Collaborations emerge as purse-strings tighten

A new partnership between Northumbria University and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art is aiming to transform higher education in contemporary visual art by establishing a new Institute of Contemporary Art within Northumbria University’s School of Art and Social Sciences. The Institute will be directed by a Baltic Professor to support learning and provide mentoring for contemporary art post graduate research. Students will be supported by an advisory group comprising senior members of Baltic’s staff, including its Director and Chief Curator. Northumbria University is paying £100k per year for the partnership, a deal which is viewed as financially beneficial to both parties. The initiative will mean that Baltic’s educational programme will range from pre-school to PhD. Northumbria University has been given naming rights to Baltic’s Level 3 Gallery, which will be named Northumbria Gallery and will host the Turner Prize 2011 exhibition. This is the first time an exhibition space within Baltic has carried a partner name. Godfrey Worsdale, Director of Baltic, described the partnership as being a catalyst which “will drive forward our joint international ambition, enrich the offering of both institutes and position the region as a global hub for contemporary art learning and practice”.

A new partnership with a pioneering approach to sharing resources and ideas has also been announced in London, with The Albany in Deptford, South East London and Rich Mix in Tower Hamlets, East London having appointed Joint Head of Finance, David Lewis, who was previously Finance & Business Director at Battersea Arts Centre. He will oversee all aspects of financial management for both companies, and his brief will be to work alongside the Chief Executives of both organisations to encourage partnership working across the venues and identify other forms of collaboration in areas such as marketing and programming. Jane Earl, Chief Executive of Rich Mix said: “The decision to make a joint appointment is an obvious way of sharing good practice and maximising our purchasing power for all the things which arts venues spend money on. And it’s a practical way to demonstrate our commitment to the Arts Council England objective of making arts organisations more sustainable, and enabling us to put more of their financial support into arts and less into overheads.” Since opening in 2008, Rich Mix has struggled to find a viable financial model for a building of its size and capacity (AP176).