Black Swan Arts receives a lifeline
Black Swan Arts has been awarded £54,000 as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future, the Culture Secretary has announced today.
Black Swan Artsis one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support. £257 million of investment has been announced this week as part of the very first round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England.
Black Swan Arts is a Community Arts Centre, which has been serving the people of Frome and the surrounding area for over 30 years. With exhibitions, shops, studios and a courtyard café, their vibrant and varied programme features contemporary and innovative art from local and regional artists.
With no external funding, Frome’s arts centre is completely reliant on donations and earned income, which has been severely affected by Covid-19 this year. The grant will enable them to remain open, make up this lost income and, equally importantly, review a new business plan that will make Black Swan Arts more secure both in the short and long term.
Hans Borgonjon and David Daniels who made the application want to put Black Swan Arts back at the heart of the community with a programme of innovative, cutting edge workshops and events. The exciting range of workshops will be aimed at all audiences and every community group, something for everyone – school children, adult learners, career changers, business developers, anyone who wants to discover their creativity. Workshop plans include exciting sessions on Robotics, Ceramics, 3D printing, Life Drawing, Chocolate Making, Drawing and Music on an iPad as well as more traditional crafts like Leatherwork, Jewellery making, Illustration, Creative Writing and Painting.
They will be aiming to provide as much content as possible through live-stream and online, as well as safely opening the doors to the much-loved arts centre in the centre of Frome. David Daniels says: “Within these challenging times for everyone we will provide an inspiring learning experience. This funding means we can make a huge variety of creative learning accessible to everyone.”
Hans Borgonjon adds: “A great benefit of this award is that it provides us with time to think, plan, and open doors to make good things happen again.”