Richmond Arts Service shared resources and took advantage of new funding opportunities by working in partnerships, say Pippa Joiner and Emma Cookson.
In the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames we have been able to maintain a high level of arts and cultural activity, providing strategic leadership for local cultural and heritage sector partners despite the current economic climate and the continuing challenges of the cultural sector. Richmond Arts Service is experienced in partnership working, acting as the local strategic lead in initiating projects and sharing best practice, as well as supporting the capacity of smaller partner organisations on a number of projects and initiatives.
Working with a variety of partners has been beneficial in sourcing new avenues of funding opportunities
The Arts Service, and our accredited museum Orleans House Gallery, have tackled a number of commonly faced issues and needs within the sector. In 2014 we led a capacity building project with 11 partner museums in west London funded by Arts Council England (ACE). This helped partners to think strategically about their volunteer programmes and upskill staff. Working in partnership allowed the museums to share resources and training and build a valuable network whose links have subsequently been sustained.
Taking the strategic lead, the Arts Service has been able to develop innovative shared programming which aligns our plans with local anniversaries and events. We hold regular programming meetings and forward plan for anniversaries with a range of stakeholders, allowing us to extend the quality and impact of our programming beyond what is individually possible. Such collaborative ways of working have especially benefitted smaller community-led organisations which have enjoyed a wider platform for the promotion of their projects through joint marketing. Programmes have included ‘Royal Connections’ in 2012 which celebrated the Diamond Jubilee and explored Richmond’s past and present royal connections. Current programming includes First World War commemorations (2014 to 2018).
Working with a variety of partners has been beneficial in sourcing new avenues of funding opportunities. For our recent ‘ARThouse on the High Street’ project, we worked with the independent charity Arts Richmond to create a visual arts hub, animating an empty shop on Twickenham high street and providing space for creative skills-sharing for the local community. The partnership enabled us to access regeneration funds, which encompassed opportunities for creative input. We have also worked with council colleagues to explore wider pan-London initiatives and through such endeavours have accessed funding opportunities such as ACE’s ‘Dance in Libraries’ grant stream.
We have also developed relationships with neighbouring local authorities, sharing plans for future activities and ensuring they complement each other through coordinated timings and linking of themes. Richmond is a lead borough in a consortium of seven outer London boroughs in a two-year programme called ‘The Streets’, which brings high-quality arts and culture to the high streets of seven outer London boroughs. This has brought tangible benefits, such as reaching new audiences, creating higher-profile events, sharing resources and programming costs for artists.
At Richmond we look forward to further developing our partnership work as well as engaging audiences and partners across the cultural sector and beyond – now and into the future.
Pippa Joiner is Arts and Heritage Development Co-ordinator and Emma Cookson is Arts Festivals Manager at Orleans House Gallery, which houses the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames’s Arts Service.
www.richmond.gov.uk/arts
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