Arts organisations in Scotland and North East England will move towards new operating structures and practices by working together, through a series of six pilot projects supported by Missions, Models, Money (MMM). Its previous research showed “significant unrealised potential for arts and cultural organisations to leverage their own talents and those of other organisations by working together on developing mergers, back office consolidations and joint ventures”. The pilot projects are part of its fourth phase of work, entitled ‘Designing for Transition’, and are funded by the Scottish Arts Council (SAC), Arts Council England and the Northern Rock Foundation. The projects include a technology-sharing initiative to increase public engagement opportunities among the five National Performing Arts Companies in Scotland; a long-term capitalisation strategy for a group of arts organisations in Newcastle Gateshead including The Sage, BALTIC and Northern Stage; and a system for rationalising access to and use of rehearsal and development space for emerging work in the performing arts in the North East. Morag Arnot, Acting Deputy Chief Executive of SAC, said that “the overextension and undercapitalisation of the sector needs to be addressed, both by SAC and by arts organisations themselves especially in the current economic climate. Supporting collaboration, consolidation and other long term co-operative activities between organisations is one contribution to this critical issue.”
w: http://www.missionmodelsmoney.org.uk
Published: 01-06-2009