Creative Lenses began with a simple but uncomfortable observation: every cultural organisation has a business model, whether or not it would ever describe itself that way. Over four years, the project set out to help arts and cultural centres become more financially sustainable without compromising their missions and values. At its heart was the Catalyst programme, where cultural centres and theatre companies across Europe worked hand in hand with mentors to rethink their own business models and audience strategies, turning abstract theory into lived, tested change.
Outputs
Across four years, the project partners produced 15 training workshops, 8 forums on business model innovation 2 conferences spreading know-how, plus the publications and digital platforms including the conceptual toolkit Models to Manifestos, the Business Model Knowledge Base, and the Artsmetric.com benchmarking system.
About the initiative
"Every organisation has a business model, even if the majority of practitioners in the cultural sector would not describe the way they manage resources using this terminology. Yet, not every organisation does business modelling."
Creative Lenses explored the sustainability of European arts and cultural organisations, addressing how they might become more financially sustainable without compromising their missions and values. Its vision was captured in the tagline "stronger arts and cultural organisations for a greater social impact," with a mission to equip cultural organisations with the knowledge, methods and tools to become more resilient and better create value for society.
Core activities
- 2015 | Focus groups: field research led by the University of Basilicata explored the needs, expectations and challenges of arts and cultural organisations in Amsterdam, Athens, Brussels, Helsinki, Lecce, London, Lund and Žilina, involving around 180 arts professionals. Read the report
- 2015–2016 | Forums: eight one-day forums held across Europe opened debate on business models in the cultural sector, engaging more than 800 culture professionals and policymakers.
- October 2017 | Conference SULA – Sustainability and Love for Arts: a two-day event bringing together more than 200 international cultural managers, entrepreneurs and policymakers, with training workshops, business model clinics and a creative business pitch competition.
- 2017 | Business Model Innovation Survey: conducted by BOP Consulting, revealing how non-governmental performing arts organisations and cultural centres were innovating their business models. Read the report
- 2017–2018 | Catalyst programme and action-research: the project's central activity, in which five cultural centres, two theatre companies and one organisation in transition explored and attempted to transform their business models and audience development strategies, supported by eight mentors. A research team from the University of Arts London added an action-research layer, examining the relationship between the values underpinning cultural work, organisational missions, and the need to generate sufficient income. Explore the Catalyst case studies
- 2018 | Business Model Knowledge Base: a digital platform gathering more than one hundred resources on business model innovation in the cultural sector.
- 2018–2019 | Benchmarking System (Artsmetric.com): a prototype digital benchmarking system for independent cultural centres and performing arts organisations, tested by professionals across international focus groups, later developed further by Trans Europe Halles and Creative Industry Košice as part of the Cultural and Creative Spaces and Cities project.
- April 2019 | Final Conference: more than 40 speakers and 210 arts and culture professionals, funders, policymakers and researchers gathered to debate how arts and cultural organisations were adapting to changing environments and producing value for their communities.
Partners
For Creative Lenses, we put together a unique consortium of fifteen arts and cultural organisations from nine European countries:
- Two international networks: Trans Europe Halles and IETM
- Six cultural centres: Kaapeli, Stanica, Manifatture Knos, P60 and Village Underground
- Two universities: University of Arts London and the University of Basilicata
- Two cultural agencies: Olivearte Cultural Agency and Creative Industry Kosice
- One municipality: City of Lund in Sweden
- Three theatre companies: ODC Ensemble, Cia Patricia Pardo and Projecte Ingenu
Results
Creative Lenses was an ambitious project addressing a quite controversial topic in the sector. The question now is: Have we contributed to making arts and cultural organisations more resilient? Have we, at least, been able to change the way that managers and policymakers understand and approach business models in our sector?
At the heart of the findings of the University of Arts in London research team there are three critical lessons for the project:
- The idea of the ‘business model’ is valuable to arts and cultural organisations as an imperfect tool, or heuristic’ to guide organisational development.
- Business modelling does not represent a politically neutral solution to the problems facing arts and cultural organisations.
- Business modelling is an underdeveloped practice within arts and cultural organisations.
If you would like to learn more about Creative Lenses and our experience exploring business models for the cultural sector, you are welcome to plunge yourself into the project’s website.
TEH members involved
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