arts alive in north cambridgeshire libraries
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Summary
Arts Council award of £99,850 towards the delivery of
high quality arts experiences selected by the community
in 8 libraries across north Cambridgeshire (areas of low
arts engagement)
This builds on the successful Library Development
Initiative partnership project delivered in Fenland
Partners are AdEC (Arts Development East
Cambridgeshire ) and CS3 (Cultural Consortium for
Cambridgeshire and Suffolk)
LDI summary
Four Fenland Libraries
Library Friends Groups commissioned arts activities from CS3 with the support of AdEC
Diverse range of high quality activities in libraries (many a sell-out) – including theatre performance, comedy, creative writing, Manga workshops, photography
Building community (and arts organisation) recognition of libraries as flexible spaces for community use
Recognition that Libraries are trusted spaces for arts activity
Raising the level of aspiration and expectation in areas of the county often overlooked for arts events
Activity
Chatteris, Littleport, March, Ramsey, Sawtry, Whittlesey, Wisbech and Yaxley libraries
Timescale – completion by mid June 2016
Two rounds of commissioned arts activity of £3,800 for each library (i.e. £7,600 in total for each library)
Strong links to local communities for decision making and skills development
Building strong links between libraries and arts organisations
Budgets for marketing, project management, evaluation and equipment
Process
Steering Group in place to guide the project
Each library has a community decision making group
This group will be supported by Library staff and AdEC to design an arts brief linked to their locally defined outcomes
The brief will be openly circulated with bids for activity managed through the CS3 consortium
Bids will be collated into a costed menu
Community groups will choose the activities for their library Round 1 - Spring 2015
Income from ticket sales or sponsorship will be expected to build future sustainability
Process repeated for Round 2 of activity building on experience – for Autumn 2015
Links to other activity
Any activity will complement and link with “Creative People and Places” plans
Links with District and Town Council plans (such as festivals and local history)
Links with existing library activity such as “Summer Reading Challenge”, “Reading Aventures”, “ImagiNation”, book festivals, music tasters, reading groups and EngAGE events
Links with other arts activity such as the Young Fenland Cultural Consortium
Links with partners in the buildings such as Sawtry Village College, Children’s Centres, and a multitude of other users
Marketing via print, news releases, Shape Your Place and social media
Evaluation
Numbers of new people engaged with arts activity and feedback from events
Comparison with Arts Insight data and Active People Survey data
Success and sustainability of local commissioning model
Integration of new arts activity in libraries Impact of the activities on library use (new customers,
new opportunities and partnerships)Design of library and Community Hub spaces for arts
activityFeedback from community groups, AdEC, CS3 and
library staff
Learning so farThe time it takes for community consultation and
decision making
Managing ambitions upwards (rare opportunity to “give” funds)
Finding the right mix of people if there isn’t a Library Friends Group or partners group
Supporting and managing concerns over expectations from community groups
Need to create even more flexible library spaces
Value of leaving the commissioning process to Arts experts
The community energy that this releases for more activities
Library staff “letting go” but supporting where necessary