As part of AirSpace Gallery's period of programme and organisational
reflection, research and development, ahead of our intended programme of
works 2019-2021, we embarked on a series of research visits to relevant
organisations across the country.
In late 2018, I visited Site Gallery in Sheffield and spoke with Executive Director Judith Harry. I was particularly interested in their organisational development, but also to hear about their major - and at the time imminent - Capital Development Project.
SITE Gallery
Site Gallery is
Sheffield’s international contemporary art space, specialising in moving image,
new media and performance.
Pioneering emerging art practices
and ideas, we work in partnership with local, regional and international
collaborators to nurture artistic talent and support the development of
contemporary art.
At the heart of what we do, is to
connect people to artists and to art, inspiring new thinking and debate through
our exhibitions, talks, events and other public activity.
We work with early career to
established artists to commission new work, produce solo and group shows,
deliver residencies, performances, events and community programme. Through
diverse programming, we reveal the process of making art and invite our
audiences and participants to engage, explore and connect.
In 2018 Site Gallery re-opened
after a building programme which trebled the scale of its public area. We now have a large scale gallery, a
dedicated projects space, café and shop as well as a beautiful new façade and
main entrance.
ROLES
Executive
Director
Artistic
Director
Curator
Curator
(City of Ideas)
Producer
(City of Ideas)
Engagement
Curator
Technical
and Operations Coordinator
Ops
and Front of House Manager
Finance
Manager
Finance
Assistant
Marketing
and Commercial Manager
Young
People's Programme Producer
Programme
Assistant
Site has been operational for 40 years -
transforming from a photographer’s gallery (originally set up by Sheffield
Hallam photography graduates in an out of town space) into a long standing
RFO>NPO organisation and one of the country’s leading contemporary art
spaces, with a focus on performance, film and new media.
At the time of interview, Site were about to unveil a brand
new ACE funded Capital build - which trebled the scale of its public area,
increasing its Gallery spaces, adding a café and shop. The interview here, and
the experience of Site, was of interest to AirSpace as we are exploring any
city’s need for a large scale Contemporary Visual Arts venue, the political
will to see that happen, the viability and the process of large scale capital
funding.
The initial plan for Site’s new build started in 2012 with a
rejected bid - rejected because of an unrealistic scale of ambition. The
process of putting that bid together, allowed for it to be unpicked to form a
more realistic workable plan was submitted in 2013. The new design plan
specifically answered the challenges at the heart of Site’s business strategy.
The importance of Arts Council’s funding conditions informed this - a clear
condition is that they will only fund capital projects that ensure
organisational resilience and financial stability. The strategy for income generation
with the new build here is to make the building pay for itself - through the
lease of space such as its business units, leasing the new project space to
other cultural and commercial organisations, developing a larger audience that
will spend time and money in the Gallery, in its café (which is leased out) and
shop which will stock editions from artists working with Site.
Atop of and necessary for this financial resilience, one of
the 5 goals for the capital project was to
create a competitive artistic offer
- before the expansion, the smallness of the gallery space limited the quality
and scale of exhibitions and works the team were looking to programme. Despite
the organisation’s reputation for quality, potential touring partners would
inevitable be deterred by the small size and potential of the space. Finding
arts partners and co-commissioning touring shows forms a major part of the
financial model.
Through, and as a result of the new build and capital
expansion, staffing at Site increased to project manage the capital process,
and then to cope with the increase in its output - adding an operations and
front of house manager and a full time curator - taking full-time and project
roles to 13 posts. (In 2012, this had been 4 full time posts - Executive Director,
Artistic Director, Marketing and Technical - and 1 part time post - Finance.
All other roles were volunteers).
It is of key interest that an early strategy at Site was
around increasing personnel capacity, through long term funding - via funding
bodies such as Paul Hamlyn, Esmee Fairbairn and Arts Council’s Business Development
Grants and Catalyst programme - which funded roles on a long term basis, and
bought time freeing up the schedule of the directors to allow their
organisational restructuring vision to flourish. Judith’s background was in
fundraising, and Laura Sillars the new Artistic Director, believed in the
strategic importance of fund raising within her position.
A fascinating part of the discussion here was about the role
of fundraising and fund-finding within the organisation.
“ I don’t really believe in
employing fundraisers - I think everyone (in the organisation) needs to fundraise.
Everyone in this organisation, now, has got specific areas within their job
description which is about income generation. So it’s either fund-raising or
commercial, but everyone knows exactly what they’re doing.”- Judith Harry
This approach allows for a team ethic towards the future
prosperity of the organisation, and a sense of ownership of the organisation,
and upskilling of individuals within the organisation. The emphasis is on long
term roles but not necessarily for a specific individual to be in that role for
a long time - an expectation is more that an individual might be with Site for
a certain amount of time, and to give all of your energy to your role, take
advantage of the support and experience of the organisation to become better at
what you do, and leave a more rounded and able practitioner.
Judith made clear the importance of Stakeholder support and
political will to allow for their expansion, and more holistically, for the
City’s emergence as a cultural hub. Arts Council funding comes with a proviso
that the City Council were also heavily invested. For this capital project,
Sheffield Council gave their building, on a 25 year peppercorn lease, plus a
significant sum towards match funding the project - along with a level of trust
in the organisation to allow Site to get on and deliver a programme for
themselves and the city. Crucially, throughout the process, The Arts Council
and the City Council developed and maintained a close relationship - meeting
regularly to assess progress, continued support for Site to ensure best
practice through the project.
Also clear was the need for experience of Capital funding
within the organisation. At the time of planning, Site had this experience on
their board, through their Chair and also Claire Lilley - a Site Board Member
and head of Programmes at Yorkshire Sculpture Park who have delivered multiple
Capital projects. Also, Judith had been working on a capital project prior to
her arrival in Sheffield. This experience allowed for a good start to the
vision and approach to Arts Council - helping to get the pitch right,
especially following the initial rejection, helping to shape the resubmission,
and understand exactly what was being asked for and why. Following this, the
Arts Council’s robust procedures at every stage offered the necessary framework
for planning. Strategically, the employment of a freelance consultant at this
early stage proved invaluable for advice.
----------
On the surface, such a huge redevelopment and such large
ambition might seem way beyond a small artist-led organisation like AirSpace -
yet it was clear from talking with Judith Harry, that despite its longstanding,
before the arrival of her and artistic director, Laura Sillars, in 2011, Site
wasn’t a huge organisation - it was a small version/organisation of what had
the potential to be a bigger institution. The thing that changed in the years
prior to 2011, then was that the vision and ambition for what Site could
potentially be, shifted - upwards - through a new Chair of the Board and strategic
appointments.
Finally, a common theme emerged, as I heard how important
the developing cultural infrastructure in the city is - a fraternal
relationship of support between all of the city’s arts organisations and
venues, built on communal activity such as the Arts Sheffield Festivals, which
tests the strengths of those relationships, but ultimately forms lasting
organisational bonds, and an understanding of each organisation’s value. Many
of the city’s organisations have worked together on Catalyst consortium
projects, and Ambition for Excellence projects.
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