A letter from Natalia:
I joined Deveron Projects in January 2021, marking the end of founder Claudia Zeiske’s 25-year directorship. The period prompted an exciting new transition for the organisation. I joined a phenomenal, yet small team and a supportive community in Huntly. Like many artworkers in Scotland, my colleagues had been considering balance (in their roles, in the town) and values (for the organisation and to shape how we worked in Huntly), so we paused and thought carefully about how we wanted to work. In the process, we brought on two new full-time roles. As a team of five full-time staff we’ve come together with such kindness, enthusiasm, and passion for the work we’re doing, and hopefully sharing that intention with all our partners, audiences and the artists we work with. A new model, vision, mission and objectives emerged responding to the challenges the sector has faced over the last couple of years – economic (standstill funding, cost of living crisis), political (BREXIT and its impacts on economy and freedom of movement), social and health (Covid and the ongoing impacts of a global pandemic).
The transition between Directors in 2021 and the development of a new model for the organisation showed and continues to show the challenges of this quite typical structure of a Director/Curator; where one person has ultimate responsibility, working across business and creative, and holds networks and curatorial oversight. How do we make all aspects of the organisation sustainable? With this in mind, we explored much flatter hierarchies which prompted interesting conversations around responsibility – who would be open and prepared to take this on and who would rather not.
For us, collaboration was the most formative change in our organisation. Part of my learning curve was realising that building autonomy, equity and sustainability is not as simple as flattening structures. I found ways to share decision-making, creative strategy, business strategy, whilst hopefully maintaining balance by not sharing ultimate responsibility. Our full team – across administration and creative – were part of all artists check-ins (weekly meetings with full-time artists in residence, monthly for part-time artists in residence), in monthly business planning, new venue, and programming workshops. Building a collaborative environment allowed a new model to emerge.
A new model
I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done through a transformational time for the organisation: increasing project funding and team capacity; developing exciting new partnerships, nationally and internationally; committed substantial resource to the development of artistic practice in Scotland and wider, bringing artists’ fees to the same value as staff salaries; addressing urgent social, cultural and political issues; while working with the wellbeing and collaboration with our communities in Huntly at the heart. Bringing the organisation into a distinct new phase, I feel that my time has naturally come to an end. Working in earnest on our new business plan and looking ahead to the next round of Creative Scotland core funding, my decision to step down has presented an ideal opportunity for us to further develop a sustainable model for the future of the organisation. To this end, we are introducing a shared directorship between two existing staff members: Jenny Salmean and Matthew Evans, currently Producer and Project Manager respectively.
Jenny and Matthew have rooted themselves in Huntly long-term and have exceptional experience across visual art, theatre and performance, in Scotland and wider. This new model – retaining local, sector and organisational knowledge in the team – will ensure that the strength and success that the organisation has built forms the core of an exciting future and reflects the unique context that we work in.
A new website, detailing our values – based on Community, Collaboration, Rigour and Solidarity, will launch in Autumn 2023.
