Aims and Objectives

Creative Barnsley’s aim is to network and link creative individuals, organisations and businesses in the Barnsley borough, enabling them to access new opportunities and business locally, regionally and nationally and helping to foster a creative identity for the town. We want this to be an exciting and inclusive project for anyone involved in creative pursuits!

At the hub of the business is an ongoing programme of networking events providing an opportunity for artists and those working in the creative industries to meet and exchange ideas and contacts. These events are to be held bi-monthly. Networking events are free to attend and will provide one or two interesting and relevant speakers and/or some element of performance based entertainment plus opportunities to network freely and some specific networking activities. Additional events focusing on specific areas of creativity including, design, photography, writing and visual arts will also be held on the alternating month. The aim is to host these events in cultural and creative venues across the borough and to ensure we tie in to any other networking initiatives.

Alongside the physical networking, the current www.creativebarnsley.co.uk site will be further developed to support more online networking. The current databasing system will be developed and extended to facilitate greater customer interaction and message boards and weblogs will be added to stimulate creative thought and feedback. The site will link to other information and service based sites for the borough but is intended to be a virtual hub for information, with content primarily supplied by creative people, groups and organizations in the borough. The site has a three year heritage to build on and a tangible value in the marketplace.

To support the online and physical networking, Creative Barnsley will undertake to record as many artists, creative individuals, companies, organizations and venues into one definitive database. This database will be maintained via the Creative Barnsley website for the benefit of other arts organisations in the borough.

Creative Barnsley is also undertaking provision of studio space. Initially we are looking at Elsecar Heritage Centre and the space earmarked at this site will allow for approximately 6 studio spaces, plus a gallery and office space for Creative Barnsley. Registrations of interest for this facility currently exceed proposed space and we will seek to develop further studios in other areas of the borough subject to demand. Please download and complete a Registration of Interest form here if you would like to take space.

Brokerage of creative services through Creative Barnsley will also form a core part of the business as we endeavour to link creative service providers to clients. Get in touch if you feel your business can offer services, or benefit from our network of expertise.

Creative Barnsley will also establish trading arms to deliver revenue generating projects including sale and rental of visual arts, and programmes for education and learning. These trading arms will be established by the end of the current financial year. We will also develop a programme of social licensing to support smaller local creative business.