Winchester artists and creative businesses to benefit from free business advice
Winchester City Council’s free advisory service for arts practitioners based in the Winchester area has now been extended due to popular demand to include surgery sessions in the city’s popular ArtCafé in Jewry Street.
The surgery sessions will take place on the following Thursdays from 9am to 1pm: 17 September, 22 October and 26 November.
Artists operating a creative business, or considering a start-up in either fine-art, textiles, graphic design, dance, theatre, film, video games, music, media, sculpture, jewellery, poetry or new writing, can now benefit from this additional business support.
The arts advisory service can assist with professional development, including support with preparing business plans and cash-flow forecasts, marketing and communications advice, including support with creating and maintaining a professional online presence, advice on publishing work and approaching agents, writing grant applications and funding advice, networking and finding opportunities to showcase work. The service does not critique work, but aims to support artists in their journey to becoming sustainable and profitable businesses.
Winchester City Council has enlisted the expertise of the Creative Eastleigh team at Eastleigh Borough Council to provide this free advisory service on its behalf.
Artists can opt to attend one of the surgery sessions at the ArtCafé in Winchester or a longer session with an advisor at their offices which are located at any one of the Creative Eastleigh hubs: The Point, The Sorting Office or the Tec-Hub.
Cllr James Byrnes, Winchester City Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Local Economy, said:
We are delighted to be able to extend this popular service to include regular provision at the ArtCafé in Winchester. John Hayes, who is curator at the ArtCafé, which includes gallery space and a film room, is very much part of our local creative community.
John Hayes, from the ArtCafé, added:
It’s great that new creative businesses and existing artists will be meeting here. We warmly welcome any new practitioners and hope we can help them make the most of the vibrant local arts scene we have here in Winchester.
Those wishing to use the new arts advisory service must be based in the Winchester District and should complete an initial enquiry form which can be downloaded online here: www.winchester.gov.uk/community/arts/new-arts-advisory-service/