What is The Art Organisation?

What do The Art Organisation do?

TAO is concerned with the regeneration of empty properties, supporting arts and education for the benefit of the community.

For ten years TAO has pioneered a portfolio of community access buildings. In each project TAO creates opportunities for artists and practitioners to access affordable (sometimes free) space, from which they can teach, prepare new work, exhibit, perform  and play - a platform for creative expression and understanding, for the benefit of the wider community.

TAO prefer a practical hands-on approach to the work, recycling wherever possible, working voluntarily and initially minimising profits to achieve sustained success. Social centres in each city project offer the chance to network and collaborate. We offer support from our own experiences and the network of our organisation,  aiming to provide facilities in each of our projects that maximise the potential of each space.

The process by which TAO operates is as follows:

• identifies building
• liases with landlord – negotiates access
• signs leases
• provides public liability cover
• applies for rates relief
• organises utilities
• lists building works
• writes business plan to target sustainment
• considers funds and funding
• identifies project manager(s)
• networks through web promotion
• identifies volunteer opportunities
• contacts local/regional organisations related to arts
• makes links in the community
• provides initial support to project manager
• creates structure to reach profitability
• advices where necessary
• supports regeneration
• is responsible for accountancy in start up period
• forms independent company headed by project manager
• allows independent continuation of project

 
For decades cities have regenerated with the arts at the centre. Artists take advantage of run-down areas, improving the image of the neighbourhood through their presence and work and catalysing a process of gentrification.

Property solutions for the benefit of landlords, building owners, and property developers.

Property solutions to benefit the creative industries, arts and artists.

TAO recognises the benefits of artists coming together under one roof.

Making use of empty, often large, unwanted, and hopefully free, space, is ideal for artists many cities world-wide have examples of this in their cultural quarters. This has been going on for decades, mostly temporarily as the artist group battle requirements necessary to occupancy - utilities, services, landlords, authorities.

They often fail - free cannot be free forever.

TAO have faced these dilemmas and worked out a way to make it work. Structures in each of our projects are in place to ensure failure does not occur because of finance. We say it cannot be free, but it can be cheap, as cheap as each project can afford, and each one varies from the other, depending on circumstance.

When opening a new building, we invite the artist community to participate in its development and make use of space. Dictate to us what happens. Whether renting a studio to create new artwork, setting up an office, teaching a workshop or a weekly class, putting on an exhibition, an event or festival, a fayre, a live music night or performance, we hope you will benefit financial from individual efforts and therefore accept the need to pay your way. If that means paying a monthly rent, offering a barter, or donating a percentage of profits, we hope we understand the artists direct needs and believe that we can discuss and, always, find a solution to answer these needs. We hope the combined efforts of all involved overcome the pressing costs to determine financial survival.

As a Social Enterprise we minimise profits, determining sustainment as the first level of success, then targeting employment as a necessity for full-time work to keep the structure in place. Long-term, we maximise profits for the benefit of the community, arts and arts in education.

Property solutions for the benefit of education in the arts.

Many artists are employed in the teaching of the arts, dance, music, performance - the arts are varied and include many mediums, reaching out to many strands of the community who have an interest. TAO believe there should be more. In a society that is ever demanding there should be a stronger focus on how education in arts could play an even wider role.

TAO offer access to large, open, clean, workable space in each of their projects, and offer those creatives eager to teach to take advantage of it. TAO will work with enquiries to make ensure needs are met for the benefit of all involved. Often we have knowledge of funding opportunities having several years of success in applying for education project funding, and can offer advise where possible. We regularly consider the status of TAO Ltd to approach funders. We network in the community to recognise partnership organisations and individuals teaching arts, and equally organisations that could benefit from the teaching of arts, offering access to space that brings them together. We provide use of facilities in the teaching of the arts.

Property Solutions for the Community.
It goes without saying that TAO would not succeed in their work without the involvement of the Community. It provides artists and educators who occupy space, organise exhibitions, events, classes and workshops, and brings us volunteers, concerned members who wish to change the presnt situation that has allowed dereliction to escalate.

TAO hopes that people who participate and help, undestand the problems we are trying to overcome and the benefits from the work we undertake. Our service is directed to the wider community, for we believe our actions and the actions of our volunteers can serve to improve this society.


Property Solutions for the Environment.
Artists are skilled people, useful with their hands, often passionate to achieve their goals.
Artists want to help, and they do, making a difference in their environment. They recycle materials, they scrounge waste materials, they make do. And they succeed.

In this current economic crisis, our neighbourhoods are losing out.  A current trend of shops and offices in our High Street closing down, being boarded over and left, with no immediate solution for future occupancy as enterprise takes a cautious step forward.
Vacated buildings are crying out to be occupied with legitimate business.

In turn the neighbourhood goes into decline and the community suffers further, and there seems to be little escape, this process has been documented for many a decade.

TAO have well established the work it does in targeting such properties for community access, linking with artists and volunteers to stop the rot and repair the damage, keep the space safe and clean and in turn generate use and a need onve again, inspiring teh footfall to rteturn and with it enterprising and new business, returning our environemnt tyo an acceptable state.
TAO do not expect authorities to do it all and challenge them to help us achieve our goals for the benefit of creatives, education and the community.


Property solutions for the benefit of landlords, building owners, and property developers.
Are you a landlord with empty properties experiencing a loss of income from expectant rents and suffering the costs of rates, repairs, maintenance and security?

Vacant properties can lead to a deterioration in the built environment which impacts on the local area affecting both the landlord and the local community. TAO have created a successful blueprint that offers a solution to this problem. 

TAO occupy premises, in agreement with landlords  prepared to stop the rot, and turn around the decline. They take away immediate costs of services and rates, becoming responsible for these relevant expenses and work with landlords to repair and decorate, attracting in the process the  creatives, educators, performers, skilled and community who would benefit from such space.  In longer term projects each add to an enterprise that can generate increasing financial benefits for the property owner and eventually the buildings true value be met. Short term projects can provide vibrant events with potential financial savings for the landlord , increasing the awareness of the building locally and further afield and attracting visitors to the area with potential tenants.  In the early stages TAO ask the landlord to work with them as they explore ways to achieve these goals for the benefit of all involved.  TAO can sign a tenancy at will for a period suitable to the landlord, and agree a method to work toward that alleviates the landlord's expense. 

Property developers who are perhaps waiting for longer term prospects to materialise would benefit for longer agreements taking up the period of vacancy, ensuring security and relief from the problems involved. TAO are equally used to temporary projects and recognise the use artists can make in such, but longevity offers security for all parties and serves to benefit the need in the wider community.

Multiple individual long and short term projects can work together,  increasing the value of an area as vacant premises have their lights turned on with the productive bustle of human activity. This process of engagement allows everyone to participate in the environmental and social regeneration of their habitat. 






TAO PS will  broker the interaction between landlords and projects requiring space, matching the requirements of both in a way that is mutually beneficial, following the blueprint of TAO. 

Please contact our team for further information via:

property-solutions@taoliverpool.co.uk