‘Funding Focus’ was OAUK’s new programme of free events for Summer 2023 to help Outdoor Arts practitioners & companies hit the jackpot when it comes to funding & fundraising.
We went to Hat Fair, B:D Festival, GDIF & Freedom Festival – see below for a summary and live video of each event…
We live and work in hugely challenging times – cash is tight everywhere you look and for those working in the arts, just the thought of seeking new funding can cause major panic or a minor brain freeze. And let’s not forget environmental issues, international conflicts and wonky global politics…
So, if you are feeling lost in the lands of applications and spreadsheets, these free informal sessions were designed to be a friendly space to share your frustrations, explore ideas together and reignite your funding mojo…
These free sessions were for artists, companies, arts organisations and festivals of any size or any experience. Documented in video, our funding focus sessions are now available to be watched, paused for note taking, and studied from the comfort of wherever you choose to watch them.
Hat Fair
Winchester | Sat 1 Jul
This edition took place at Hat Fair – the longest-running outdoor arts festival in the country, with a unique hybrid model of paid artists and ‘hatting’ buskers.
We’ll heard from Sarah Davis (Winchester Business Improvement District Manager), Lottie Donovan (Fundraising Consultant, previously Head of Development at Bristol Watershed) and Andrew Loretto (Hat Fair Director).
B: D Festival
Bradford | Sat 29 Jul
Following our conference earlier in 2023, OAUK was thrilled to be making a return to Bradford, where we made so many new connections while dancing in the cathedral! B:D Festival is a new council-initiated festival, so we considered the importance of outdoor work in the run-up to Bradford2025.
We’ll be hearing from Karen Gallagher, creative consultant with Karen Gallagher & Associates and former Artistic Director for Merseyside Dance Initiative; Jennifer Hall, Senior Research Fellow at Born In Bradford; Phil Hargreaves, Head of Creative Programmes/ B:D Festival-lead at Bradford Council and chaired by Angus MacKechnie, Director of OAUK.
GDIF
Greenwich | Sat 26 Aug
For this edition of Funding Focus, OAUK returned to Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, which has a concentration on new work and inspirational international visitors, with an important emphasis on diversity.
We heard from David Johnson, Director of Strategy and Programmes at Cause4, Bradley Hemmings, Artistic Director of GDIF and Adriana Marques of the Peabody Trust, chaired by Angus MacKechnie, Director of OutdoorArtsUK.
Freedom Festival
Hull | Sun 3 Sep
OutdoorArtsUK was really happy to return to Hull, where we have had a presence for several years, including our conference in the distant days before the City of Culture arrived…
We heard from Mikey Martins, Artistic Director & CEO of Freedom Festival, Nesta Sheehan, Producer at Back to Ours, Kath Wynne Hague, Head of Culture, Place and City Centre at Hull City Council, and Angus MacKechnie (Director of OutdoorArtsUK).
