MULTI presented a seminar series on the pragmatics and business strategies for setting up and sustaining an independent printmaking and digital arts centre. The aim of the sessions was both discursive and pragmatic. The seminars shared and discussed information from established directors, practitioners, educators and coordinators.The audience was entirely by invite and everybody had either a direct interest in MULTI or was working for or aligned to similar projects and organisations. We hope to publish transcripts from the seminars very soon.

Day 1
MULTI - Structures & Strategies.

Thursday 3 May 2007. 10am – 5pm.
Venue
The Conference Room, Lister Building, Yorkshire Craft Centre, Carlton Street, Bradford College. BD7 1AY.
9.55am – 10.00am
Welcome & Introduction by Colin Lloyd,
Co-Director, MULTI.

Seminar one
10.00am – 1.00pm.

Speaker: Dr John Phillips, Director, London Print Studio.
Chair: Professor John Hyatt, Director, Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design, Manchester Metropolitan University.
As well as running the successful London Print Studio, John wrote his PhD thesis on issues faced by independent printmaking centres both nationally and internationally during set-up. This promises to be a lively seminar offering the opportunity to reflect upon the tensions between aims and ambitions and the practicalities of sustaining a centre such as MULTI

Seminar two
2.00pm – 5.00pm
.
Speaker: Paul Sullivan, architect and Co-Director of STATIC, Liverpool.
Chair: Professor John Hyatt, MMU.

STATIC is an art organisation based in Liverpool. Its aim is to increase the production of cultural activity and to build the critical infrastructures that support this nationally and internationally. Static operates entirely on a business model and receives no public funding This is a radically different approach to the London Print Studio which is set up as a charitable educational trust with a trading arm. Paul Sullivan will talk about the aims and organisational structure of STATIC, followed by a break and general discussion.

Seminar two
2.00pm – 5.00pm
.
Speaker: Paul Sullivan, architect and Co-Director of STATIC, Liverpool.
Chair: Professor John Hyatt, MMU.

STATIC is an art organisation based in Liverpool. Its aim is to increase the production of cultural activity and to build the critical infrastructures that support this nationally and internationally. Static operates entirely on a business model and receives no public funding This is a radically different approach to the London Print Studio which is set up as a charitable educational trust with a trading arm. Paul Sullivan will talk about the aims and organisational structure of STATIC, followed by a break and general discussion. Day 2

Practicalities and Practitioners
Friday 4 May 2007. 10am – 5pm.
Venue
The Digital Arts Centre, University of Bradford, Horton Building, Great Horton Road, Bradford. BD7 1DP.
9.55am – 10.00am
Welcome & Introduction by Colin Lloyd,
Co-Director, MULTI.
Seminar three
10.00am – 1.00pm

Speaker: Mark Higham, Arts and Cultural Funding Consultant.
Chair: Professor John Hyatt, MMU.

Mark Higham is an Arts consultant advising on large cultural funding bids. He has extensive experience nationally and internationally with several major charitable and arts organisations. This seminar will focus on the pragmatics and problems of funding, partnerships, sustainability and structure. There will be a break for tea & coffee followed by a general discussion with the invited guests.

Seminar four
2.00pm – 5.00pm.

Speakers: Professor Paul Coldwell – Director, Fine Art Digital Environment research group &
Postgraduate Programme Director, Camberwell College,
London. Sarah Bodman – Research Fellow for Artists'
Books at the Centre for Fine Print Research, University of the West of England, Bristol.
Chair: Professor John Hyatt, MMU.

Professor Paul Coldwell and Sarah Bodman are both well established and respected artists, curators and researchers. They have extensive knowledge of the practice of traditional and digital printmaking and its institutions. This final seminar will focus onto demands and needs of current practitioners. In discussion with John Hyatt (Chair), Paul Coldwell and Sarah Bodman will discuss the needs of practitioners and researchers in relation to a working studio, using their own research and practice as example. This will be followed by a general discussion.

MULTI presented the second in its series of seminars, for practising artists, curators and educators, which took place on Wednesday 14 November 2007, 10 am - 5pm, at the Yorkshire Craft Centre, Bradford School of Arts & Media. A day of talks and debates focusing on the interdisciplinary fields of multiples, printmaking, digital arts and book arts.

Speakers included Maria White, Curator of Book Arts at the Tate; Teresa Soliman curator from the International Krakow Print Triennale; Chris Taylor and John MacDowall from the Leeds International Contemporary Artists Book Fair and Kate Mellor, artist and educator.The seminar took place in the Bradford Gallery, which which hosted an exhibition of Multiples and the annual exhibition of MA Printmaking/Photography work.

 

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