Alison Ciantar - Arts Management

In 2002 I was asked by Tony Viney (Purbeck Stone carver) to help him organise a joint exhibition for local artists as a taster for visitors to Purbeck during Dorset Art Weeks in May/June. Over 40 artists displayed a selection of their work in a beautiful old stone barn in Worth Matravers attracting visitors from a great distance.

Building on the success of the taster exhibition, 2003 saw the inauguration of the first Purbeck Art Week at the end of May. Along with Tony I initiated a very successful joint exhibition involving over 60 local artists showing in an authentic stone barn at Rollington Farm in Corfe Castle. In addition over 20 studio venues were opened to the public, allowing hundreds of visitors to discover an art trail that spread out from Swanage reaching up to the little village of Slepe on the A35.

The following year I started as the administration assistant to Jackie Donaldson at Dorset Art Weeks, this is the largest open studio event of its kind in Britain and is extremely popular with both artists and the general public. I was also the local rep for Purbeck and again organised a joint show with over 70 artists showing a taste of their work at Worth Matravers.

The second Purbeck Art Week in 2005 involved even more artists so this time we used two different venues for the taster exhibitions at Corfe Castle and Slepe Farm near Poole. Yet again members of the public flocked to the open studios and shows making it extremely worthwhile for artists in raising their profile both locally and further afield. At the same time I was brought in to organise the 8th Purbeck Film Festival which takes place every year in October for two weeks. Over 80 films were shown in over 20 venues ranging from The Rex, a charming oil-lit 1920s cinema at Wareham, to the ultra-modern Lighthouse Art Centre in Poole … with plenty of village halls in between.

For personal reasons I reluctantly had to resign my positions from both Dorset Art Week and the Purbeck Film Festival in 2006 but I will always be on the lookout for the next show to get involved with!

For further information on just how I can help you manage your arts or cultural event, to send me an email.

www.AlisonCiantar.com

ceramic sculpture and applied textiles by Alison Ciantar

arts management