artists - studios - events - the steeple arts
August 2009 Newsletter
The Year So Far
Following the appointment of a new Board earlier in the year, there has been a great deal of heart-searching about the best way forward for the Steeple project. One outcome of the discussions is that the former Fife Arts Cooperative has been reconstituted as SteepleArts, a company with the specific brief of administering the project space in The Steeple at 67 High Street, Newburgh.
The Remit
The original wider vision of Fife Arts Cooperative has been distilled into the function of the new company, whose trustees are responsible for its strategic vision and financial probity.
The project space is rented from WASPS, who own and maintain the Steeple. SteepleArts is a tenant of the building in the same way as the artists who rent the adjoining studios. When WASPS bought the building, they undertook to encourage and facilitate community use of the project space for Arts purposes, and SteepleArts is the group in the community that undertakes that commitment on their behalf.
The board has made the strategic decision to use the coming year to try to establish a sustainable use of the space by the community without the pressure, dependency and time requirements demanded by the process of making regular grant applications. Our minimum target is to raise enough revenue to cover the yearly rent of £3,000 which we pay to WASPS.
The Vision
Our aim is to encourage the development of a series of independent community Arts groups which will hire the project room to use as a base, alongside regular workshops, classes and exhibitions. The new monthly music concerts, set up by Louise Moran, have already proved a success, and could serve as a fruitful model for other potential users of the space. Plans are well advanced for a film society which will start later in the year, and other possibilities include drama, creative writing and singing groups. The viability of such groups will depend on their relevance to, and ownership by, the local community. If you are interested in getting involved, please let us know.
The Creative Group
The board has set up a sub-group which is charged with the artistic development of the space. This involves generating bookings and forging interactive links with the local community. New ideas and active involvement by new members are more than welcome!. If you, or anyone you know, have a class, workshop, exhibition, concert or anything with an Arts slant that you would like to put on in the Steeple, what's stopping you? Just get in touch and do it! It isn't expensive - hiring the space costs £7.50 per hour, £45 per day at the weekend, £90 for a whole weekend or £150 for a week.
Inaugural Event
Our embryonic programme of events and activities kicks off in October with Red Star White Flower, an exhibition of Chinese Propaganda Posters in recognition of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. This fascinating collection was amassed by Board member Ingrid Haas during two years' teaching work in China in the mid 1980s - don't miss this unique opportunity to see it.
Board Members
The five board members are Louise Moran (chair), Pete Cooper (treasurer), Julie Goring, Ingrid Haas and Mandy Foley.
