Oxford City Council has launched CREATE, a peer-to-peer, cultural micro-funding and collaboration event, which is offering new opportunities for artists to pitch for some cash.
Hannah Wilmshurst
Launched earlier this year, the CREATE project invites Oxford's artists, writers, performers, filmmakers, musicians and community groups to pitch their projects to secure funding, and to develop collaborative initiatives with others across the city. Arts supporters and attenders donate to a funding pot which is then doubled by Oxford City Council's culture team. Up to six artists or cultural groups are selected to pitch projects, which are voted for by supporters on the night. The project with the most votes then wins the funding.
The project was created by Ceri Gorton, the Council’s cultural development manager, to help artists develop their entrepreneurial skills and provide financial security to keep their work sustainable. It has already raised over £2,500.
The total pot of money has increased since our first event which proves that Oxford is passionate about culture
The first event took place in March at the Jam Factory and saw six local artists undertake a six-minute pitch for funding. The winner was the TocTok carnival project, an association of Oxfordshire artists, who were awarded £526. This enabled the group to undertake its first project working with 25 children from a local secondary school to devise and build a unique contribution to the 2013 Cowley Road Carnival. The project chose the theme of the changing of the River Thames, or The Isis as it is more often known in Oxford. Taking inspiration from the goddess Isis – of nature and magic, friend of artisans and the downtrodden – the ‘Isis puppet’ emerged to tower above all else on the day.
Ceri said: “The total pot of money has increased since our first event which proves that Oxford is passionate about culture and takes a keen interest in new and ambitious artists who want to further their projects. The most recent event raised £1,306 for the winning pitch from theatre-maker Ellen Havard. The response has been incredibly positive and we plan on continuing with the project in the future, with the aim of giving the people of Oxford ownership of the city’s cultural offering. The host venues for each event offer their facilities for free and provide much-needed support, so we are focused on maintaining and strengthening our relationships with venues in the city in order for the project to continue being sustainable in the future.
“We promote CREATE through various events listings, media relations with arts and culture journalists, and through CREATE and Oxford City Council Twitter feeds. Our Twitter accounts are a great way for us to build on relationships with local venues and cultural partners, as we can post about other cultural events across the town and try to support local arts wherever possible.
To give something back to event attenders and supporters, we will be hosting an end of year party in December where all past winners will share updates on their projects and how they have used the money."
The second winner Joe Lott, from Joe Lott Dance, said of the project: “When I first heard about the CREATE project, it sounded perfect for us. Formal funding documents can be very complicated and it is often difficult to show what the project is all about on paper. We were able to really show what we’re doing. It was also a fantastic way for us to practise pitching in front of a whole room of people – a great confidence builder.”