Shropshire Hills Art Week 2014 Evaluation report Yesterday, a trio of us called in (by bicycle) and we couldn't tear ourselves away. Each of us found inspiration and amazement, and we were made utterly welcome by a man with astonishing talent but who was open, honest and down to earth with it. A revelation for me was my husband's appreciation, something to build on! We stayed so long that we didn't get around all the venues we'd intended, but that just means another trip out. The whole concept of the Art Week is utterly fabulous. Thank you to all who were involved. Maxine Rogers, via Facebook, after visiting Martin Jordan, venue 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2014 is the first time there has been a dedicated Art Week in the Shropshire Hills. This year was a pilot event to test the waters, and to allow systems to be set up, promotional channels to be investigated and tested, and a core group of artists to be recruited. From 2015, any artist will be able to take part if they live or work in the Shropshire Hills. The project has gone from initial idea in late November 2013 to the inaugural event which ran from 31 May to 8 June 2014. 10,000 brochures circulated 37 artists participated There were 10 venues including 5 open studios (7 artists), and 5 joint shows Total sales were 10,865 Total number of visitors >3000 directly attributable to SHAW Funding: Arts Council England, Shropshire Hills AONB Sustainable Development Fund, Millichope Foundation, and Craven Arms Community Chest; Hobsons Brewery who made the road signage Press coverage Online, full colour, double page spread (4 images) in Shropshire Life Magazine, April 2014 Ludlow Advertiser, 15 May 2014 article with photo showing artists and their work and road signage Shropshire Star article showing Elizabeth Moss, Art Café artist and her work Radio interviews on Jim Hawkins show on Radio Shropshire by Jules McRobbie, Director of SHAW (Friday 30 May) and Martin Jordan, Painter (Tuesday 3 June) Mention on Jim Hawkins show on Radio Shropshire when Jules McRobbie loaned a picture to Ward 21 at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in late June, and printed press coverage and photo Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/shropshire-hills-art-week/569377059810156 Website www.shropshirehillsartweek.co.uk
INTRODUCTION It was great to meet and talk to such passionate artists and fantastic to see such a broad range of artistic styles. Anne Rishworth, local visitor, via Facebook The Shropshire Hills is a beautiful area. Stunning views are almost taken for granted by those who live and work here, but they have long been an inspiration to writers, artists and crafts people. The 2014 Shropshire Hills Art Week was a new event, designed to promote local artists, invite people to visit somewhere new, and encourage spend in a rural economy. It focused on artwork inspired by landscape and wildlife, and aimed to link artists and crafts people's studios and galleries around the Shropshire Hills. A printed colour art trail map listed artists and venues, and a website for the whole event (www.shropshirehillsartweek.co.uk) has additional year-round information about artists and venues, as well as links to individual artists websites or Facebook pages if they have them. Artists were invited to participate in either open studios or joint exhibitions. The art week ran for 9 days a week with two weekends, from 31 May to 8 June 2014. The Shropshire Hills area was targeted as it already has a cohesive identity as a region, and because Shropshire (as a whole county) is so large. The SHAW area was based on the AONB/LEADER Rural Development Programme/Destination Partnerships region. The 2014 event was a pilot to allow systems to be set up, promotional channels to be investigated and tested, and a core group of artists to be recruited. From 2015, any artist will be able to take part if they live or work in the Shropshire Hills. Venues SHAW 2014 had three different types of art venues: open studios; galleries; joint shows displaying a range of works by different artists. Market SHAW is primarily a selling event for artists. It allows anyone to see, for free, a wide range of art. There were opportunities to talk with artists in a relaxed and friendly way about how and why they create the work they do, hear their stories, explore unknown areas of the Shropshire Hills, buy original art, and to commission unique artworks for themselves. Evidence from similar events indicates that the people going to studios and galleries during art weeks such as this are a mixture of locals from within the county, and visitors from outside, and the SHAW visitors mirrored this pattern. Some were artists themselves, but there were also tourists and family groups; art clubs (there were no school parties, but we hope to encourage them in further years, by targeting some mailings to local schools); ladies who lunch or retirees. A few visitors reported having come specifically to stay in the area because they had seen promotion about SHAW from their accommodation provider in advance of finalising their booking. Although very hard to quantify, this has also lead to additional local spend (on B&Bs, restaurants, cafes, local visitor attractions, etc.) for the duration of the event.
EVALUATION PARAMETERS I m overwhelmed; I m just overwhelmed! I can t believe what I am seeing! Male visitor to Mary Campbell, venue 2, when looking at her exquisite embroideries Information to evaluate the success of the pilot event was collected from the following: VENUES asked to collect data on visitor numbers, plus visitor contact information if visitor agrees ARTISTS completed a post-art Week evaluation form, to record what went well/what might have been done better, and financial outcomes. 15 evaluation forms were returned In addition, artists were asked for 'Learning Points' they thought other artists might benefit from, and these will be combined and sent to artists as a worksheet VISITORS asked to sign and comment in visitors books at each venue, and comments pooled SPONSORS asked for feedback/future sponsorship plans FUNDERS will be asked for feedback on outcomes when they have read this evaluation report ARTISTS I ve loved it I ve loved every minute of it Martin Jordan in a radio interview with Jim Hawkins when asked what he thought of SHAW The artists comments are combined into one list below based on the evaluation form that was sent out to them, so that wording of the questions is visible. 39 forms were sent out, 15 were returned, plus 2 venue forms Feedback: Please answer the following in as much detail as you want: 1. Give your reasons for taking part in SHAW in 2014: e.g. promotion, sales, new route to market, to encourage you to create new work, deadline to work to. Most artists joined SHAW for sales and promotion, though two answered all of these reasons. I would like people to have a chance to step into the world of a working artist Promotion and sales of a new body of artwork; networking with fellow artists; marketing directly to the public; building business relationships with a new venue; practice in arts organising; support for a new regional arts endeavour 2. Please give comments about the design of the SHAW marketing material Artists thought that the marketing material was bright, recognisable and had impact, and that the logo was well designed and memorable and reflected the landscape of the Shropshire Hills Some artists felt the venue/open studios listings were a bit dense; this was mainly down to cost, and we will consider a booklet format as the event expands
The map was provided by the AONB and used with permission, but some key towns and villages are not named on the map and this was picked up by some artists and visitors. The missing names will be added in 2015 Artists differed in their views on the use of the unfolded leaflet as a poster some thought it useful, others that it was too detailed, or too large for venues to use. One artist commented that the poster would generate more interest if the map had been visible as it would give more idea of a trail. The website address was not on the opened-out poster or on the front cover of the art trail leaflet, which also made them both less useful as display material, though the url was clearly visible on the map page of the leaflet (Note that leaving some leaflets unfolded for this purpose was a pragmatic approach to avoid additional costs a proper poster will be in the marketing plan for 2015) Signage: the signage was sponsored and produced by Hobsons Brewery and contained their Bowler hat logo. Overall the response to the signage was very positive in terms of design and colour. However, there were some comments that the signs were too small for the faster roads (though great on slower, narrow lanes and to sign visitors within venues), and that a brighter background colour might have been better. It was suggested that we needed more signs, and advance signs/ banners on A49 of event if permitted (Note, Hobsons will continue to sponsor signage in 2015, and have agreed to make some larger signs for next year. Several of our signs were removed by the Highways Department, so we need to seek more guidance on where they are permitted in future) 3. Please give comments about cost of participation Some artists felt the cost was too high, especially as it was the first year and many did not have prior experience of open studio events. However others thought the cost was fair, especially if they were in a joint show. All artists who opened their own studios covered their entry fees, and made a profit Artists in the joint exhibitions paid only for SHAW membership ( 50 each) and venues took a commission on sales. Aardvark did not charge a commission on sales, though they will do so in future years; however, artists sold very well at the Aardvark show so are happy for this to happen Art Café artists entered at the Venue price and each artist paid a nominal sum of 10 to join, with the rest being made up from the Craven Arms Community Chest fund; sales were lower and not all artists sold anything The cost to participate made recruiting artists difficult and the fact that it was a new event meant there was nothing to show them how it would work this year. In the future, we have documentation and marketing material to show people at the recruiting stage, which may help. 4. Would you have preferred to have your own choice of open days and times? In general artists felt the opening times were fine, so the core hours will be retained in 2015. Obviously if an artist opens their own studio, this is a big time commitment for them, and also means they cannot easily go and visit other studios. One artist commented that she would have liked to open earlier; this can be added to the brochure next year, as can other variations in hours; another that he was unable to paint while expecting visitors to his studio
Some venues for joint shows are usually open anyway, but there was a problem with a couple being closed at times when the leaflet said they would be open, so more care will be taken to ensure that a lack of response about opening times does not imply consent next year 5. Any comments about the week chosen for SHAW this year? There were various comments from artists, venues and visitors, but they all wanted different things, so there is no clear plan to vary the timing. One venue said it would be better the week before, which was half term, but others did not want to encourage children into their studios; a few people suggested linking SHAW to the Ludlow Fringe Art Trail, and we are exploring this for next year, by extending the time that venues and artists in Ludlow are open, so that the shows remain for the whole of June. Llanfair Waterdine Art Festival has asked to join in with SHAW in 2015 and will change their own festival dates to match the SHAW dates (One artist said: A week is too short, possibly have it for 2 or 3 weeks, a month may be too long) 6. Any comments about registration? Artists had no issues with registration, and thought it was very efficient and well organised. Each artist was sent a form by email which then formed the basis of their website entry. All payments were made by cheque, either in person or by post. (Note, we hope to add PayPal buttons to the website for payment in 2015, depending on cost). Verbal feedback shows that artists were particularly happy that their website entries appeared within just hours of them registering One Open Studio artist was delighted to be able to express her interest by phone then register on a handwritten document as she does not use a computer. She also handwrote her evaluation form 7. Any comments about website set up or content? Feedback was positive, including great, fine, not an easy job to get right, very good, easy to navigate and user-friendly. One artist wrote: I thought the website was great; it maybe could have been updated as the show went on to give feedback, mentions of radio interviews etc. (Note, there was a Facebook page and Twitter feed which was updated throughout the event; we will explore linking this to the SHAW website for the 2015 event) 8. Would you consider taking part in this event again? Most definitely, yes please All the people who returned their evaluation forms would consider taking part again next year, if the cost is not prohibitive (there is a fear that costs will go up because venues may charge commission) 9. Would you recommend SHAW to your artist friends, and if so, are you happy to help with recruiting artists for next year? Most artists said they would (some don t have any artist friends!), and some have already done so. Some artists who visited SHAW this year have already said they wished they were part of it and want to join in for 2015 10. Any other suggestions/comments and improvements you would like implemented in 2015.
We were pleasantly surprised at the number of sales made at the Private View. It really got the week off to a good start, verbal quote from Aardvark organisers ARTISTS Steven Keating, Painter, Open Studio venue 1 Number of visitors 86 Mary Campbell, Embroiderer, Open Studio venue 2 Number of visitors 36 Martin Jordan, Painter, Open Studio venue 3 Number of visitors c.70 Rose Perry & Ian Collett, Painters, Open Studio venue 4 Number of visitors 76 Lottie and Will O Leary, Sculptors, Open Studio venue 5 Number of visitors 17 VENUES The quality and accuracy of information collected by each venue varied widely; anything noteworthy is explained under the individual venue entries Aardvark, venue 9 collected visitor numbers using a manual clicker operated by the artist stewarding at the time. This gives an accurate record of numbers, as even if the steward is busy when someone arrives, they can click later to record the visit Aardvark was the only show which held a Private View; this resulted in some early sales and lots of good publicity, as the people who had been to the Private View then spread the word to others Number of visitors 472 Total art sales during SHAW 3571.00 The Art Café, venue 10 numbers are based on the number of times the automatic door opened and closed each day. This is not an accurate record as it does not differentiate between general visitors to the Discovery Centre and visitors coming to see the Art Café s SHAW exhibition Total art sales during SHAW 205.00 Footprints and Hearts, venue 8 Number of visitors unknown as not recorded by venue, but there was a definite increase on her usual footfall. One visitor to the shop said he would never have stepped inside if it had not been for the SHAW exhibition, and that he would visit again in the future for other art events Total art sales during SHAW 60 Silk Top Hat Gallery, venue 7 The owner could not quantify the number of additional visitors, but reported that several people had commented on how lovely it was that there was a trail they could follow to go and see different types of art, and some were also carrying SHAW art trail maps. She seemed very pleased with the extra visitors brought to the gallery by the SHAW marketing. She is happy to participate in 2015
VISITORS Visitors were asked to sign and comment in visitors books at each venue. Not all visitors signed or commented; plans for increasing the numbers and quality of comments are in place for next year A selection of comments is reproduced; there were no negative comments recorded in visitor books The comments sheet at Aardvark asked Would you like to receive future information? [Send me] Everything! A marvellous, engaging collection. Best seen for a long time Impressive collection. Please do exhibition next year! Lovely work. Especially liked Andrew s (Eastwood, sculptor) work very beautiful Very diverse and interesting exhibition. High standard by all artists An enjoyable collection of exhibits thanks for staging it A terrific exhibition, so glad we came Lovely exhibition keep it going! I like quirky! Great overall exhibitions [the latter comment refers to all of the venues this local woman had been to see them all] Art Café at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre No written comments have been received but anecdotal evidence indicates that visitors were disappointed that the art display was scattered around the building, and that there was often no artist there to greet them or talk about the work on display. In addition, the artists themselves were disappointed in sales and wonder whether this was the right venue for displaying their art. In future years it may be necessary to work out a better place to display work in the building, and to signpost it within the building more effectively. Footprints and Hearts, venue 8 Written comments were non-specific but the event brought in more people and, although sales were low, verbal feedback was very positive Comments at individual open studios A lovely colourful exhibition showing real skill in needlework. A great idea I love the furrows Wonderful selection of lovely paintings. Lovely hospitality! Thank you so much. Well worth the trip through the lanes lovely work. Really enjoyed talking to you and the swans picture Thank you hilarious animal portraits! Great work A happy accident. Lovely place and work
An enjoyable range of work full of colour and pattern and humour! SPONSORS Hobsons Brewery sponsored and produced the road signage, so was asked for feedback/future sponsorship plans. They have agreed to continue sponsoring the signage (which includes their bowler hat logo) and to consider making some larger signs for next year, to satisfy comments about the signage on faster roads being too small. They were happy with the press coverage for SHAW and with the links and information put on the website. If the Hobsons bowler hat logo appears on the trail map to denote Hobsons stockists in future years, it should be made clearer that this is what they are showing Register my vote for bigger road signs and arrows. Everything else seemed to run smoothly and be well designed. SHAW is off to a great start. OTHER OUTCOMES There have been some other outcomes that do not neatly fit into the SHAW evaluation criteria: As a result of curating the Aardvark show, venue 9, two artists have both been asked to participate in two future local art exhibitions, in one of them as the headline artists. Jules McRobbie, SHAW Director, was contacted by Ward 21, Acute Medical, at Shrewsbury Hospital and asked whether any SHAW artists would donate or loan pictures to the ward. They are in a new building and their walls are bare of decoration. Jules went to Shrewsbury and donated one of her own pictures, and they will hang it in the hospital and are happy to promote SHAW 2015 onwards. A SHAW Open Studio artist went to visit one of the joint shows with her student daughter and on the back of SHAW the daughter has gained summer employment at the bookshop attached to the joint show venue a place at which she has always wanted to work. The same artist also recruited someone who visited during SHAW to join an evening class she runs. CONCLUSION The first Shropshire Hills Art Week was well received by artists, venues, visitors and sponsors; we have learned a lot and there are some great ideas for improving the event in future years Rose Perry, Steve Keating (artists), Jules McRobbie (SHAW Director) and Kate Pearce Elizabeth Moss, Artist
Nigel Kerry, Artist Aardvark joint show, curated by Shannon Donovan (pictured) and Andrew Eastwood Diana Nutall, Artist with her work Martin Jordan (up ladder!), Artist Adrian Shiel s Leaping Hare Nicola Haigh s Owl Further high quality images for use in PR are available on request from Jules@ShropshireHillsArtWeek.co.uk