The Work Room features in The Stage & Arts Professional
Director Anita Clark is interviewed by top industry publications
Arts Professional
Published 5 Sep 2018
As well as being a studio space for independent dancers and choreographers, Glasgow's The Work Room is also an empowering artist-led support network, says Anita Clark.
The arts industry can create a climate of competition and put substantial pressure on independent artists and small-scale companies. This is unhealthy for individuals and also for the sector. We all talk about ‘sustainable careers’, but the structures we operate in often neglect the fact that to be independent and freelance is also to be unwaged. Many artists are often in positions of great vulnerability, holding the burden of financial risk for their projects.
Read full article here.
The Stage
Published 19 Sep 2018
The Work Room’s Anita Clark: ‘Artists need a seat at the table – currently they have the least power’
“We need to be much more transparent as an industry and recognise that the way things are mostly run leaves those who make the work with the least power, and they are often the most vulnerable. We need to make sure that they get a chance to be at the table more than we often do.”
These are strong, and necessary, words from the woman who was previously head of dance at Creative Scotland/Scottish Arts Council between 2004-16 and who now heads up the Work Room, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
For a decade, the Work Room has provided a space for Scottish-based artists working in dance, movement, physical and circus performance to develop their practice. It is based at Tramway in Glasgow, where it has a dedicated studio.
Read full article here.