Transmission is a research-action programme for artists. It has been examining ways of increasing the mobility and employability of workers in the performing arts, in the process developing a model of transnational training which focuses on work opportunities that exist outside the cultural industries.

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/

http://www.transmissionarteducation.com/

Transmission Art Education works closely with training institutions and potential employers to examine ways in which professional artists can be given the opportunity to develop new skills - skills that will give them access to a much wider range of employment opportunities. The exchange of ‘best practice’ and models on accrediting or validating acquired experimental learning within the social realm is facilitated by a unique multi-player partnership, one which includes European training institutions, social partners and several European networks.

Background and Motivation

The National Theatre in London's Education Department (NT Education) had several years' experience of working with the education, prison, health, regeneration and business sectors - experience which led to the creation of the Transmission project. Particularly valuable in this respect were NT Education's programmes exploring the changing role of the artist in the 21st century. Established in 1991 in response to the needs of artists and arts organisations in Central and Eastern Europe, these programmes - 'Seeding a Network' and 'Branching Out' - were run in partnership with fifteen different countries.

Chrissie Tiller at NT Education initiated Transmission in 1998. She was originally approached by DGV to tender for an action research grant which would enable her to explore ways of increasing the mobility and employability of performing artists by looking at their changing role in the third sector. The initial partners were Eunetart in the Netherlands, the Melina project in Greece, the Arts Council in Finland, and OKS (subsequently KulturKontakt) in Austria.

Initial research findings pointed to a change in almost all major European countries. While in the UK artists always had to work outside of the mainstream artistic field, in countries that were traditionally funded (among the initial partners, The Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Greece) artists were choosing to work in hospitals, education, prisons, business and the wider community.

This tendency to look outside of the artistic mainstream for employment was largely caused by cuts in state funding. The changing political and economic landscape brought about a dynamic response from artists. People were forced to look at the challenges, redefine their goals and pose themselves the question, 'In what way can these challenges be made into opportunities?'

The founders of the Transmission project wanted to discover if this trend was happening in Eastern and Central Europe and elsewhere. If so, might the skills and knowledge being developed by artists be validated and recognised in some way? Transmission's project partners were linked by a common interest in the situation of the artist and the engagement of artists in wider cultural practice.

Project Components and Funding

During phase one (1998-2001), partners explored innovative ways of increasing the employability and mobility of performance artists across Europe. Focusing primarily on the so-called third sector - where private and public funding crossed over - it looked at ways of creating new employment opportunities for artists by offering skills training. The project investigated best practice, the relevance of distanced learning modules, artist placements and practical training and common approaches to accreditation.

Each partner focused on finding out about artists’ skills, competences and careers. Partners worked in cooperation with artists' unions, asking whether and to what extent artists were working in the mainstream or as waiters, taxi-drivers, etc., or in other social fields.

In each country, a national conference brought together artists, policymakers and employers to look at the employers' point of view to see what they might expect from artists, at the artists themselves to see what they want from their careers, and also at the policymakers affecting the partnerships between these groups.

A pilot training was held at the National Theatre in London. Twenty-five artists from five countries exchanged practice and reflected on skills that could be transferred for work in other sectors.The artists were also given the opportunity of placements in other social sectors within another country.

This original phase received EURO 500,000 funding from the European Commission Directorate General V, which was convinced that the changing trends of artists' work choices as identified by the project were of great relevance to mobility and employment.

The second phase of the research gained funding from the Grundtvig (Socrates) programme. The development of accreditation and certification systems for lifelong learning of those working in performing arts was explored in the project's fourth year. Pilot training programmes exchanged innovative approaches and best practice. A Master's training programme has been developed at Goldsmith’s College, University of London. A pilot programme was also run at theTheatre School in Amsterdam, and further pilots will be run at Unit in Graz and the Theatre School in Helsinki in the summer of 2006.

The project is currently in its third stage of sharing practice and dissemination. Funded by Leonardo II, the project exchanges best practice - starting from the experiences of the UK Master's and the Dutch pilot - in the accreditation of non-formal learning. Partnerships have been forged between diverse training institutions, social partners, employers and European networks.The forum aims to contribute directly to the debate on the role of the artist in the community.

Some Partners' Goals and Expectations for Transmission III

As an active partner from the first Transmission project, the Finnish Theatre Information Centre conducted research into the work of Finnish actors in the third sector. Some of the identified problems remain, such as the low value given to unpaid or voluntary work done by artists. The main priorities for the Centre are training, networking, policy-advocacy and the updating of research into the employment market.

The Theatre Academy of Finland’s main priorities in Transmission relate to exchanges in curriculum development and the creation of a trans-European training programme. Another aim is to change the culture of initial education and training so as to bring a new appreciation of the artist's role in society.

Kulturkontakt Austria contributes expertise gained from ARTWORKS study - a project database for artistic services in the third sector. KKA aims to distribute the results of the project in Austria, to help develop a trans-European training programme, and to help ensure quality criteria and standards. Policy-level advocacy is also seen as critical.

uniT Verein fur Kultur an der Franzens Universitat Uni Graz seeks to work out curricula for specialised courses such as theatre in social fields, perceiving that the workplace nowadays demands many abilities and skills not provided by formal education.

Akademia Teatralna, the school of theatre arts in Warsaw, sees Transmission as a tool for artists to define skills in the context of social needs and build a network of artists and social workers.

Wyzbrzezak Association, also based in Warsaw, has a complementary target group - workers coming out of the third sector who want further training and opportunities in liason with artistic and cultural groups. Wyzbrezak offers its resources for curriculum development and its experience in the area of art for social change.

The Dublin Institute of Technology has a three-year full-time drama course focused on actor training and performance, particularly in the area of Drama Facilitation, in which students explore performance in various historical, cultural and social contexts.The focus is on influencing the culture of training through curriculum development and contributing to the debate of the role of artists in society. Transmission is seen as providing an opportunity to link with other institutes in Europe and to engage in market research and development.

Amsterdam's De Theaterschool began its pilot project in September 2004. The focus of curriculum development is the training of artists and practitioners - seeing how talents can be unleashed and introduced as a powerful force in society. The K.I.S. programme looks at the place of theatre in society and takes a critical view of successful and unsuccessful engagement by theatre practitioners in social practice.

The mission of Kunstenaars&Co is to improve artists' skills in entering the job market and help them to develop partnerships with organisations outside the arts sector. The emphasis of engagement is on market building and capacity building.

In the UK, the National Theatre, Goldsmiths and Writernet are interested in the cross-disciplinary possibilities of Transmission, looking also beyond community arts, as reflected in the title of the MA in cross-sectoral and community arts, 'Artists in Society'. They are concerned with the practice and capacity of artists working within a wider social context, with establishing models of training at postgraduate level, and with challenging and questioning the criteria for initial training.

As a network for the contemporary performing arts, the (IETM) raises large questions about Transmission’s work - the role of artists; models of practice in communities; responsibilities of the contemporary performing arts sector towards the needs of communities; the needs of employers, training institutes, artists, communities and organisations.Informal European Theatre Meeting

Likewise, another large network organisation, the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA), contributes by developing awareness among Higher Arts Education Institutions in 47 countries through the dissemination of Transmission's results.

Learning Points

Key challenges as described by Chrissie Tiller:

In setting up a trans-border initiative such as Transmission, it becomes clear that, in every country, there are differences in how artists are seen and how artists see themselves. The experience leads one to reflect deeply on the feasibility of realising a European-level Master's. Should countries instead be left to their separate experiences and then simply share these learnings across borders? The diverse context for exchange has been a major challenge to this stage of the project.