Editorial by Kenny Mathieson
New Maps For Old?
1 Dec 2010
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE is something that we are hearing more and more about these days, and if it is not yet widespread in the arts world, that is a scenario that may change, according to a number of speakers at last month’s Old Maps and New Conference in Inverness.
Social Enterprise’s particular mix of entrepreneurial spirit with benefiting the community may well have applications in many settings across the Highlands & Islands. Its proponents (including Naomi Johnson of First Port and Brian Weaver of HISEZ) frequently acknowledged that is not for everyone and would not apply in all situations, but with funding available to kick-start ventures, it may well be worth investigating if you are a community or artistic grouping.
It seemed less obviously applicable to the individual practitioner, and the conference did not have a great deal to say directly to them, although the main representatives of funding bodies present – notably Andrew Dixon of Creative Scotland and Colin McLean of the Heritage Lottery Fund – were reasonably upbeat on the prospects, and the Scottish Government’s subsequent budget proposals did not hit the Arts as badly as many feared.
The Old Maps and New Conference
The main cautionary note that emerged for me regarding the Social Enterprise model was the need for co-operation and collaboration, something that does not always sit well with the individualistic nature of artists or the territory-protecting instincts of community groups, and it will be interesting to see how the possibilities discussed at length over the two-day Conference manifest themselves on the ground.
I liked Andrew Dixon’s propensity for straight-talking, even if he admitted he was holding back some juicy morsels for his Sabhal Mòr Ostaig lecture at the end of November (the text of which we hope to bring you on Northings shortly), although delivering on good intentions will inevitably be a much stiffer task in the current climate.
By common consent, the stars of the show were Taigh Chearsabhagh’s Dana MacPhee and Gwilym Gibbons from Shetland Arts, both of whom demonstrated in their presentations just how much is possible away from the urban centres, given the right attitude, the right people, and a whole lot of vision and determination.
HI-Arts’ first experiment with PechaKucha was also a great success, with ten informative and entertaining quick-fire presentations from organisations as diverse as Arts Play Highland, UHI Creative Industries, Highland Print Studio, Timespan, the Gaelic Arts Project and Mull Theatre, as well as HISEZ and First Port.
For those unable to attend or to log in to the live webcast at the time, the proceedings can still be viewed via Northings.
© Kenny Mathieson, Editor, 2010
I can’t really agree, George, I came away encouraged by the conference, particularly the approaches being taken by Dana and Gwilym to build successful arts centres which do provide work for artists. Community Trusts and arts groups still have access to Lottery and other funds and artists can work with them in their projects. Hi-arts supports artists in lots of ways through publicising their work, the writing and music co-ordinators etc. Collaboration with other artists and community groups is one of the ways forward and I’m going to Orkney in January to work with dancers, musicians and archaeologists at the Pier Arts Centre.
The government defines social enterprises as “businesses with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.”
What a shame such a splendid idea was not circulating before the government privatised British Gas.
That 7% price hike is going to play havoc with heating kilns all over the Highlands this winter…
In my mind there is a difference between cultural enterprise, social enterprise and cultural social enterprise. Running a cafe in an arts venue is surely a cultural enterprise -and can only be social if specific benefits are made for staff, due care is taken over sourcing of drink/food provided etc. I would be asking any organisation that calls itself a social enterprise how they put people first -and that would include staff (wherever they may be based) as well as the public/audience. Or am I maybe a wee bit old-fashioned in thinking that ‘social’ actually refers to people and not ‘other income streams’ out with funding. This is the kind of debate I would like to see.
George
We’d welcome a debate, and some input from the practicing artists out there – as I said in the piece, they didn’t get much of a focus in the remit of that particular event. The issues you raise go much wider.
Dear Kenny
were you at the same conference as me? How about some critical dialogue – there was none at the conference. It ws ashop window for HIE to sell them selves to CS. What is the future for the arts in the Highlands and Islands? What are we going to do now that there is no money? What use are HIE and Hi-Arts, actually, to living artists? Moray is threatening to abadon cultural provision all together. Highland is forming an at arms length trust. Where is the debate? Stop being so complacent.