participants and artists, with valuable mentoring provided by Business in the Arts NW. Much of the groundwork was delivered by a committed team of student

volunteers (supported by the GrowCreative unit on campus) who interviewed attenders and non-attenders, facilitated focus groups, and produced a detailed snapshot of what audiences think about us.

The quality of our activity and support was strongly endorsed, as was the friendliness and helpfulness of all staff; but it is clear that there is much to do to make our spaces more welcoming and accessible. There are also preconceptions to be challenged: the theatre/dance programme is overly experimental, concerts are for the elderly, the gallery is hard to find/access. Merger has enabled us to site events in the most appropriate spaces, and future programmes and marketing will encourage audiences to cross between artforms, with new targeted activity to break down polarised attendance profiles.

We also asked artists and local resident participants what they thought about the value of our support and participation activity. The results were overwhelming.

“It sounds over the top to say life-changing – but this has really transformed the way I think about myself” Local participant

“The process was continually surprising, in the most delightful, often emotional, sometimes jaw-dropping way… I don’t think it would be to overstate the case to say it was life-enhancing.” Local participant

“...defining a new and necessary way for a venue to support, show, promote, and foster works that are at the absolute edge of a very contemporary discourse experimenting with the power of theatre, now… their name is becoming increasingly known internationally as a hive of creative and insightful programming and support.” Tyler Myers, Performer and Director, Cupola Bobber (Chicago)

“...enables real experimentation, and the promotion of genuinely new forms in ways that are rigorously contextualised and very well attended. This ‘safe place’, that nonetheless demands only the very best outcomes, is key in the development of much new British work which then shows extensively and internationally.” Robert Pacitti, Artistic Director, SPILL Festival (London)

Our consultation has laid the ground for a full rebrand from Autumn 2010, and a single, integrated online presence to be in place for Autumn 2011. We will replace the catch-all term The Public Arts, which consultation confirmed as neither recognised nor used by attenders, funders, press or artists. The result will be a new brand name, a single cross-artform marketing and communications offer, and a gradual recalibration of the current brands to sub-brands and venue names. The new name will align us with LICA, while signalling our distinct role as a cultural provider for all students, staff and the general public.

Plant An Idea for the Public ArtsSeason Finale 2010. Photograph: Roger Whitham

Mem Morrison ‘ Ringside’Lancaster Town Hall, October 2009

creating art together

Our figures for participation increased sharply this year, the result of a concerted effort to support projects that deliver meaningful engagement with local residents of all ages. Local participants,

including students, formed an integral part of the rehearsal process of many new projects, and performed in the resulting public events. Over 2,000 participations took place this year.

Participatory projects with local residents in 2009-10 included:-Trilogy by Nic Green (Nuffield Theatre) Postcards to Africa (DT3, Dukes Theatre)The Future of Death by A2 (Storey Gallery) Ringside by Mem Morrison (Lancs. Town Hall)Glorious by Rajni Shah (St Nicholas Arcade, Lancaster)

“...a time of change and transformation, letting go, and burying things, revisiting the past and making positive changes for the future. I’ll never forget it.” A2 Local Participant

student experienceWe play a very important role in supporting students’ own artistic and cultural endeavour. This year we helped to deliver successful arts events from DanceSoc, TheatreGroup, LU Music Society, Big Band, Chinese Society and a wealth of other clubs and societies, as well as schools events organised by the student volunteer unit (LUVU). Our role in technical support, set design, front of house, box office and duty management is a significant added benefit from our presence on campus.

We also helped to deliver a fantastic 2009 Grad Ball, and a range of assessed student shows and exhibitions from the academic sections of LICA. Most of our staff are actively engaged in teaching, at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

“The staff who work in the Great Hall are an asset to the organisation as a whole... Nothing was too much trouble, from a different sort of stage, to lighting, to artwork, they just helped out with it all. My event wouldn’t have worked as well in any other venue.” Ballroom Society & V-Day Co-ordinator

Students are also key to delivering our core activity: working as front of house, ushers, invigilators, technical and box office staff, gaining valuable work experience in the process. We also established a large and active student ambassador scheme, who carried out our audience consultation and interviews.

artist supportThis important and growing area of activity includes working with students, recent graduates and more experienced artists. Support is delivered through advice and mentoring, masterclasses, summer schools, residencies, bursaries, symposia and tour producing. Activity crosses disciplinary boundaries, this year supporting 1,500 artists working in theatre, visual art, dance, literature, film, scenography and digital media.

2009-10 highlights included a fantastic international summer school that saw 22 visual artists, musicians and performers work with site-based specialists Talking Birds in Morecambe’s beautiful Winter Gardens. The week culminated in an immersive performance.

“Just exquisite” Evelyn Archer (Friends of the Morecambe Winter Gardens).

“Nowhere in the North West supports artists so effectively... Invaluable support and mentoring from an excellent team. Career-changing.” Simon Bowes, Artist (Preston)

gallery & collections

The Peter Scott Gallery saw a complete review of its operations and curatorial management in 2009. Major new partnerships led to some stunning exhibitions, including FutureEverything’s Environment

2.0, the Experimentality photography exhibition, and the World Premiere of the Spill Performance Tarot, alongside collaborations with AND Festival. The year included a review of collections procedures and documentation as part of our ongoing MLA accreditation process, and the start of a 3-year curatorial project – Conversations with the Collection – that sees artists, University support staff and local people acting as curators of public exhibitions drawing on the collections.

The gallery also began a more formal relationship with the Facilities and Estates division of the University, developing a role in art commissioning for new buildings on campus. This was complemented by the commission of a large-scale composite photographic work sited on the hoardings of the LICA build site.

The year included a concerted effort on the task of sorting and cataloguing the extensive Chambers Archive of Royal Lancastrian ceramics and related material, carried out in large part by incredibly knowledgeable and committed members of the Pilkington’s Society. This has led to our collection featuring in a year-long exhibition of Lancastrian Ceramics at Manchester City Art Gallery from Autumn 2010, the largest and most important such exhibition in several decades.

“The importance of the gift of John Chambers’ collection of ceramics and design material to Lancaster University cannot be overstated. No other museum’s holdings of Pilkington’s Lancastrian pottery, tiles and design work compares with the significance of this bequest.” Barry Corbett, Pilkington’s Society

Finally, the Gallery Shop was re-launched in January 2010 with a focus on artists’ publications, young craft makers from the region, and links with elements of the performance programme.

the future...

Amongst plans for future activity are some important new directions and collaborations. Our forthcoming Autumn 2010 season opens with a major collaboration with Lancaster Litfest: poet

laureate Carol Ann Duffy performing in the Great Hall and in Morecambe. We premiere a brand new triple bill jointly commissioned by ourselves and Ludus Dance, which will be shown on campus and in schools, colleges and arts centres across the UK. Christmas 2010 sees a three-way commission of a new interactive children’s show (aimed at Key Stage 1 pupils) based on The Nutcracker, which partners Lancashire Sinfonietta musicians with young contemporary dance and film artists.

Our plans for developing artworks and installations across the University site - Curate The Campus - launches fully in 2011. This year we achieved real success with pilot projects siting artworks in surprising locations.

Online and digital activity remains an important area of development, expanding on existing projects such as our popular webcast concerts and events, and ongoing commissioning of short films and interactive artworks. We will also be launching some really exciting new ways of engaging with audiences, from utilising social networking to campaigns allowing increased audience choice and feedback.

Autumn 2010 events go on sale from September. We look forward to seeing you in the complex.

‘Orchestral Life’ photograph Tom BangbalaLooking Aside Exhibition, Peter Scott Gallery, 2009

Julian Fox ‘You’ve got to love dancing to stick to it’Nuffield Theatre, March 2010

our people

We have got a really strong and committed staff team. Many of us are not full-time, or share a role with teaching or other duties, so in full-time equivalent terms (FTE), we equal 9.1 people. Given what we

have delivered this year, and our plans for the future, we think we represent good value for money.

Simon Attwood, Stage ManagerRachel Baynton, Arts AssistantAlice Booth, Creative ProducerJulia Carradus, Administrative ManagerMatt Fenton, DirectorEle Kinchin-Smith, Front of House/Facilities ManagerDom McKenna, Assistant TechnicianSteph Sims, Chief TechnicianFiona Sinclair, Associate DirectorRichard Smith, Exhibitions & Events OfficerJo Towers, Box Office CoordinatorJames Wooldridge, Head of Marketing & Communications

our casuals & student ambassadors

We are really proud of them and this year would not have been such a success without their enthusiasm, support and assistance.

Casual staff: Jacqueline Baker, David Butler, Aliki Chapple, Adam Gregory, Sharadha Kariyawasam, Alex Leonard, Chris Osbourne, David McBride.

Student ambassadors: Stephanie Jessop, Ellie Cootes, Anthony Hope, Ella Walker, Katie Smith, Matt LaCoste, Tom Kirk, Lowri Jones, Ruth Kirby, Tania Mahmoud, Richard Wilson, Marcus Lilley, Robyn Pawlow, Emma Bagnall-Storey, David Butler, Elena Pastou, Gavin Walker, Chloe McLellan, Lizzi Counsell, Kate Kennelly, Rebekah Fuller, Abi Barrington.

thank youOur activity is only possible with a huge network of funders, partner organisations and the following supporters - thank you...

Lancaster University, Arts Council England, LICA, Lancaster Arts Partners (Storey Gallery, Litfest, Dukes, Ludus, More Music, Green Close Studios, Musicians Co-op), LUSU, the staff, students and alumni of Lancaster University, Lancaster City Council, the Friends of Lancaster Concerts, the Peter Scott Gallery Trust, all our project and co-commissioning partners, our student ambassador team, all front of house, technical and box office casual staff and volunteers, the Great Hall cleaners and porters, and of course the artists, audience members, participants and attenders that make the whole thing live.

“...one of the few organizations in the UK, perhaps in the world, committed to adventure and risk, and we are only one group among many who have

benefited from their dedication.” Matthew Goulish, Dramaturg and Performer (Chicago)

NUFFIELD THEATREL A N C A S T E R

‘Nuage vert’ HeHeEnvironment 2.0, Peter Scott Gallery, Autumn 2009