Artsadmin is a UK-based organisation founded in 1979 by Judith Knight, MBE and Seonaid Stewart, providing project management, producing, support and resources for artists working in the fields of performance,

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

live art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

and mixed media work. They became increasingly aware of the lack of producing and administrative support for independent artists and companies, and set up Artsadmin as a reaction to this. Early partners included Hesitate and Demonstrate,

Mike Figgis Michael Figgis (born 28 February 1948) is an English film director, screenwriter, and composer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for his work in ''Leaving Las Vegas'' (1995). Figgis was the founding patron of the independent filmmakers o ...

, Pip Simmons,

Welfare State International Welfare State International was a British experimental theatre group formed in 1968 by John Fox and Sue Gill, Roger Coleman and others. It became "A collective of radical artists and thinkers who explored ideas of celebratory art and spectacle betwe ...

Smith and Goody ''Smith and Goody'' is a children's sketch show on ITV from the 1980s. It was made for the ITV network by Thames Television. It starred, and was written by Mel Smith (at the time, part of the ''Not The Nine O'Clock News'' show on BBC2) and Bob ...

and Natasha Morgan amongst others. They established a strong relationship with the Mickery Theater Amsterdam which provided a gateway to the rest of Europe, and many projects were subsequently co-produced in partnership with European theatres and festivals. Support from UK trusts and foundations enabled Artsadmin to provide forward-looking management that could sustain companies between projects to develop their work, and the company first received Arts Council funding in 1984. The organisation is still funded predominantly through a National Portfolio Organisation grant. Artsadmin continued to increase its portfolio to include companies and artists such

Station House Opera Station House Opera is a British performance art and theatre company. It was founded in 1980 by Julian Maynard Smith, who is still artistic director. Station House Opera had a long working relationship with Stichting Mickery Workshop in Amsterdam, ...

Amy Sharrocks Amy Sharrocks is a UK based live artist, sculptor, filmmaker and curator from London, England. Sharrocks' work focuses on collaboration and exchange, inviting people on journeys that they also help to create. She is known for large scale, live artw ...

Rosemary Lee Rosemary Lee is an English director, choreographer and performer. She has been working since the 1970s. producing large-scale installation pieces, site-specific and a range of mixed media works. The projects she creates revolve around the idea of ...

Larry Achiampong Larry Achiampong (born 1984) is a British Ghanaian artist whose work includes moving image; sculptural installation; photographic and painted collage; audio and visual archives; live performance; spoken word; recorded sound bytes and composed ...

Stacy Makishi Stacy Makishi is a Hawaiian-born performance artist, physical theatre and live art specialist. Her work often involves combining autobiographical experience and comedy with inspiration from fictional sources, such as Hollywood movies or novels. She ...

Nic Green Nic Green is a performance maker and activist, brought up in Yorkshire, but based in Glasgow. Her work is based on the environment, social responsibility and relationships. She is well known for her use of nudity on stage, for example ''Trilogy'' ...

Impact Theatre Co-operative Impact Theatre Co-operative was an experimental theatre company founded in Leeds, England. It was active between 1979 and 1986. The company's work was a fusion of text, music, visual and performance art. The company's major productions were: *' ...

DV8 ''DV8'' is a comic book published by Wildstorm. The series revolves around the lives of a group of Gen-Active people (Called DV8, or referred to as "The Deviants"), initially living in New York City under the supervision of Ivana Baiul, who send ...

, the

Bow Gamelan Ensemble The Bow Gamelan Ensemble was a group of musicians in Bow, London, England, who used elements of gamelan music. Formed in 1983 by Richard Wilson with Paul Burwell and Anne Bean, the group disbanded in 1990., ''AnneBean.net''. The ensemble created ...

Selina Thompson Selina Thompson is a performance artist based in the United Kingdom. Her work is focused on the way that identity shapes our lives and intersects with politics, the environment and topics such as freedom. Her work has been shown at Spill, Fierce, ...

and others, establishing relationships with many which have continued to the present day. In 1998 Artsadmin set up its bursary scheme. The aim of the scheme was to provide support for artistic research and process, providing flexibility according to each artist’s ideas. This was also the year that the free advisory service for artists was established. In 1995 Artsadmin moved from a tiny office in Clerkenwell to

Toynbee Toynbee is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Arnold Toynbee (1852–1883), British economic historian * Arnold Joseph Toynbee (1889–1975), British historian * Geoffrey Toynbee (1885–1914), English cricketer * Henry Toynb ...

Studios, an old drama school in London’s East End. Artsadmin was now able to offer artists space to develop work: rehearsal spaces, video resources and performance opportunities. Artsadmin remains at Toynbee Studios to this day. The building was refurbished in 2006 and includes six rehearsal and performance spaces, eight office spaces occupied by artists, companies and arts organisations, and an Artsadmin Canteen. Directors Gil Lloyd and Judith Knight received MBEs for their services to the arts in the New Years Honours 2008. Gill Lloyd left Artsadmin after 32 years and Deborah Chadbourn joined Artsadmin as Executive Director in 2018. Artsadmin celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019 and Judith Knight stepped down as Director after 40 years, with Róise Goan joining as Artistic Director. Ben Cooper-Melchiors joined as Executive Director in January 2022.

Directors

* Róise Goan, Artistic Director * Ben Cooper-Melchiors, Executive Director

Current projects

Artsadmin works with promoters, producers and other arts organisations in the UK and internationally to develop audiences for the work of its artists, and with other partner organisations on the development of support schemes and resources for artists.
Up in ArmsAnna-Maria Nabirye
and Annie Saunders
Tentacular Spectacular
Oozing Gloop
The Making of PinocchioCade and MacAskillWalking: Holding

Rosana Cade Rosana Cade is a Glasgow-based live performance artist. They are known mainly for their queer, feminist and activist approaches to work. They are notable for winning the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Awards 2016, for Physical/Visual Theatre with Cock ...

Cultural Exchange Rate

Tania El Khoury Tania El Khoury (born 1982) is a Lebanese live artist. In 2017, she was winner of the ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival International Prize for Live Art, the only international award for live art, attracting a EUR30,000 prize. Her work has be ...

Arty Parties
Tarik Elmoutawakil
Say Yes To Who Or What Turns UpJennie MoranArrivals + DeparturesYARA + DAVINA

Programmes

Season for Change

Season for Change
launched in 2020, led by Artsadmin and Julie's Bicycle, and supported by Arts Council England and

Paul Hamlyn Foundation Paul Hamlyn Foundation is a registered charity, and a company limited by guarantee which has been established in its current form since 2004, succeeding an earlier incarnation that was founded in 1987, which itself formalised established philanthr ...

. The first programme planned 18 months from 2020-21, as the world counted down to

COP26 The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, was the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 13 November 2021. The ...

, and aimed to mobilise artists and cultural organisations to put climate action at the heart of their creative practice and platform voices historically excluded from the climate conversation. Season for Change will return in 2023.

Another Route

Artsadmin is part of a consortium that leads o
Another Route
an artistic fellowship that enables a group of performance artists and artist-led companies to embark upon a remarkable journey to internationalise their creative practice through a sensitively curated 18-month programme of international events and residencies. The project is designed and led by a new consortium of independent artists and companies from across the UK who bring to the project a variety of different experiences of working internationally across a broad range of contexts, not always with formal institutional support.

ACT - Art, Climate, Transition

ACT is a European cooperation project on ecology, climate change and social transition, initiated by ten cultural organisations across the continent working in the fields of performing and visual arts and supported by the

Creative Europe Creative Europe is a European Union programme for the cultural and creative sectors. In its first phase, going from 2014 to 2020, it had a budget of € 1.47 billion, which were expanded to € 2.44 billion in its second phase (2021-2027). Hist ...

Programme of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

. ACT emerged from the cultural operators of the preceding Imagine 2020 programme. This European project evolved around raising awareness on the climate crisis, and presenting the arts as a strong designer of possible futures.

Artsadmin Youth

The Artsadmin Youth programme offers evening sessions in art and performance to 16-21 year old residents of

Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough covering much of the traditional East End. It was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Poplar, and Bethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originally ...

. Artsadmin Youth is supported by Be Part through the

programme of the

, The Simon Gibson Charitable Trust and the Allen & Overy Ben Ogden Memorial Fund.

Creative Criminal Justice

Artsadmin delivers multi-disciplinary creative projects in prisons and provide opportunities for people who have lived experience of the criminal justice system to engage in the arts after a prison sentence. Projects include Take Up Space and Unchained Nights. Artsasmin worked closely wit
Lady Unchained
- a poet, performer, host, facilitator and curator. Lady Unchained was a nominee for the New Voice Award 2020 by Audio Production Awards and Runner Up for CJA Awards 2020- Outstanding Documentary, winner of The Insight awards 2021 for Insight through Journalism. She received a Bronze award for her show Free Flow on

National Prison Radio National Prison Radio is the world's first national radio station for prisoners. It is run by the Prison Radio Association, a charity, in partnership with His Majesty's Prison Service and the National Offender Management Service. It broadcasts 24 ...

at the ARIAS Awards 2021 and she continues to challenge the ex-offender label through creativity. She also curated the Soul Journey To Truth Exhibition at

HOME A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

gallery in Manchester in partnership with

Koestler Arts Koestler Arts (formerly The Koestler Trust) is a Charitable organization, charity which helps ex-offenders, secure patients and detainees in the UK to express themselves creatively. It promotes the arts in prisons, secure hospitals, immigration ...

and Ripples of Hope Festival highlighting creativity within the criminal justice system in the North West.

Artist Support

Artsadmin has established a range of new opportunities for artists with a bursary and mentoring scheme (now ended),
creative support service
th
Radar
workshop series
Lab residencies
th
Artsadmin Anchor
weekly newsletter for artist opportunities, and a public programme at Toynbee Studios.

Bursary Recipients

References

External links

Artsadmin
*https://www.a-n.co.uk/news/artsadmin-bursary-artists-for-2020-21-announced/ *Season for change. https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/blog/season-change {{Authority control Arts in the United Kingdom