Self Generated Income

Sales of books and artworks

From 2006, CCANW developed a reference library and a shop selling books on art and ecology, with a particular focus on titles relating to its programmes. In its first year the shop had a turnover of £403, which grew in 2006/7 to £1,599, in 2007/8 to £7,555, in 2008/9 to £5,536, in 2009/10 to £7,079, in 20010/11 to £6,978, in 2011/12 to £8,432 and in 2012/13 to £6,077.

Holding stock had the disadvantage of tying up funds (amounting to £4,683 stock in 2013) but profits ranged between 20-40%; for example in 2009/10 giving £1,441, in 2010/11 giving £1,959, and in 2011/12 £3,420. A list of stock was listed on our website, and we sold to arts faculty libraries, on the recommendation of their specialist staff.

Sales of art works from exhibitions was limited, largely because displays reflected art practice which lay outside of conventional commercialism. However, the David Nash exhibition attracted overwhelming interest and brought with it an increase in sales. It has been difficult to extract this sum exactly, but it likely accounts for the increase in shop sales since 2011. Over time, and when relating to the programme, we also displayed and sold local crafts and traditional games.

Ticketed activities and events

Although admission was free to our exhibitions and some drop-in activities, a charge was made for specific events such as workshops, talks, film evenings and conferences. Concessions were available to those aged 60+, the unemployed, students and under 16s. Charges ranged from £3 for family drop-in sessions to £15 for evening events and £85 for full day workshops.

Until 2011 schools paid a subsidised fee of £25 for one workshop lasting 1½ hours or two workshops for a fee of £50 which were led by the Learning and Development Manager. In 2012 these charges were increased to £50 for one workshop and £85 for two, in line with charges made for similar school field trips.

Income from ticketed activities and events such as those for school groups and evening events began in 2006/7 at £1,675, in 2007/8 it was £2,005, in 2008/9 it was £1,234, in 2009/10 it was £2,097, in 2010/11 it was £2,826, in 2011/12 it was £1,608 and in 2012/13 it was £2,515.

Hire fees

The hiring out of our exhibitions also gave us income, generating £1,024 in 2008/9, £800 in 2010/11, and £945 in 2011/12.

Several of the exhibitions organised by CCANW during the Wood Culture programme (2007/8) were presented on panels that could be hired. This enabled two exhibitions to be shown at the Architecture Centre, Bristol and one at the Woodland Enterprise Centre, Flimwell. Exhibitions were also shown at the major Building with Wood conference at the University of Exeter and at several seminars and events organised by the Forestry Commission.

The first exhibition specifically designed for touring and the generation of hire fees was Fashion Footprints shown at CCANW in 2010 and subsequently at Create in Bristol, Fibrefest at Bicton in 2011, and the Environment and Sustainability Institute, Falmouth. We benefited from hire fees of £600 in each case and transport and installation were also paid for. We responded to 17 other enquiries from UK fashion and textile colleges but it appeared that, without some form of part-subsidy or sponsorship, the cost of ‘hiring in’ exhibitions had become unaffordable to many venues.

We still saw the touring potential of exhibitions as an opportunity, not only to increase the legacy of CCANW exhibitions and expand the reach of our marketing, but as a way of generating income.

Annual income from the hire of our space was relatively low because of its relative remoteness, ranging from zero to £392 and contributing only £916 during our time at Haldon.