Exeter-based Kaleido Arts – the only South West regional arts organisation that is disability led – is facing the withdrawal of Arts Council funds, which would lead to its closure. Director Ralf Togneri explains what’s so different about the non-discriminatory Kaleido and why its unique expertise shouldn’t be lost. Over to you Ralf…
Kaleido is in being to open opportunities to all deaf and disabled people in the South West who want to participate in the arts.
We don’t discriminate against art-forms or different types and levels of disability. We don’t discriminate between audience members and participants, makers or creatives.
We do support any deaf or disabled artist who wants our help. We take about 350 – 450 calls a year from artists, some beginners, to full time professionals. We also work with lots of agencies – mainstream theatres, galleries and dance venues as well as disability groups and support organisations. We have links throughout England especially with the other, surviving disability arts organisations (four others have closed down in the last five years).
The Arts Council said we supported only seven artists last year – that is only seven artists with whom we work who fit the arts council data collection mold! We support more artists than that – we are in regular contact with over 700 people and support on average four or five artists a week using the figures we collected.
What’s so different about us? We are the only South West regional arts organisation that is disability led. By putting money into Kaleido instead of many small, local, unlinked organisations, which should have happened as well, means that cross county developments such as dance with Velcro in Gloucestershire and Remix in Dorset working in a joint programme with CanDoCo (national integrated dance company) would not have happened. Because of our unique position in the South West, linked to many different artists and many different mainstream and disability organisations, we are able to increase the reach of any activity and the number of potential participants.
To reiterate: we are the only SW arts organisation that is disability led, so we have a breadth of knowledge and expertise, in short, experience that no other organisation in being at the moment can possibly have. That experience is being thrown away lightly.
We have been criticised for not generating external funding over and above our arts council grant. If it was that easy why did the arts council have to invent its sustain fund to bail out organisations like the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra to the tune of half a million pounds this year? So we are in the same position as many other arts organisations but we are castigated for it while they receive bigger support funding.
To summarise:
1. we are in regular contact with over 700 people and support on average seven artists a week which is over 300 a year
2. we are the only South West regional arts organisation that is disability led, while the Arts Council South West employ no disabled staff at all
3. current financial environment has made it hard to get match funding.
• Help it fight the decision to stop funding Kaleido by writing to the Arts Council. Address your letters to Alan Davey, chief executive of the Arts Council, at Arts Council England, 14 Great Peter Street, London, SW1P 3NQ or email chiefexecutive@ artscouncil.org.uk
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