Artist-led spaces are commonly unsustainable in their development. Why?
“Artists spaces across the UK are historically self-organised, under-resourced and are prone to experiencing burn-out and we are committed to addressing this.” Karen Watson, Artistic Director, East Street Arts
Guild was a large-scale project (2018-2023) developed by East Street Arts that was initially made possible by Arts Council England’s Sector Support fund, in 2018. The ethos of Guild, however, had been anticipated in our work for over 20 years – interrogating the sustainability of artist-led spaces in how they are instigated, developed, funded, governed, used and created by artists.
The aim of this programme was to curate a group of artists, collectives, and organisations from across England to network, share their learning, support each other’s development and collectively practise in a sustainable way.
Who is the Guild cohort?
The Guild cohort was initially 20 artist-led groups selected from a national call-out, stretching the length and breadth of the country. The groups demonstrated the incredible range of artists’ spaces in the UK. This was then extended to 25 in 2020 due to the increased need for support in the sector following the Covid-19 pandemic.
What happened during Guild?
Over five years of programmed activity included: research, collaborations, networking, digital commissions and virtual residencies, collective conversations, studio swaps, funding, seed funding, mentoring and ad hoc support for the Guild Cohort.
A full breakdown of Guild, including a full portfolio of programme activity, an evaluation and supporting data can be found in the Guild Publication. The publication was commissioned at the end of the project as a resource and manifesto to launch the legacy of the project – Hive, a conference that invites the sector together to continue the work established during Guild.
Evaluation and impact
Our final evaluation and impact report contextualises and documents Guild’s approach, programme of activity, collaborations and research, legacy and next steps. The evaluation provides practical recommendations and suggestions on how to inform future development, funding and activities.
The legacy of Guild: Hive
Having evaluated and published the outcomes and learnings of Guild, it was clear that this work had only just begun. Understanding, interrogating and developing the ecology of artist-led spaces needed to continue in a collective effort of the sector. East Street Arts and Researcher Dr. Benedetta d’Ettorre, therefore, began brainstorming about what’s next. They considered how they could establish a format by which the sector can continue to share, learn and develop their spaces and practises sustainably. It was this provocation that led to the development of Hive – a biennial conference that invites academics, peers and collaborators of the arts sector to work together, exchange knowledge and advocate for a more sustainable ecology of artist-led spaces.
The first Hive conference was produced by East Street Arts and held at The Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds, on Monday 22 May 2023.
Guild was made possible with the invaluable support from partners including Key Fund, the University of Leeds, a-n, The Artist Information Company, ACAVA, Creative Industries Federation & Unlimited.
