TIM HARRIS – ARTS AND CULTURAL CONSULTANT
Email: timharris1@ntlworld.com
1998-2005: Head of Arts, Nottinghamshire County Council, Culture and Community
1991-1998: Principal Arts Officer, Promotions and Development, Notts CC
1985-1991: Director, Trinity Arts Centre, Gainsborough, Lincs
1982-1985: freelance theatre actor, director, stage manager
Education:
1981-2 – MA in Modern Theatre, UC Cardiff
1978-81 – BA (2:1) Literary Studies
LOCAL AUTHORITY STRATEGIC ARTS PLANNING AND PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT
· 14 years with Notts County Council, 6 years as Head of Arts:
Responsibilities included:
- team of 30-35 staff
- annual budget of £1.2million
- grant aid approval, and liaison with key organisations
- joint arts programmes with other County Departments and local authorities
· County Council arts projects:
- created “INVOLVE”, a Partnership project with Social Services, aimed at developing arts work with day centres
- Joint projects with County Youth service, targeting disaffection
- Developing joint agendas with Tourism sector to develop visitors on the strength of an area’s cultural activity
- Environmental and performance programme in Country Parks
- established arts and education post to deliver arts contribution to curriculum delivery in Notts
- Development of strategic programmes with District, Borough and City authorities
- Grant aid to County arts organisations, and devised project grant application process for community aspirations
· Demonstrating Economic impact of culture on Nottinghamshire regeneration agenda – Regenerating through Creativity report, 2003 shows 1800+ jobs created 2001-03, 800 learning opps, and £400K consumer spend on craft retail.
From April, 2005: Arts and Cultural Consultant.
Current Clients:
Bolsover District Council – Public Art Strategy Development (Dec 07-April 08)
NE Lincs Council – management of DfES-funded CP schools project (Apr 07-Apr 08)
Derbyshire County Council – Public Art, Brook park development (Dec 07-Apr 08)
Newark & Sherwood DC – Economic Impact of Town Centre festivals (2007-9)
Change-up- Faith/Culture in the East Mids (ongoing)
Hull Artists Group- Funding and management of Fire sculpture project Feb 08Skipton Auction Mart Theatre (organisational development)
Recent Clients:
Surrey Arts Partnership (Local Authority Group) North Kesteven DC
Lincs County Council LAA Culture Advocacy Group Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Hull Artist Group
Neighbourhood Renewal, Nottm – (International options for the creative sector)
Nottinghamshire County Council, Education Hampshire Consortium of Local Authorities
Ryedale District Council Mansfield District CouncilCreative Partnerships, Hull Creative Partnerships, BAM Arts Council, East Midlands Firebird Trust, Lincolnshire,Cultivate – facilitation for Nottingham Asian Arts CouncilCulture EM – organisational development for Circle Arts, Worksop
ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
· Arts Strategy, Warwicks Wildlife Trust, 2006-7
· Chair, Nottingham City Arts, including Board development, reappraisal of core programmes, staff development
· Programmer, Trinity Arts Centre Gainsborough – autumn 06 to spring 07
· Founder-Board member, Long Journey Home Project to develop arts participation with exiled communities, East Midlands region
· Part-devised and initial steering group member of “Pride of Place Festival” for national rural touring theatre companies in 1998 – now established national event.
· Set up “Impact” training project for artists, in Nottinghamshire with Council and ACE funding (50K over 2 years to 2004)
· Private sector alliance to develop cultural programme with Thoresby Estates, North Notts with £ 0.5million investment, to develop touring theatre, gallery and artists studios (1999-2001)
· set up international collaboration with Valencia Fire Festival to develop network of innovative fire sculptures in North Notts communities – from initial visit in 2002 to large-scale celebration in Feb 2006; externally funded c£100K
· set up first rural touring programme in Notts, and coordinated from 1992-97; now generating 160 events per year.
· Developed Notts County Festivals Forum as creative network for community celebrations, with 25 community members
· Board member/observer of 10 independent arts organisations, including disability agency, over last 20 years
· Developed Notts CC-run performance company of adults with Learning Difficulties to independent status
· Options analysis and evaluation for Creative Partnership, Hull
BUSINESS PLANNING & FUNDRAISING
· Created Business Plan for series of European funding applications for Obj 2 cultural tourism programmes, 1998-2004, raising £3million from external sources, in partnership with private sector, heritage sites, education and learning, and arts agencies. This project set out to rebrand former Coalfield area as one of creative vibrancy, and generated 1.2million visitors, 2001-03. Funds accessed continuously since 1998; most recent award £1.2million, 2004-2006.
· Overseeing new Business Plan for City arts, looking at review of core aims, partnership development and analysis of local and regional context,
· Supporting financial element of Business development for Southwell Artspace, creative industry incubator unit
· Created Business Plan for conversion of Skipton Auction Mart to in-the-round theatre, winter 2003. Successful application to Obj 2 and Grants for the Arts, raising £400,000.
· Capital Lottery grants towards school theatres, and mobile touring equipment
· European Social Fund support to: training adults with Learning Difficulties; disaffected young people; artist training
CULTURAL PLANNING
· Continuous Performance assessment of Notts Cultural Services, 2004 as “good, with excellent prospects for improvement”
· contributor to A Cultural Strategy for Nottinghamshire, 2001-06, produced by consortium of Notts Local Authorities
· developed Culture sector Integrated Appraisal Toolkit for east midlands development agency, working across culture sector agencies, autumn 2004
· developed brief for regional Cultural Observatory research project for emda, autumn 2004
CREATIVE INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING SCHEMES
· Board member, Southwell artspace, new incubator unit for emerging/graduate artists, launching autumn 05.
· Overseeing City arts development of new Pilot space for creative development, as part of New Deal for Communties, autumn 2005
· partnership with private sector (Thoresby Estates) to develop artist retail spaces and capital development of performance venue; private sector contribution £200K.
· supported the development of annual retail markets for crafts people and makers.