Bristol Creatives was originally set-up and established by a small group of Bristol based artists and makers with pilot funding from the Arts Council England South West and continued ongoing support from Bristol Spaceworks (formerly BEST/Bristol East Side Traders).
The network was launched in May 2006 and now has over 1500 members, most of whom are self employed visual and applied artists, designers, photographers, performers, etc. Bristol Creatives' membership also includes freelancers, small partnerships, galleries, studio groups, venues and individuals who are part of larger arts organisations.
Bristol Creatives no longer receives funding for the Arts Council and we now rely on annual paid Gold Membership subscriptions in order to provide our core support services, which include:
• 'Creative Thursdays' monthly networking events;
• This website, where members can promote themselves and their services and activities;
• Monthly e-bulletins, which are full of the latest opportunities, jobs, news and what's on;
• Access to new markets through our online Creative Directory;
• Discounts from a carefully selected range of suppliers;
• Access to our Digital Resource Centre and to associated training opportunities.
The Bristol Creatives Team
Sally Reay, Bristol Creatives Project Manager, is self-employed artist and designer maker. She graduated from Canterbury College of Art with a degree in graphic design and went on to work as a public relations consultant and event coordinator for a London advertising agency before moving to the West Country to relaunch her career as an artist and designer maker in 1996. Sally also works as a freelance arts project manager, event coordinator and website editor and content manager. She set up and established the Phoenix52 Community Arts Project in Barton Hill and the Easton Arts Trail, and she is also a Director of South West Open Studios, a member of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery and a founding member of Mivart Artists.
Sophie Howard is a sculptor and has lived in Bristol since the late '80s. She studied at Winchester School of Art and lived in London before moving to the West Country. For eight years she designed and made sculpture for the garden industry, alongside teaching part time for City of Bristol College and Bristol Adult Learning. In 2003 Sophie trained as a business advisor with BRAVE the enterprise agency, specialising in working with people in the creative industries. She has also worked for ArtsMatrix and Bath Spa University. Now making and exhibiting her own sculpture, Sophie continues to teach sculpture and run seminars on business skills for creatives in the South West. Sophie is glad to have been involved as a founding member of Bristol Creatives, and hopes to support the work the network into the future.
