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Status
Received: on time
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Income
£200.3K
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Spending
£192.1K
Public benefits
'to promote, maintain, improve and advance public education' The direct benefits which flow from this purpose are the maintenance, improvement and advancement of public education for the advancement of arts and culture. To stimulate and educate public interest in the Arts for the benefit of the community The direct benefit which flows from this
purpose enables the population to enhance their quality of life through participation/ engagement in culture, arts and leisure activities. Establishing studio and workshop facilities for artists in Belfast, whether in premises owned or leased by the Company or elsewhere, provided that all the objects of the Company shall be exclusively charitable. The direct benefits that flow from this purpose are the continuation and development of artistic practice. Flax Art Studio holders receive subsidised rent made possible by this support, this is incidental and necessary as the artists are on low incomes and would not otherwise be able to afford studio space in Belfast. Flax provides subsidised studio space for 17 established to emerging artists and some of the most exciting artists in Northern Ireland. This provides workshops, open studio days, talks and exhibitions, all of which are free of charge , for enjoyment and educational purposes and the public benefit. The benefits are demonstrated through outreach and community based practice. Flax’s programme is open, accessible for all and does not exclude any tradition or ethno-religious identity connecting with diverse people and communities including older people with dementia through programmes like AXIS, where we organise visits to for example art galleries and artist led workshops, we also provide public benefit for hard to reach communities with low engagement levels through projects like CROW – City Right of Way, which provides people with artist led walks/workshops around the city. These benefits have been evidenced through attendance figures, evaluation and end of project reports for our funders (Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council) and will be demonstrated through feedback from participants. The benefits of establishing workshop and studio facilities in Belfast are demonstrated through positive feedback gathered from studio holders through surveys, meetings and evaluation of our service. As a regularly funded organisation through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and through Belfast City Council grant schemes we demonstrate the continued need for this provision, and report to them quarterly providing evaluations of our service. The objects of the company remain exclusively charitable and this can be demonstrated by audited annual accounts showing that any income gained through public funding or rental of this is utilised solely for the operation of the Charity and is not profitable. The charities beneficiaries are the general public and also Visual Artists based in Belfast. There is no discrimination in the allocation of studio space, studio spaces are open for all artists irrespective of age, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation, whether they have/have not any dependents, sexual orientation, marital status or race. The private benefit flowing from our purposes are that our artist studio holders may receive training relevant to the work they carry out for Flax Art i.e. Health and Safety, Basic First Aid, Workshop equipment use, governance, all these benefits are incidental and necessary. Flax Art Studios is dependent on public funding through our main funders Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council, Flax Art Studio holders receive subsidised rent made possible by this support, this is incidental and necessary as the artists are on low incomes and would not otherwise be able to afford studio space in Belfast and therefore would not be able to continue to develop their artistic practice. There is no harm in the purposes carried out by our Charity.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
Flax Art Studios aims “To significantly contribute to the regions visual art practice through studio provision and resources; acting as a hub for professional development, international networking opportunities; and fostering greater understanding through outreach and engagement activity.” Flax Art Studios was established in 1989 and has a track
record of 25 years of working at the cutting edge of contemporary art in Belfast. Flax is dedicated to the provision of:- • A portfolio of flexible, subsidised (Arts Council of Northern Ireland funded) and affordable studio provision tailored to cater for the needs of emerging, mid-career and established artists from all backgrounds, particularly those working with large scale sculpture, installation and new/time based media. • Access for artists to a range of subsidised shared resources such as a unique professional wood and metal workshop, IT and AV equipment. • Opportunities for fostering International Exchange and networking opportunities through its longstanding international residency programme aimed at mid-career international artists and curators whose work engages primarily with place. • By developing links and opportunities for exchange for locally based artists with like-minded international arts organisations. • Opportunities for emerging artists to develop their professional practice post academic studies through free studio provision for one year and through mentoring support from Arts professionals, through the Graduate Residency Award Programme which is funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. • Audience and participation development programmes for public benefit through for example free workshops, talks, exhibitions and open studio days. By developing partnerships and working relationships with arts and community organisations to initiate high quality collaborative activities which are open and accessible to all and for public benefit. These activities are publicly funded.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of education
- The advancement of citizenship or community development
- The advancement of the arts, culture, heritage or science
Who the charity helps
- Adult training
- General public
- Unemployed/low income
- Voluntary and community sector
- Youth (14-25 year olds)
How the charity works
- Arts
- Community development
- Cultural
- Education/training
