Entrepreneurship and professional training programme for women artists Santiago de Compostela
November 3rd – December 18th, 2020
Auditorio de Galicia (SP) training
WOM@RTS
The following text is a brief summary of the development of the Wom@rts Training programme during the months of November and December 2020 with the aim of summarising the work carried out and incorporating suggestions that may enrich the possible holding of future calls for the initiative.
Analysis and adaptation of the programme to the context
The development of the programme required the adaptation of the proposal initially designed and developed by the Limerick Institute of Technology in a double aspect.
On one side, it meant adapting the contents and the approach with which they were taught by the partner of the Auditorio de Galicia to the characteristics that our artistic-cultural landscape imposes on the professionalisation of women artists. This work, carried out during August 2020, resulted in a programme that maintained the thematic axes on which the original proposal hinged, as well as the timetable set at 30 hours, with the perspective of the particular needs of a creator who wants to develop her career in the Galician context.
On the other side, the programme had to adjust to the conditions and possibilities of virtuality due to the fact that the evolution of the pandemic prevented it from being carried out in person. Thus, except for a session held in the Auditorio de Galicia, of a more practical and creative nature, the training took place in online format through the Zoom platform.
Programme content
In order to design a programme of contents that would promote the egalitarian presence of women as active agents in the artistic context in Galicia, a proposal was designed based on six thematic sections taught by a group of teachers specialised in the different areas to be addressed.
TRAINING MENU 1
An artistic identity in the labour market
November 3rd, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
– Wom@rts and the platform.
– Branding and storytelling
– Improving comunication: the oral speech
– Digital marketing, management and social networks.
30 participants
A presentation day of the Wom@rts Training programme, so the main lines of work were exposed, the methodology to follow in each of the virtual meetings was summarised and the students’ doubts were solved. So, the Auditorio de Galicia presented the participants with the project’s website and provided them with the guidelines for registering on the platform and creating their portfolio.
Soledad Felloza addressed from her personal experience as a multidisciplinary artist and, especially as a storyteller, those factors that interact or influence the branding or positioning as artists when starting and/or managing our professional career, focusing on communication issues.
Trainers:
– Soledad Felloza, Actress, storyteller, photographer, writer, teacher and playwright, she is a multidisciplinary artist who works from different communication perspectives. Director of the Festival Internacional de Narración Oral Atlántica (International Festival of Oral Narration Atlántica)
– María Sánchez Expert in the use of social networks in the socio-cultural management of artistic projects. focusing on the main objectives and tools of digital marketing from the point of view of artistic entrepreneurship.
TRAINING MENU 2
Cultural entrepreneurship
November 10th, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
– Self-employment or collective enterprise. – SWOT and Cultural Canvas
– Taxes and legal responsibilities
30 participants
The programme focused on cultural entrepreneurship, starting with an approach to the options of self-employment and collective entrepreneurship, an analysis of the SWOT and the Cultural Canvas and, finally, the fundamental principles to be taken into account in relation to taxes and legal responsibilities in the development of an artistic career.
Trainer:
– Raquel Doallo. Economist specialised in entrepreneurship, ethical finance and social and solidarity economy. solidarity economy, she has worked as an evaluator of international cooperation and development education projects. and education for development.
TRAINING MENU 3
Presentation and analysis of projects
November 17th, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
30 participants
With the personal experiences and projects of each of the participants they will study a collective case. In order to facilitate the exchange and dialogue, a virtual meeting will first be held with the thirty participants in which real examples will be presented for analysis and discussion. Then, in three groups of 10 people each, the issues and questions raised will be examined in depth. Finally, after the teamwork, the participants will meet again online in order to discuss together and share ideas and conclusions.
Trainers:
– Ruth Montiel, photographer, visual artista, writer
– Angélica Dass combines photography with sociological research and public engagement in global human rights advocacy. She is the creator of the internationally acclaimed Humanæ project, a collection of portraits that reveal the diverse beauty of humanity.
– Susana Blasco, designer, illustrator, collagist
TRAINING MENU 4
The day to day as professionals
November 24th, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
– A creative way from the idea to the budget
– Financial tools: fiscal and economic empowerment. – Legal advice: rights and good practices
30 participants
The fourth sesión was developed in two sections. In the first onethe participants worked in groups to make a practical approach to the different levels involved in the design of a project from an economic and financial point of view, working with concepts related to financial products, collection methods, preparation of budgets, etc. Subsequently, they went through some relevant aspects of the legal framework from the perspective of labour law that should be taken into account when working as artists in a professional capacity. In this sense, he addressed different aspects of intellectual property and artistic work under the freelance regime. They also gave some useful and common guidelines to the different artistic disciplines of the participants to develop good professional practices in their respective areas.
Trainers:
– Helena Sanmamede studied in economics, fiscal and management training. Expert in social economy, project management and subsidies. In the field of activism, she is a founding member of the Asociación de Estudos Laborais Feministas, the Galician cooperative Zocamiñoca and is an active member of Fiare-Banca Ética.
– Marta Suárez-Mansilla. Lawyer specialised in Cultural Law and cultural manager. Since 2016 she has been a member of Artworld Law, a legal consultancy specialising in the cultural field that offers 360o legal advice on art law and cultural law, both for the public and private sectors.
TRAINING MENU 5
Cultural Funding
December 1st, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
– Scholarships, grants and public sector.
– Traditional funding vs. ethical funding.
– Creative Europe: international funding and collaborative networks.
30 participants
The focus of the fifth event was on cultural funding. In the first part, Raquel Doallo dealt with the different ways of funding for artists and cultural workers, focusing especially on the possibilities of grants and subsidies as well as public contracting, paying attention to the main factors and determining factors to take into account when applying for a call for proposals. In addition, Doallo explained some of the main advantages of ethical financing (through the example of entities such as AIS O Peto, Coop57 or Fiare Banca Ética) compared to traditional financing. In the second part, given by África Rodríguez, the participants learned about the different possibilities of international funding and the construction of alliances and collaborative networks through the Creative Europe project.
Trainer:
– Raquel Doallo
TRAINING MENU 6
Creating a collective project through screenprinting
December 15th and 18th, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
– Introduction to screen printing technique.
– Conception of an original that represents us. A cooperative fanzine.
30 participants
This last two sessions were coordinated by Teófila N. Ruiz Kulianos. In the first session, held in person in the Sala Mozart of the Auditorio de Galicia, the artist and silk-screen printer went into the world of silk-screen printing from a brief introduction to this technique from the perspective of the Situationist movement. To think about the principles and theoretical approaches of this trend, the students reflected collectively on a series of readings provided to them prior to the session. Next, the teacher went through some of the mostharacteristic slogans and images (especially posters) of situationism (many of them linked to May ’68) so that, afterwards, the students worked in two groups on this material in order to readapt the textual and graphic discourses of these pieces to the present day.
From this sketching process, in the last session, which had to be held virtually, work continued on the different silkscreen proposals. Recovering the assembly spirit, we voted on two original designs created within the framework of these two sessions, which were printed by hand by Teófila in her workshop Do Paraná Espazo Serigráfico and which will be given as a gift to all the participants.
Trainer:
– Teófila N. Ruiz Kulianos. Director of Do Paraná, Espazo serigráfico. Self-taught silkscreen Self-taught and teacher with 25 years of experience in handmade silkscreen printing. Poet, performer and cultural manager.
Call for applications and selection of artists
Once the adaptation phase of the programme was completed, a joint planning was established between the Auditorio and the 7HCoop. team for the dissemination of the call for the selection of participants, which remained open from October, 7th – 23rd.
Three days later, according to what was indicated in the call for the selection of participants, a representative of the technical staff of the Auditorio de Galicia and a representative of 7H Coop. met to evaluate the 55 candidatures presented. The selection of the 30 participants was based on the professional profile and portfolio of the applicants, evaluating that the contents of the course on entrepreneurship and training were useful tools for the continuity of their artistic and professional work; on the interests and expectations expressed in the motivation letter; the relevance and suitability of the training programme for starting or promoting the professional careers of the creators, taking into account the candidates’ interests in entrepreneurship and in collaboration, communication, reinforcement, connection with the context, community work and gender perspective; and, finally, with the aim of forming a heterogeneous and plural group that would bring together views from different disciplines and age groups, thus adding their experience to the contents of the course.
As a result, a group was formed with participants from the fields of illustration, photography, performing arts, design, fine arts, poetry, ceramics and the designed band.
Those interested were contacted by the coordinating team to inform them of the resolution and to send them a survey prepared with the aim of probing their perceptions and professional concerns about the economic context of art and culture in Galicia, as well as to specify, according to their interests, the themes of each section of content.
Programme development and methodology
In the different sessions of the programme, the 7H Coop team was in charge of coordination, mediation and technical assistance. In addition to their own participation during each of the meetings to introduce the invited teachers, moderate the interventions and clarify doubts, after each session they were in charge of providing the materials worked on to the students as well as sending them small surveys so that the teachers could focus on those aspects that were of most interest or concern to the group.
If we pay attention to the contents and dynamics of each session, the first one was thought as a presentation day of the Wom@rts Training programme, so the main lines of work were exposed, the methodology to follow in each of the virtual meetings was summarised and the students’ doubts were solved.
So, the Auditorio de Galicia presented the participants with the project’s website and provided them with the guidelines for registering on the platform and creating their portfolio. Then, the programme of contents began with Soledad Felloza, who addressed from her personal experience as a multidisciplinary artist and, especially as a storyteller, those factors that interact or influence the branding or positioning as artists when starting and/or managing our professional career, focusing on communication issues. Next, María Sánchez dedicated an hour to the management and presence in networks, focusing on the main objectives and tools of digital marketing from the point of view of artistic entrepreneurship.
In the second session, led by Raquel Doallo, the programme focused on cultural entrepreneurship, starting with an approach to the options of self-employment and collective entrepreneurship, an analysis of the SWOT and the Cultural Canvas and, finally, the fundamental principles to be taken into account in relation to taxes and legal responsibilities in the development of an artistic career.
In the third event, collective answers were sought to the various questions surrounding art as a sustainable livelihood through the analysis of projects with three invited artists. Thus, after a first part in which Ruth Montiel, Angélica Dass and Susana Blasco briefly presented their careers and talked with the students, the latter designed an artistic proposal based on a series of indications proposed by the guests and based on their own projects. In the last part of the session, a speaker from each of the groups presented the artistic initiative to the rest of the students, sparking off a discussion between the participants and those invited.
The fourth session, entitled “The day-to-day as professionals”, was developed in two sections. In the first two hours, directed by Helena Sanmamede, the participants worked in groups to make a practical approach to the different levels involved in the design of a project from an economic and financial point of view, working with concepts related to financial products,
collection methods, preparation of budgets, etc. Subsequently, Marta Suárez-Mansilla went through some relevant aspects of the legal framework from the perspective of labour law that should be taken into account when working as artists in a professional capacity. In this sense, he addressed different aspects of intellectual property and artistic work under the freelance regime. They also gave some useful and common guidelines to the different artistic disciplines of the participants to develop good professional practices in their respective areas.
The focus of the fifth event was on cultural funding. In the first part, Raquel Doallo dealt with the different ways of funding for artists and cultural workers, focusing especially on the possibilities of grants and subsidies as well as public contracting, paying attention to the main factors and determining factors to take into account when applying for a call for proposals. In addition, Doallo explained some of the main advantages of ethical financing (through the example of entities such as AIS O Peto, Coop57 or Fiare Banca Ética) compared to traditional financing. In the second part, given by África Rodríguez, the participants learned about the different possibilities of international funding and the construction of alliances and collaborative networks through the Creative Europe project.
Finally, the last two sessions were coordinated by Teófila N. Ruiz Kulianos. In the first session, held in person in the Sala Mozart of the Auditorio de Galicia, the artist and silk-screen printer went into the world of silk-screen printing from a brief introduction to this technique from the perspective of the Situationist movement.
To think about the principles and theoretical approaches of this trend, the students reflected collectively on a series of readings provided to them prior to the session. Next, the teacher went through some of the most characteristic slogans and images (especially posters) of situationism (many of them linked to May ’68) so that, afterwards, the students worked in two groups on this material in order to readapt the textual and graphic discourses of these pieces to the present day.
From this sketching process, in the last session, which had to be held virtually, work continued on the different silkscreen proposals. Recovering the assembly spirit, we voted on two original designs created within the framework of these two sessions, which were printed by hand by Teófila in her workshop Do Paraná Espazo Serigráfico and which will be given as a gift to all the participants.
Above, some of the screen printing proposals produced during the session in the Auditorio de Galicia.
It should be noted that, throughout the sessions, the artists had access to different virtual tools for teamwork, such as Miro, Jamboard or Padlet, which they put into practice in various dynamic groups. Likewise, the teachers also provided different audiovisual materials, links and documents, together with the Power Point presentation used during the sessions, to broaden their knowledge on the topics addressed.
Moreover, as planned, beyond the training timetable, the students had at their disposal a small number of hours with the teachers as a tutorial to solve more specific questions in relation to their own professional projects.
The communication flowed horizontally and transversally and the students were able to ask questions, make suggestions or give their opinions on the subject to be dealt with. In addition, the coordinating team encouraged interaction between the participants, acting as an intermediary in the exchange of contacts, in order to promote new synergies that could consolidate the programme. In this sense, it is notorious that the active participation of the students and their interest in the contents was reflected in the extension of many of the sessions beyond the fixed timetable due to the debates and conversations generated.
Communication plan
The dissemination of the project, both in the publicity phase of the call and during its execution, was coordinated between the 7H Coop. team and the Auditorio de Galicia.
First of all, prior to the public launch of the programme, the graphic design of the project (poster and adaptation to digital formats) was carried out based on the guidelines provided by the promoting entity. Press material was then prepared and, in addition to being provided to the Auditorio de Galicia to be sent to the media, institutions and interested groups, 7H also sent it to different artists and organisations through the cooperative’s digital newsletter, e-mails and, particularly intensively, through its social media accounts. This active dissemination, reinforced by the Auditorium’s communication efforts through its channels, led to a great deal of interest, reflected in the large number of applications received.
In the execution phase, at the end of each of the sessions, the 7H Coop. team sent the Auditorio’s project communication manager the corresponding summary of the contents addressed and screenshots so that both the information and the images could be used as material on social networks. In fact, also from the 7H Coop. profiles on Instagram and Twitter, mainly, the development of the project was informed punctually.
Suggestions for improvement
Based on the dynamics observed during the development of the project and taking into consideration the opinions expressed by the participants in different surveys, it could be appropriate to consider a slight increase in the timetable of the programme in order to go deeper into the different thematic blocks. The participative profile of the students in this edition of Wom@rts Training demonstrated the need to make space available for analysis and
collective debate once the presentations had been made by the teachers. The provision of a few more hours would also facilitate a better understanding between the participants, allowing for a more personalised presentation of each one.
Secondly, taking into account the success achieved by the call, it could be necessary to increase the number of places offered from the current 30 to 35 or even 40 places. The dynamics based on the division of the participants in small groups, applied during the training, are very useful to favour learning and the exchange of experiences and could allow to maintain a higher number of participants than the current call.
Finally, it is also noteworthy that, although the students congratulated the coordinating team for the proposed timetable, they stated at various times that these training proposals would be more appropriate at the beginning of the year, due to the heavy workload of the final months. Likewise, several participants also commented that it would be appreciated to include some time for recreation or rest in those sessions in which more than one teacher participates, in order to take advantage of this time to interact with each other.
