ARTISTS TALKING

# 103 [24 September 2009]

Just back from the planet of NY. My first visit. City of  culture, cash, cheese, contradictions - and a place to put my complex life into perspective.

I should have left the mobile at home - a phonecall at 6am was an enquiry about a studio space. Only one glimpse at the emails revealing  another query about setting up studios. This time from Glasgow. I didn't open up all the emails - that would have been really sad ( even in the Big Apple).

# 102 [13 September 2009]

Phew! Busy playing catch-up which has meant a few late evenings and meetings. October looks like being a mega busy month with a Big Draw and the Open Studios.

I've never been involved in the Big Draw but this one, a well established event in Southwell Minster takes place on 17th Oct this year - and I'm both nervous and excited about it.

I am responsible for connecting with 4 local primary schools and we are aiming to project work made prior to the day onto a screen. Through newsletters we are hoping to encourage parents and grand parents to come on the day. (A creative way of accessing a massive audience).

The ADOs at Newark and Sherwood have been fantastic.  James Parkinson has arranged for flyers and posters to be printed and distributed to libraries, library vans and some other public places. (Some spares for us too). Oh... and £50 for materials.

Me and Heather are creating a giant Noah's Ark with scope for creatures of land, sea and sky. I have suggested in fancy dress and masks in the newsletter - which will provide inspiration for the drawing as well as creating a colourful spectacle. A tower of Babel, maps and portraits are just some of the projects organised. Brilliant!

# 101 [5 August 2009]

I am not cut out for this! We had some amazing applications for the HMS Exhibition Space to show during the open studios event in October.

We are an unfunded organisation so targeting artists had to be done on a budget. We achieved this through listings on AN, Axis and Artquest. Thank you! Result!

What has taken me an age is writing to artists who weren't successful. I feel their pain.

# 100 [27 July 2009]

After a run of incidents, issues and bad luck Iwas hoping to post some more positive thoughts on the blog. Bad stuff happens but a break would be good. Running the studios has been a virtual process of late, but thank goodness for emails and the web.

A pain in my side 2 weeks ago turned out to be a twisted ovary with a dermiod cyst, the size of an orange attached. (Google the horror and see what monsters they are - hair and teeth etc ugh) An emergency operation to remove the alien has left me sore and a bit infected. 

I missed Steffie Richard's PV and only managed a peak when I went to the studios for a glimpse of the work last week. Great work and Steffie is working hard to promote it. We really need to look at raising the profiel of the space and funding for marketing.

# 99 [1 June 2009]

Crunch! We have just been notified that the HMS Erewash residency funding has been pulled for the 2009 Derby graduates. You always know when there has "been a long discussion" and it was "a hard decision", that the news is not good.

Instead money is being diverted to nurture another creative industry -which I think is great. As we have a healthy waiting list and we never budgeted for public funding, HMS will be fine. 

However, we will miss the energy and freshness of the Derby graduates.  I have already been approached by students this year and so it's a shame this unique opportunity is going.

We are talking to ex-Loughborough students about some joint ventures and discussion groups... so there aare other ways of connecting with graduates.

Now we are two! Just getting our head round the Open Studios in October. Funnily enough, now we don't receive the bursary from the council we can apply for funding for marketing - what's that saying about a silver lining?

# 98 [11 May 2009]

I wish I could go to all my previews. I currently have drawings in an exhibition in Paju Book, Seoul, Korea.

# 97 [9 May 2009]

50 - 60 visitors turned up to the private view of 'Emissaries From The Past' at HMS so the place was alive. From Felixstowe to Hinkley different generations congregated to view Dee Shiel's first solo show.

We had an idea... we tend to attract families and whilst the kids might be drawn to the work for a while, their concentration dims when adults start talking. So we thought we might set up a table for youngters with crayons and paper etc. We could set little projects related to the show. Why didn't we think of that before?

# 96 [1 May 2009]

Our decision to return to the UK was made for a number of reasons but I really missed the vibrant artists' community in Notts. We couldn't make it in one as we had to follow the jobs However, after a couple of years in Essex we are back.

And in times of credit and crunch it's a great place to be. In the last 2 weeks I've been to shows, talks and events in Stoke, Derby Nottingham and Leicester (Sheila Ravnkilde's installation at the Richard Attenborough Centre is a must). All for free! Yesterday I was a bit late for an inspirational talk by Mel Brimfield at The New Art Exchange. This was organised by Nottingham Trent Uni who are putting on a series of seminars for artists - all freebies.

Nottingham is a buzz. Next Tuesday I'm hoping to make the debate at Tether as well as the pv of Banalarama at the Surface Gallery. Wednesday will be Broadway and Thurs.... The problem is finding time to make work mmmm.

# 95 [24 April 2009]

In a previous life  Jem and I set up painting holidays in France.  We followed a similar process when developing HMS and I often refer to the experience when discussing the studios... which happened on Wednesday.

First lots of research ... and yes there was a demand for painting holidays. We looked at the stats which referred to the huge numbers of leisure painters and their interest in painting holidays. 

We looked at preferred accomodation, which region would appeal and what others had to offer. Shared bathrooms were a no no and we settled for accomodation on the edge of Riberac, a small town in the Dordogne.

We marketed the holidays in two magazines targeted at leisure painters. I set up a website with all the details and set the ball rolling 4-5 months before our first week .  Jem created a menu ( my cooking would definitely put people off) and I created an itinery.  Between us we were hosts, teachers, cooks, cleaners, drivers, bookkeepers, graphic designers, gardeners, waiters etc etc.  Hard work but great fun! We had a waiting list by the end of our first year!

Developing a successful business in France gave us the confidence to set up the studios.

http://www.jackieberridge.co.uk/franceweb/index.html

# 94 [21 April 2009]

Tmorrow night I am meeting a group who are interested in expanding and possibly setting up studios.