Liverpool gallery which champions independent creators ‘struggling to stay open until Christmas’

“At the moment, we have one artist in residence at Alder Hey, running workshops at the bedside of patients, and we have two artists in residence at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. Our makers work alongside musicians from the Liverpool Philharmonic, FACT, The Everyman Theatre – much larger and regularly funded organisations. Increasingly, we fundraise from lots of local trusts and foundations, Arts Council, some money from Liverpool City Council for specific outreach projects, and that not only has demonstrated the power of making and the therapeutic power of making on health and mental health, but it’s also given additional income streams for all the local makers who’s work we sell in the gallery.

“Everything in the gallery is for sale and at the moment, we’re representing over 300 makers, and they’re mostly micro businesses – so one person working in a studio making jewellery, ceramics, crafts, textiles – all handmade. We have offered them a sales platform; makers apply to have their work shown here and we take a commission on sales – intended to cover our costs.

“We have a changing program of exhibitions in the back area of our space; at the moment, we have a show which celebrates Irish makers and that’s part of the Liverpool Irish Festival. Earlier this year, we had a show in collaboration with the Walker Art Gallery, showing Johnny Vegas’ ceramics and a local sculptor called Emma Rogers.”

Speaking about the ongoing challenges to the gallery, Samantha said: “I think that, economically, it is very challenging for all sole traders at the moment, so we do all that we can to support all of our makers and we show work of the highest standard. We introduce people to work that I don’t think some people would have the opportunity to see anywhere else. For 65 years, we’ve sustained mostly from our sales but, with rising overheads, that’s just becoming increasingly difficult for us to do.

“Myself and the assistant director here have written funding applications which have always supported what we do. Now those applications are increasingly competitive to apply for, and smaller organisations like us which don’t have huge development and fundraising teams with specialists who can just focus on that, our success rate is just really poor at the moment.”

Alan added: “I don’t think it’s just the display centres which are struggling – if you look at other organisations, they’re all fighting for a small pot of money.” Elaborating, Samantha said: “I put an application in recently for a new community grant that had come out of Liverpool City Council, and I got a response back to say we had been unsuccessful and that they’d had a funding pot of just over £1 million a year for five years and they’d had over £11 million worth of applications for that first year.

“They said to us that naturally most people were unsuccessful. We’ve always managed to get little pots of money to support our projects and made a difference, and I think that’s where that deficit is coming from.”

Talking about the importance of the arts, Samantha added: “I think the arts need to be valued, acknowledged and recognised. It’s really interesting to me that cuts are being made in the education system in state schools but when you look at independent schools, they’re not cutting their arts subjects, they aren’t closing art departments and getting rid of equipment. They’re actually investing in those subjects because they see the importance that arts education brings to people.

“Whether you go on to study arts or not, I think it brings additional skills – great people skills, problem solving – there are all sorts of things that art is proven to bring to people.

“All the courses which we’ve relied on to bring makers through in ceramics, in glass, in jewellery making, have just been closed under the last government – and those courses aren’t coming back. To stock a ceramics department costs money, so if you close it and get rid of all the equipment, it’s not going to come back.

“To some kids, discovering art is like opening up a new opportunity or finding somewhere where they fit in. They see people earning a living from it and think, ‘that could be me’. It’s vital for children and I think that not having the wider arts is incredibly dangerous and short sighted.”

To make sure the Bluecoat Display Centre keeps going, it is relying on a successful winter. Samantha said: “Our business really hinges on a strong November and December, so at the moment we’re preparing for our winter show which opens on November 7 and runs right through until mid-January.

“In the gallery, over that time, we’ll have over 300 independent craft-makers across all disciplines: jewellery, glass, ceramics, textiles, wood. Everything will be available across a really wide price range – we have Christmas cards which start from a few pounds and Christmas decorations also for sale. We’re really trying to have the best Christmas as we possibly can.”

Alan said: “We’ve had to decrease our numbers of staff so hopefully we have a sustainable business model which can survive but, like any business, Christmas is absolutely key. It’s the November/December sales will take you through the quieter months of January, February and March.”

Samantha added: “People walk into our space every day and wonder at the incredible work that people make with their hands. People walk around and say ‘wow’. It’s an amazing space here, filled with the most beautiful work. I think sometimes people have the impression that everything in here is very highly priced and is unattainable for them. But we’ve actually worked really hard to offer a price level where there are really accessible things.

“We want people to be able to come in, enjoy the space and buy things. I suppose that’s the crux of keeping us going really. I also think there’s a lot of people in the city who don’t know about the Bluecoat Display Centre or maybe don’t feel comfortable coming in, but it’s a friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable and uplifting space – particularly at the moment when there’s so much dreadful news about the worst that humanity can do, when you look around here, you see the best of what we can do.

“Shopping here doesn’t just support the Bluecoat Display Centre, it also supports the over 300 micro-businesses behind what we sell, which also employ other people, so there’s a real ripple effect. We’ve always offered personal development sessions for any maker, which is free. At times, it will be emerging makers, and sometimes it will be makers who have been working for a long time.

“We are incredibly happy to offer all sorts of support to makers; a few years ago, we took part in some shows in Chicago and from that, some of our North-West based makers have made connections with American galleries. There’s so many different ways the Display Centre has worked to not only sell the displays but to support the infrastructure of the crafts sector.”

Anthony added: “I think people are getting sick of stuff that’s online and mass-produced. You can come in here and pick up the hand-crafted pieces, handle them and find out about the artist. You can come in and have your 15, 20, 40 minutes and it’s a lot more personal.”

The Bluecoat Display Centre can be found at The Bluecoat’s College Lane entrance, Liverpool L1 3BZ. You can visit their website by clicking here.