About – Test Valley Arts Foundation

About The Test Valley Arts Foundation

Creativity, innovation, inspiration, joy, emotion, insight, revelation, engagement and expression. When you see some of these words used in connection with a book; the fragment of some music that goes round and round in your head; a movie that moves you; a young person’s first dance performance and a piece of art which you could never afford to buy but the poster is up in your room — they seem natural and part of life. Yet when two words – “The Arts” – are used together they generate a range of responses, not all of them polite!

As a nation our arts and cultural life is now central to what defines the United Kingdom, generating huge amounts of cash into our economic life. Ask any tourist and you will hear about our wonderful museums and galleries, Jane Austen, Shakespeare, our pop music etc. – the list is endless. Yet when we talk about either the public or private support for the arts (in all its forms) one almost has to apologise when asking for money. But –

Putting money into the arts and the cultural life of all our communities is an investment powerful enough to change lives!

That’s why TVAF is a grant giving charity dedicated to the arts in Test Valley.

We have already made a difference, and under the leadership of Yinnon Ezra we have been reflecting on our achievements and making plans for the future.

Our Vision

We believe in the power of Art and Culture to connect communities, transform places and enrich lives.

Our Mission

To support Arts and Culture in all its forms within the Test Valley.

To inspire creative development in the Test Valley

by attracting national recognition for the arts in the area
by generating opportunities for community participation, especially among young people
by working in partnership to extend our reach and increase our impact.

Making Connections

Creating a cultural network for the whole community to use and access

We promote organisations, activities and events in Test Valley, helping residents and visitors to discover ‘What’s On’ locally.

We support the need for better connection and are committed to helping people work together.

We support those organising events to attract audiences by avoiding clashes of dates and assisting with marketing.

We do this through:

• A directory of venues, organisations and

creative practitioners in Test Valley.

• An events calendar ‘What’s On’ in Test Valley

• Promotion via our Mailing List and Social Media

• We constantly seek to connect people through the power of shared cultural experiences, promoting diversity and inclusion; building on the foundations laid in our ‘Finding Friends’ project.

Making Things Happen

Supporting cultural events to take place within the community We support communities to deliver their own projects and events through joint marketing and promotion.

We create new events, projects and opportunities.

We do this through:

• Supporting our town centres with innovative, creative solutions which bring them to life, including

• re-purposing of empty shop units

• providing street entertainment

• festivals

• guerrilla art

• interactive trails

• Facilitate positive health and wellbeing through arts experiences which help people to process and reduce feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression

• Create opportunities for creative experimentation, cultural experiences, creative expression, and arts education.

Making A Difference

Raising funds to distribute within the Borough to facilitate cultural activity

We offer an accessible framework enabling private and corporate support for Culture and the Arts in the Test Valley with the support of Borough, County and National funding.

We act as stewards of accessible funding which is used to award small grants to artists and organisations.

We do this through:

• Working in partnership to extend our reach and increase our impact

• Encourage and assist the development of artistic talent amongst all age groups within the Borough of Test Valley

• Support artists in the community to engage with the public as well as offering grant funding to individual artists

Opportunities

We recognise that Test Valley comprises diverse and often disconnected communities. We also acknowledge that the role of local authorities is changing and that public funding for the arts generally has declined in recent years. Nonetheless, the Test Valley benefits from improved arts facilities (notably in the form of Chapel Arts and The Lights) and a number of energetic champions of the arts, as well as a strong community of artists. Test Valley Borough Council, a key partner, retains an Arts Officer and there is a general openness to new ideas within the area.

These circumstances create opportunities for TVAF to use its resources to good effect by acting as a creative catalyst and enabler.