Drake Music and Furtherfield have come together to create ‘We Share’, a new initiative building on the combined creative assets, specialisms and strengths of both our organisations. In a series of projects in the first phase of We Share, we are testing and piloting new ways of working, with a view to other organisations joining us at a later stage. We Share sets out to develop a Peer to Peer philosophy for arts organisations to enrich our programmes, extend, connect and engage diverse communities and achieve improved flexibility and sustainability. We Share aims to amplify the existing value in arts organisations by finding sustainable ways to share knowledge, ideas, resources and opportunities.
Vision
Our vision is to develop a community of practice, with effective and dynamic networks of creative affinity by sharing infrastructure, expertise, ideas and resources across organisations with shared values. We aim to combine the specialisms and strengths of our organisations and their diverse networks by drawing on both organisations’ experience in participatory arts; Furtherfield’s knowledge of artistic online communities, Free and Open culture and technologies and Drake Music’s inclusive and accessible practices for disabled people.
‘We Share’ is a concept, an ambition, a bid for imagination, creative freedom and sustainability and the realisation of a new working model based on generosity, not competition. We want to create an environment that facilitates our organisations to work in ways that are more creative, effective and connected to people and which will more readily allow us all to play to our strengths. We imagine this to be an environment where the way we work is shaped not so much by the convention of a job to do, but led more evidently by a shared ethos: creating a – real & virtual – space for our communities of participants, artists, practitioners, technologists, thinkers and many others to explore, connect, create and collaborate.
Sharing Knowledge, Ideas & Expertise
We are working to explore and test how open and collaborative (rather than competitive) working between small, distinctive cultural organisations can improve and extend access and participation in arts and strengthen social bonds while making efficiencies and diversifying income streams. This collaboration draws on both organisations’ track records and extensive experience in participatory arts; Furtherfield’s knowledge of artistic online communities, social media and Free Open Source Software (FOSS) technologies and Drake Music’s inclusive, innovative and accessible practices in music and assistive technology.
The ongoing development of the WeShare project, including web development services, is now core to both our organisations’ business plans to improve organisational sustainability – together we aim to identify, capitalise on, and create opportunities to share knowledge & skills;connect and develop collaborative innovation with new partners; maintain a leading-edge technical development team to support arts programmes and the development of new digital distribution/participation platforms.
About Furtherfield
Furtherfield works with critical artistic practices, emerging technologies, enabling people to become active co-creators of their cultures and societies. Furtherfield develops artistic programmes and infrastructures for participation. Upwards of 26,000 contributors worldwide – artists, designers, activists, thinkers, and technologists – collaborate to cultivate open, experimental and engaging contexts for making and thinking via their website and gallery in North London.
For much more, visit the We Share site: www.we-share.org.uk