Hi everyone, It’s great to see the various arts projects starting to move forward and the web site taking shape. Well done Lisa and Graham! As Lisa has said, this is going to include artist profiles on the web and leaflets. I think this will be a big step forward in raising the profile of local arts and crafts and I’d like to help people with photography for these to show off what you can do. I’m offering to do some free profile photos, product/artwork photos and portraits of artists at work. I’m particularly hoping that the latter can be used as a showcase for what people are doing in the valley. If you’re interested or want to discuss any other ideas for collaboration you can reply here, email me on drctaylor [at] gmail [dot] com or speak to me at the next meeting. All the best,Chris Taylor

We have launched an arts and culture discussion forum on this site to enable creative practitioners in the valley to talk to each other.

Access the forum here - you need to be logged in to post to the forum. Register a user account here if you haven't got a login yet. Creating a user account is free.

We hope that the forum will complement other activities and communications channels designed to support and strengthen the creative community in the Colne Valley.

Aim:
To investigate the feasibility of a defined 'arts and culture' centre based in Slaithwaite or Marsden.
Achievements to date:

• Feasibility study undertaken by Knight Kavanagh Page and Burns Collett to investigate the potential for locating an arts facility in the Valley (Reported May 2007). The key findings identified the critical risks and potential benefits from such a facility:
  Critical success factors:
  • a cohesive working group
  • the development of a suitable management vehicle
  • premises – potentially sub-let from anchor tenant
  • ; the potential for Yorkshire Forward to invest in a long lease property
  • match funding
  • long term sustainability

Targets for the next twelve months:

• Refine the discussion with the arts sector locally whether there is scope for a commercial/community based facility – and how to deliver.

The major challenges of the project to date have been:

• Developing a consensus on what such a facility might be/do/have – this is ongoing.
• Identifying revenue funding to support the development of the facility and sector – this is a critical success factor.

It will be difficult to make an economic case for public investment based on the work undertaken so far; need to explore other types of funding and models of operation.