The Importance Of Artists Voices by Paschale Straiton

Hello. I’ve been asked to share some thoughts about my experience of being on the Artists Advisory Group for Without Walls, so this is written for those who would like to find out more and may be interested to join.

The story so far:

I joined the group when it started two years ago, along with seven other artists, from a range of artforms, ages and lived experience. As a group, we’ve reflected particularly on how Without Wall communicates with artists, looking at call-out materials for commissions and the package of support on offer, as part of the commissioning process. We have shared our insights about how we see the state of things from our personal perspectives, within our fabulous and challenged arts ecology. We also contributed to the selection process for the annual programme, though we didn’t score the proposals, we were invited to ask questions and provide input on the process, advising on the overall experience with the group later on.

In the ‘indoor arts world’ (if I can call it that!) artists and producers tend to forge partnerships at the head of strategic organisations.

I’m mainly talking about organisations that are regularly funded by Arts Council England (National Portfolio Organisations or NPOs for short). Being from a theatre background myself, I’ll use the example of a regional theatre. The common pattern is for the theatre to be run by an Artistic Director and an Executive Director. In general terms, the Artistic Director curates a programme of work and most likely directs several shows each year. The Executive Director takes responsibility for the financial stability of the organisation. If the relationship between both is harmonious then of course their roles dovetail and complement each other. There’s an acknowledgement that there are two ends to the spectrum of their joint mission. And of course, both will be responsible to and be steered by a board of trustees, who may bring a range of professional experience to bear. And they will be supported by a network of employees and volunteers.

There are some outdoor arts NPOs that are comparable to this model but they are few and far between. Much of our infrastructure is shaped around festivals, which tend to be run by a small team of producers. In recent years they have been joined by Creative People and Places Projects (another Arts Council initiative) who amongst other things, often run outdoor events too. Many of these brilliant folk have been practicing artists themselves, have a strong commitment to supporting artists and are happy to get ‘stuck in’. However, often the job requires them to wrap the Artistic and Executive Director roles together. The pressure of delivering a festival is compact and complex, meaning that it can be hard to maintain relaxed relationships with artists with space to consider dramaturgy and their ongoing professional development. It’s extremely rare for an Artistic Director of a festival to direct a show that features in it. This is why it is crucial that strategic conversations about our sector actively include and prioritise the voices of its artists.

This is something that many artists have been shouting about for quite some time.

The National Association of Street Artists (NASA-UK) was created when the Independent Street Arts Network (ISAN) said that their shop was really for people to focus on how to manage festivals, rather than people who created art for them. Many members and associates have clamoured ever since for wider inclusion into strategic conversations, including Jon Beedell and Richard Headon (Desperate Men), Sue Auty (Whalley Range Allstars), Garth Williams (SafetyCatch), Chris Squire (Impossible Arts) with support from producers like Phil Haynes (Wye Valley River Festival), Loz Samuels (DOCA) and the inimitable Jeremy Shine.

Angus MacKechnie worked hard to bridge this gap by turning ISAN into Outdoor Arts UK (OAUK) and inviting artists into the membership. The board is now managed by a partnership between a producer (Camille Ben Soussan) and an artist (Lorna Rees). A range of prominent artists in our world have been given national recognition through MBEs including Jeanefer Jean-Charles. And, to bring us back to the case in point, Without Walls have gathered this group of artists together to help inform their processes, of which Jeanefer has been a member. Brilliant!

Of course, we’re all in it together to make ‘the thing’ happen, to create space for people to gather, to witness, to celebrate, to make mischief and to experience joy.

Artists have hands-on experiences with the general public. We meet people from across the political spectrum and those who are unrepresented. We play with children, both young and old varieties and remind those who’ve forgotten that they are. We interact with homeless and otherwise vulnerable people who seek out public spaces. We offer everyone an atmosphere of unconditional positive regard. We hold their hands and whisper into their ears. In essence, we’re like thermometers for our society. And we can, if we choose, work to inject as many doses of optimism into it as we can manage.

The opinions of artists count. Don’t get me wrong, it can feel like we’re going round in circles but if we don’t speak up then our voices can be lost.