maryport
Settlement

Maryport Educational Settlement has been supporting artists and crafters since 1937.  It is located in a Grade 2 listed building with unrivalled views of the Solway.

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We all know the benefits of interacting with other creative people, so this is an exciting opportunity for those who want to develop their creative skills in a collaborative environment.

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Up to 11 open studio spaces will be available to hire by the day, week, month or year.

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In addition, we hope to have an area set up for photography  and one for digital skills, such as game design and 3D printing.  We already have a fully equipped ceramics studio and we hope to have a fully equipped recording studio. Not to mention our  wood and metal working workshop.

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If we can find a suitable space we would like to provide printmaking facilities.

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We  also intend to arrange for mentoring in both technical and business skills.

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Whatever your age; whatever your interest, this could be the place for you to develop.

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We will be a User-led organisation, so get in early and have a say in how it evolves.

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The facility will be open to the public, so there will be plenty of opportunity for passing on your passion, getting involved in running workshops and, of course, sale of works.

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We hope to be operational by the end of March, but we will be having an

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open day on Saturday 1st March, 10am – 3pm,

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when you can find out more and see if you would like to be part of our journey.  Come and talk to us over a cup of tea (or coffee  - Did I mention our plans for a small café?)

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Find us at the top of High Street, overlooking the Wave Centre.  CA15 6BQ.

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Contact:

Jim O’Rourke (Chair of trustees): jor@castlehilltrust.org.uk

Catherine Gourlay (Business Development Manager): cg@castlehilltrust.org.uk

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​​Creative Hubs – A Background

 

(Note: in order to make this document more convenient to read, I have quoted wholesale from the British Council website, as referenced below. Click on the blue link to go to their website.)

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What they are

As described by the British Council:

[“This has become a nebulous term over the years, but our interpretation of a hub is a physical or virtual place that brings enterprising people together who work in the creative and cultural industries. There is estimated to be 1.2m people working from creative hubs globally (deskmag), generally made up of micro SMEs and freelancers, which represent 85% of global employment and 3.3 million people in the UK(2015).

Creative hubs are made up of many shapes and sizes, from buildings that house creative practitioners and businesses to temporary labs and incubation spaces which ignite innovations, as well as online networks that bring people together through an annual programme of events. While some spaces specialise in a specific sector (e.g. design hub), others welcome a wide range of disciplines together; and can be as small as a handful of people or as large as a 3,000 strong tribe. 

Every creative hub is as unique as a fingerprint, as its model is determined by its geographic placement, cultural context, community requirements and unique funding model. Creative hubs have ultimately become 'nests for freelancers and micro SMEs to gather' (Prof. Andy Pratt: City, University of London).

Hubs are people focused and are facilitated by trusted individuals who are well connected in the sector(s) - referred to as 'hub managers' or 'hub leaders' - that broker, maintain and curate relationships among their community.”]

​Creative Hubs - The British Council​

It is important to point out that the British Council is primarily involved in developing overseas trade and so, the idea of Creative Hubs came out of the Creative Economy.  However, [The more policymakers thought about the creative industries the more it became apparent that it made no sense to focus on their economic value in isolation from their social and cultural value.]

Benefits of Creative Hubs - Generally

Most importantly, there exists a huge amount of research and practical experience, as well as an established network in the UK.  Again, quoting from the British Council report:

[The Creative Economy team have worked with over 1000 creative hubs globally, since 2014. We see hubs as playing an integral role in the growth of the creative economy, gathering and representing creative communities. Hubs have featured greatly in our programming - as partners, collaborators, producers and researchers. If one hub manager represents a community of 200 creatives, then think of the audience you have access to when you have a conversation with just 5 hub managers. We see hub managers as gateways and connectors, between public and private, grass roots and policy. We also see them as leaders.

We have worked with hubs and communities in a variety of ways, including: 

The Creative Hubs Academy: British Council, Hivos and Nesta joined forces to develop a brand new learning programme, the Creative Hubs Academy, specifically for emerging and established creative hubs globally.

They have developed a free toolkit, by hubs for emerging hubs, in the shape of the Creative HubKit, which has now been translated into numerous languages and utilised globally. And we commissioned research into the definition, value and impact of creative hubs 'Creative Hubs: Understanding the New Economy'.”]

On the website, there are a number of examples from around the UK.

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Benefits of Creative Hubs for CHT

1. We are not responsible for organising workshops, exhibitions and teaching classes.  This is a very time consuming activity which needs a salaried person (an Activities Co-ordinator)

2. What goes on at The Settlement will be largely dictated by the Creatives who are operating locally at any particular time. Rent income from the Creatives would have to be sufficient to pay a (full/part-time) person in charge of running the facility.

3. Creatives could be either become more successful in their field and move on, or if not, would probably drop out.  In either case to be replaced by someone else.  In theory, therefore, there should be a constant refreshing of what is happening at The Settlement.

4. Local people (and visitors) can call in at anytime and see what is going on, chat to the Creatives and explore possibilities that are available to themselves.

5. This creates a dynamic place which will gain a reputation as the place to go if you have any creative interests or instincts. 

6. It will be a place of

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• Inspiration, because it will be populated by people who are exploring their own field of interest, so there will always be new ideas (for residents) to see.

• Aspiration, because we will encourage people who might think they have no creative skills to believe that they can do something creative

• Education, because we will encourage and mentor the Creatives to run workshops for beginners.

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Our main task is to provide the space and the facilities that Creatives need. E.g.:

• Fastest available broadband available throughout the building

• Standard office equipment; printers, etc

• Specialist equipment and software for potential Creatives to explore with; high spec-PCs for gaming applications; Virtual Reality equipment; 3D printers.

• An Audio/Video studio