Mission 

A leading rural festival where everyone can experience great art in a unique and inspiring setting.

 Vision

Within the next 5 years to:

§  become the leading rural art festival, acknowledged by our partners and audiences as a key player in the artistic and cultural life of the region;

§  provide an important platform for the work of young, new and emerging artists;

§  reach and create new audiences for contemporary visual art;

§  create opportunities for participation and critical debate;

§  make a positive contribution to the community and economy of the area.

The Festival Values:

 People

1.        Artists, our audiences, staff, volunteers, partners and the local community.

2.        Young, new and emerging artists.

The work

3.        A site-responsive approach, exploring place and situation.

4.        Original thinking and a contemporary outlook.

5.        Engaging, thought provoking and accessible art.

Place

6.        The town and its surrounds; its unique character and situation, positioned at a meeting point between rural and urban, agricultural and industrial, ancient and contemporary.

The way we do business

7.      Creative collaboration with artists and partners.

8.      Experimentation and calculated risk-taking in the pursuit of artistic excellence.

9.      Education as a tool to increase enjoyment, understanding and access to our programme.

10.    Open working practices to aid personal, community and artistic development (creating a way of working where there is continuous and open dialogue between staff, artists, volunteers and audiences).

11.    Fiscal responsibility.

Company Aims

 The mission, vision and values of the organisation have been translated into 8 aims which underpin the business. They are: 

1.      To be a leading rural arts festival, engaging audiences and artists in contemporary artwork that celebrates, explores and responds to the town and its setting.

2.      To work collaboratively with partners to develop audiences for contemporary visual arts in the region.

3.      To support creativity and the development of artistic talent, especially for new, emerging and mid-career artists.

4.      During the period of the Festival to create a social and creative hub, encouraging artistic collaboration and debate.

5.      To develop access, participation and learning opportunities within the programme.

6.      To make an important contribution to the well-being and sustainability of the local community and economy.

7.      To develop opportunities for training and volunteering, to aid personal, professional and community development.

8.      To achieve our objectives within a framework of balanced budget and well run organisation.