My removal from Festive Road

The Story of Festive Road and how I was removed

Festive Road was formed as an association in 2005 by Julia Roach, Julie Moreton, Paul Smith, Simon Tipping and myself; five practicing artists, who were working as freelancers on community and school projects in and around Milton Keynes. We were all regular freelancers at Inter-ActionMK at the time.

During the first years the core of our work was supporting local groups and councils while organising local projects, regional arts events and carnivals.

In 2008 the company officially became Festive Road CIC (Community Interest Company). We were covering the rental costs of one of the MK Community Foundation's commercial units in Stacey Bushes and were well networked both within Milton Keynes and the surrounding regions. During this period the company began securing regular grants from both Arts Council and MK Community Foundation, as well as contracts with local councils and other organisations. 

I was key in enabling the funding and development of the company, someone who understood from the beginning the significance of supporting and enhancing the arts within the region. The funding support allowed us to employ a part time administrator, Vicki Arogundade. However right back in 2010 I was already developing the vision of an Outdoor Arts company that created large scale structures and Outdoor shows to tell visual stories. This was evident as I led the making of the giant steaming kettle and directed the touring show 'Brewing Up' in the lead up to 2012. 

It was during this time, late 2010, that we were first visited by Bill Gee, Creative Producer of MKIF. We had begun research and development on the 'Brewing Up', a show to celebrate the English obsession with 'tea drinking' for 2012 London Olympics. The project entailed working with partners across the South East, which enabled Milton Keynes to develop fruitful national partnerships. Many of the individuals involved in this big project still work as freelancers for Festive Road to this day. Bill's support and the company's inclusion in MKIF was a turning point.

Artistic Direction: a clear turning point

My vision clearly had the artistic integrity of the work as the propelling motivation and I have been told that I was the main driving force behind the company!

“Festive Road has always been artist led. I have always maintained that the artists are at the centre, that talent and the nurturing of talent is the most important thing. I knew that the making of imaginative structures and costumes, bringing the best people together through live events and creating transforming performance was what we needed to be doing”.

As I began to develop into an Artistic Director, Festive Road transformed into a professional company with ambitions to tour work to Outdoor Arts festivals and organise large scale events. Many talented performers and artists became associated with the company. They were supported and welcomed into the family. I understood that inviting professional artists from other regions was important to both our artistic development and that of the arts and culture in Milton Keynes.  

Festive Road began to call itself an Outdoor Arts company and it was awarded the London 2012 Inspire Mark two years running as we toured Brewing Up across the South East and Midlands.

Soon after this two of the founding directors, Julia Roach and Julie Moreton, left to pursue solo and teaching careers while I secured several more years of Arts Council funding enabling the company to take on a part time freelance fundraiser and marketing officer.

Effective steps towards the development of Milton Keynes Arts Scene

In 2012/13 the company left the commercial unit, which we had begun to outgrow, taking on an enormous free office space which enabled us to reduce overheads. As well as devising and producing the work, I was also representing the organisation within Milton Keynes and beyond, as was Simon Tipping and Paul Smith. My commitment to the growth of Arts, Culture and Heritage in MK is evident by the number of voluntary roles, committees and 'think tanks' I was invited to be part of locally and on the boards that I have contributed to.

At the same time support locally manifested in diverse ways; through partnerships developed with schools, increased associations with community groups like the Indian Hindu Welfare Organisation in Northampton, and also professional bodies such as ISAN, MK Arts and Heritage Alliance, Creative Partnership organisations and many others. Much of this community work was developed by Simon Tipping, the Walking with Giants Parade for example, with myself bringing in the funding. 

This work was accessible to all and always participatory. It united local schools, regional artists and community bodies to animate Central MK and many other towns and communities; bringing places to life, building confidence and breaking down cultural, economic and geographical boundaries. 
Festive Road was also offering rehearsal and workshop spaces, community events, sector gatherings -Carnival Network South conference for example - as well as scratch nights, training and networking opportunities for artists. We supported a sewing circle, stilt walking group, drumming, carnival making, puppetry, dance, paint jams and theatre groups.

That same year I was appointed Artistic Director of 'Summer of Culture', a Milton Keynes Council funded festival for MK with a large budget to manage. Anita Allen, who has sadly passed away now, played a main role in administrating this project.

“We were a formidable team and worked on many projects together -including MK Festival Fringe of which I was also Artistic Director. Anita's professionalism, her attention to detail and her administration skills were remarkable. Most of all she respected my decisions and always supported me as the driving force of the company”.

Over 2013 and 2014, Festive Road, along with five other MK based Arts organisations, became part of the Arts Council funded MK Catalyst Consortium. The company was well supported by Arts Council and many other individuals and bodies in the Carnival and Outdoor Arts sector. We were also and one of a few local arts organizations given annual grant aid funding from MK Council. 

An array of successful projects which focused on supporting the local arts and talents were yet about to come; the Festive Road trainee scheme began in 2014, for example, which I developed in order to seek, train and retain local talent in MK.

“We worked with people who had different interests, gave them 1:1 support, provided shadowing opportunities and also paid work so that they could gain experience. It was a way of making it worthwhile for people to remain available for freelance work and for us to pass on skills and expertise”.

Some of these trainees became freelance artists -Clive Doherty, who was at the time signing for job seekers allowance, was one of them. Others include: Jessica Flowers, Lauren Mitchell, Michaella Smith, Shelly Colbourne and many more.

In 2014 I secured a large Arts Council grant for Artistic development to give Festive Road artists, our trainees and other lead makers across the sector the opportunity to work and learn from each other. 

Part of this was a research trip to visit La Machine in Nantes, France, as well as exchange between artists like Mike Patison, Emma Garofalo and Nick Garnett.

The visit to La Machine was inspiring -it set a benchmark. It had a huge impact on the group that went, not least both myself and Clive Doherty.

At this time I had independently begun to develop some stilt walking costumes; I was making two dinosaurs skeletons - these were then taken forward collectively and on returning from France work began on a new production:  'The Jurassic Jockeys'. Several makers were part of this including the three Directors and lead artists at Festive Road, as well as Clive Doherty, Nick Garnett, Emma Garofalo, Mike Patison and others.

Over the next few years I championed Clive's work, as I did many artists. I enabled opportunities for him to work on large scale projects, in schools and alongside other makers. I recognised Clive’s capacity and dedication within Festive Road. I introduced him to a network of artists and producers of Outdoor Arts who would encourage his ambition and I persuaded the other directors of Festive Road to acknowledge his input and to pay him a full freelance artist fee. As result he became a valued member of the team.

Clive and I collaborated together producing some important pieces, including Harminder the Elephant, commissioned for Northampton Diwali in late 2014, Shanti the Bird, Gwynhaff the Dragon (and several versions of her), The Culture Coach and on many other projects. (I have blogged about some of these projects previously). I continued to develop new commission opportunities, funding and partnership opportunities and continued to devise and direct new Outdoor shows: Best Company (a WW1 Centenary project) and Paraffinalia (annual winter festival event and show), as well as supporting Simon Tipping to develop the annual Walking with Giants parade. The creative output of the company went from strength to strength: the combination of my sculpting skills mixed with Clive's mechanical skill, created a very productive chemistry.

But Festive Road’s work wasn’t just about creating mechanical puppets, street shows and art commissions. There was also the research work and training that was done as part of the MK Catalyst Consortium which included: considering our legal status as a CIC, developing a wider Advisory board, re-branding and 1:1 fundraising mentoring for myself as the Artistic Director, among many other things. At that time my efforts also secured an extraordinary grant from MK Community Foundation to create a marketing strategy, produce new print and appoint a marketing person which was to include in house training. 

However, sadly, some of the above things were put on the back burner, as towards the end of 2014 a great deal began to change.

Overcoming the difficulties

My marriage with fellow director and friend, Simon Tipping, began to break down, which led to a re-defining of the company and a difficult period for everyone. Soon after this, our Administrator, Anita Allen, left to relocate in Manchester with her husband's job. From then on the company had a series of administrators; Jitty Marwaha and Louise Evans. Despite working hard and under difficult circumstances the day-to-day systems lost consistency. And on top of this, in the fall of 2014, Festive Road was given a 30 days' notice to leave our free space in Linford Wood.

“These were very challenging events and I could see we needed expert help, so I called a meeting of all those who supported and advocated the company. This included Arts Council officers and MK Council officers, as well as friends and stake holders. I presented the achievements, challenges and the potential of Festive Road and opened the meeting up. Afterwards Yvette Lamidey approached us and offered to Chair the organization. She took this on and began to manage finances, staff and oversee the spending of the funding I had brought in”.

Over the next year Festive Road moved to several temporarily spaces; a cow shed and then a farm unit just outside MK, with separate office space at MK Play Association. We had extra storage costs, commercial rent and bills, as well as relocation expenses. The reserve that the previous administration had built up was depleted.

During that time I remained an effective Artistic Director of MK Festival Fringe as well as working on the new Festive Road commissions and projects and fundraising for the annual Walking with Giants and Paraffinalia festivals which were being produced and which I project managed and devised work for. 

Director Paul Smith stepped down from office, after many years as Treasurer, preferring to remain an associate artist and leaving the management to be done by Simon Tipping, Yvette Lamidey and myself.

Eventually, after much persistence, director Simon Tipping managed to successfully negotiate a 'forever' home for Festive Road; an MK Community Foundation unit on Kiln Farm. This was the space I had dreamed of for so long; a large workshop with office space and facilities for metal working, textiles, public workshops and events, etc.

However, soon after the space was secured our Chair, Yvette, was asked to step down and I asked Martine Frost, who had been supporting the company through these difficulties to be an acting Chair. Director Simon Tipping also then decided to leave the company to set up on his own with his new partner elsewhere.

By 2016 I became the only director and the last of the original subscribing Member of the Festive Road Community Interest Company.

Because the company required at least two directors, Martine suggested she become a director which at the time I was glad of. And in order to preserve the collective spirit of the company I also invited Clive Doherty to become a director in order to recognise all that he had put into the company. I trusted them both to help me to take the company forward again and to finally start the business of organisational development. 

It seemed like the new start that we needed. Martine worked very hard to sort out the finances and make the company profitable again. Clive and I continued to work collaboratively in the workshop creating some phenomenal work together.

The new Directors

But the new board of directors didn’t quite work as I had envisioned. I continued to develop projects and secure opportunities to tour our work and build on our successes. I wrote proposals and bids and our work began to be booked at festivals and events across the country. I worked hard to bring the ISAN (Independent Street Arts Network) to MK, so that Festive Road could host this important national gathering of the sector, along with The Stables Theatre. I was also invited to be part of the MK European City of Culture bid team (before it was taken off the table by the EU).

However, while I wrote bids, networked and presented proposals, my role as Artistic Director began to feel undermined by the other directors.

“My position as Artistic Director was utterly misunderstood. It was treated as a self-appointed position, as though my knowledge, expertise and experience within the company were irrelevant. I trusted Martine's abilities within business, but understood she underestimated the importance of artistic development and seemed not to share the same ambition to grow artist-led events or to create the outward looking company that I was aiming for."

My drive had always put the artists, the development of new work and new partnerships at the heart, but despite my project management and extensive business skills, despite my artistic qualifications, I progressively found myself having to justify all my decision making.There was still no board development, no proper procedures or business plans and the fundraising for new projects was not happening as planned.

I made attempts to get directors meetings minuted and agendas planned in advance, to encourage projects which brought artists together to work collaboratively to develop work. I attempted to voice my concerns about Martine taking on too much: the Marketing and Communications which she was being paid for initially as well as taking the role of both Chair and Treasurer, also her then taking on the Admin temporarily. I insisted we properly recruit and appointed a new administrator which eventually we did but work continued without complete hand over of the role. I tried to initiate more studios being created to build an artistic community and many other things which I always felt I had to fight to achieve.
Meanwhile the projects were not being taken on by a range of makers and performers. I was having to justify bringing in professional performers who required extra travel expenses and collaborations with other makers and puppeteers who Clive seemed unwilling to work with. 

The outcome of these discrepancies had an abrupt climax point on January 31. I had been working from home on an Arts Council application for organisational development which was almost complete and involved partners such as EEA and Mandinga Arts as well as in-kind consultancy to help with management structures and governance...I arrived at the office for a meeting that had been arranged with some partners in Northampton -this had been cancelled I heard and Martine Frost insisted that there needed to be an immediately and urgent directors meeting. Together with Clive Doherty and without warning, they pressurized me to renounce my position as a director saying that: Festive Road was broken, that the relationship between the three directors was irretrievably broken down and that if I refused to resign they would forcibly remove me. This they could do according to our Articles. I since asked them to put their case against me more comprehensively, to no avail.

I wrote to the Advisory Board: 

"Festive Road has taken almost 13 years to get here; hours and hours of love, passion, talent, time and my own resources; much of it unpaid and for the benefit of others -in short it has been my whole waking life. This is not to belittle the contribution more recently of Clive and Martine but just to say it didn't happen overnight and that I believe that I more than deserve to benefit from, and to be credited for its successes over the years.

I am not prepared to resign the directorship of the company I have founded without proper process. Whilst I understand that there has been conflict between the directors I do not recognise the surmise that this is irrevocable and I would like to ask my fellow directors to reconsider their decision and would like to request a proper mediation process."

Instead of opening a conversation to face and liaise the differences on the management and creative direction of the company, Martine and Clive initiated a 14 day Notice of Removal. They inexplicably confiscated my paperwork, changed the locks of the Kiln Farm workshop and prevented me from accessing my company email, (which was my primary account for the last 6 years or more).

Putting aside the personal loss and hurt that I felt, I think it is a great shame that the vast experience I have as an arts manager, divisor, curator, producer, bid writer, artistic director and as a maker, may now be lost to the company and that the special skill set that I have has not been valued. I would have thought that the directors would have acknowledged the vast contribution I made to the company, the financial benefits that they continue to enjoy from my creative work and also the opportunities and advantages of my networks that I have afforded to them for the last few years but this didn't seem to be the case.

Many people have contributed to the development of this pioneering company, many artists and supporters, (including my fellow founders). 
The Outdoor Arts sector is a very supportive, collaborative and nurturing network of people. I hope I have helped in some way towards growing that community and can continue to do so  in the future. I have certainly benefited from all the mentoring, the training and exchanges between so many of the generous and talented people within it.

I hoped for some fair treatment: for a properly managed and negotiated Exit Plan which would take into account the investment of time and creative energy I had put in; a period to discuss the terms of my departure, some acknowledgement of my creative works, as well as a proposal around the sharing of creative assets. 

Unfortunately, despite requests, this did not happen and I was left with few means to begin anew...that is apart from my unstoppable creative drive and determination to put right a wrong.

I decided to seek legal advice and discovered that both the process and the reasons of my removal were invalid. A letter was sent from my lawyer asking Martine and Clive to recognise that this was the case; that as I remained a director I had a right to access the company premises and email account, and that I also have Intellectual Property rights over the things I have made or co-created. Despite this, these points have still not been addressed and I have little hope that they ever will be. At present I am unable to take things any further due to complete lack of finances.

Over the last few weeks I have resisted the urge to go public and to tell the world of these injustices, as I don't see that destroying a company that I have put so much creative energy into, would be of benefit to anyone - certainly not the audiences and participants who would loose out by its demise. However by remaining silent I leave room for whatever mis-truths are bound to develop in the attempt to put reasons behind all of this unreasonable behavior. As I am starting out again, trying to put this whole nasty episode behind me, I feel that I am left with little choice but to use my voice, it is my only defense. It is important to me that I am not misrepresented, that I am heard and that my good reputation remains in tact.

It is going to take some time for me to get back on my feet but eventually I hope to be creating exciting new work. I'm looking forward to the new partnerships I'll be making, new collaborations, new opportunities and hope to be working with some of you in the future. 

Epilogue

The hardest thing for me has been the loss of the workshop; the dream studio that I worked all my life to get, with the freedom and the space that doesn't come easily to a solo freelancer.

And within that having to leave projects midway through that I had started; the City Fox for example, which I was creating for Nottingham Puppet Festival. 

Our involvement in Nottingham Puppet Festival began two years ago when I was on a volunteer project in India. I got to know Alison Denholm of City Arts, Nottingham quite well while I was there. 

I was making a large horse puppet out of bamboo and rubber with articulated legs and we started having conversations about possible City Arts and Festive Road collaborations. 

At the time Alison had the sketch of a plan to partner with other Nottingham based organisations on a puppetry festival to celebrate the national tour of War Horse. 

Several phone calls, skype calls, emails, submitted funding bids and a couple of visits later and we were given a budget to create a new large scale puppet, as well as lots of engagement work leading up to the festival.

The idea of creating a Fox puppet was formed. I invested some hours to sketching and making drawings and looking at wildlife films of foxes!

I had already created the back of the fox -a ladder for mounting-, the leg joints, the steering wheel and had begun to sculpt the head and the tail in steel rod, just as this whole sad chapter erupted. 

Not being part of the fox's completion is one of the hardest things. Investing so much love, envisaging a finished thing, having ideas about it's construction flowing through your head over and over, and then, having that removed, is hard to come to terms with creatively.

Not knowing how, or who, will finish sculpting the body, whether my plans for the hessian coverage to be sewn on in neat panels will be carried out, not being able to finish sculpting the legs, the tail and see the tail mechanism that I made working, is very difficult. 

This and many other projects that I had invested so much creative energy into, that I had initiated or been part of the development of, all of them are gone and I have no way of knowing how they will be worked on in my absence.

I'm very sad that I won't have the opportunity to be part of the Puppet Festival now and I won't get to see the City Fox finished in Nottingham on 22nd-25th March. 

I won't see Nemo perform in Peterborough or take Gwynhaff to Kent for St Georges day. I have no idea if the funding I applied for to paint the homeless peoples kitchen/shower block has come through. I have no idea if Cranfield university have funding to work in partnership with Festive Road or if Acrojou or Vital Exposure will still be coming to do R and D. I won't be working with my friend Neelam on Northampton Diwali or taking the Jurassic Jockeys to Birmingham. I will miss Harminder's two day excursion to Waddeston Feast...I could go on and on but what's the point in making things worse, besides I really wanted to end this blog on a positive note.

After the last few weeks I have come to understand something: no-one can take away my creative force, it's like a precious thing, a breath of life. It's not so much about the stuff you make, the structures and systems you create, it's more about the energy you put into what you make. It's about the intention, the love, the purpose behind the animation and the interaction. It's about working with the honesty and the richness of the people around you; it's about cooperation, recognising the synergies, and the differences, and appreciating, sharing, and giving meaning to all the beautiful moments in life -what else it there?