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About Us

Art on the Map (AOTM) is the organisation for Lincolnshire’s Open Studios, where the public can visit the work places of artists and crafts makers and see ‘how it is done’. Artists and crafts makers throughout the county came together in 1999 to open their studios and workshops to the public for nominated weekends each year.

AOTM’s reputation for providing a quality experience for those people interested in seeing the products of artists and crafts makers at their place of work has grown. It now makes a significant contribution to the visual arts in Lincolnshire.

AOTM has become one of the most active organisations for arts and crafts in the county and, possibly, in the East Midlands. Not only do the members open their doors to the public, they also participate in a variety of one-off exhibitions, joint workshops and demonstrations at different venues throughout the county. They also open their studios, by appointment, throughout the year.

Introduction to Art on the Map

Membership

Since the beginning AOTM has included a wide variety of arts and crafts skills and disciplines. Members include - painters, printmakers, wood & stone sculptors, jewelers, furniture-makers, glass-artists, ceramicists, metalworkers, mixed-media artists, textile artists as well as calligraphers, illustrators, felt-makers, sound-artists and violin-makers.

AOTM welcomes applications from all artists and crafts makers in the county to become part of a growing organisation that works for them and is run by them. Details and an application form can be seen on the Join [hyperlink?] page of this web site.

All applications are assessed by the Steering Group (see Structure below) and successful applicants commit to opening their studios or workshops during the periods identified in each year. As well as this web site, AOTM produces a Members Directory every year which lists all members and their location – ‘on the map’ - with an image of their work. This publication works both as a promotion tool and as an annual directory to some of the best artists and crafts makers in Lincolnshire.

Each member has their own page on this web site listing their contact details, information about their work and any forthcoming activities in which they are participating and up to five images of their products. These pages are located in the artists section of this web site

Funding

AOTM levies an annual subscription from each member - reviewed each year - and attracts advertisers from local businesses to help towards the costs of the annual AOTM Directory. Occasionally AOTM applies to other funding suppliers such as the Arts Council England (East Midlands Region) for additional funding to support specific projects.
 
 

 

About Us (continued)

Structure

AOTM is managed by a Steering Group comprising elected volunteer members, who are themselves arts and crafts makers. The Steering Group usually meets once a month to discuss policy and plan activities linked to opening studios, organising one-off events and marketing AOTM, its members and their work. The names and contact details for Steering Group members can be seen on the contact page of this web site.

AOTM is divided into five Clusters, located geographically around Lincoln. The Clusters are, from north to south:

  • West Lindsey (West and north of Lincoln)
  • Lincoln (City and surrounds)
  • Wolds and the Coast (East Lindsey - East of Lincoln)
  • The Vales (North Kesteven and South Kesteven - South of Lincoln)
  • The Fens (Boston and South Holland - South-east Lincolnshire)

Each Cluster Group is managed by two volunteer Coordinators, who are themselves members of that Cluster and they work closely with the Steering Group.

Activities

AOTM offers its members opportunities, not only to invite the public into their places of work, but also to participate in various one-off exhibitions and other activities. The activities may include joint exhibitions, and where/when possible, joint workshops and craft weekends where visitors can become involved in producing 2D and 3D arts and crafts.

These additional activities are normally organised within Cluster Group Areas and are undertaken at a variety of venues throughout Lincolnshire. They have included such diverse locations as Brayford Pool, the Strait, Castle Square and St. Marks Square in Lincoln City, Spout Yard and the Mansion House in Louth, Hackthorn in West Lindsey, Grantham Museum, Stamford Arts Centre, Spalding, Boston and many other venues. For forthcoming events, including dates of open studios see the  news pages on this web site.

Marketing and communication

The aims of AOTM are to represent and promote its members and their work to as wide an audience as possible. We do this by using a variety of mechanisms including this web site. The annual Directory, mentioned above, is one of the most significant publicity tools, but by itself it is not enough. For all events and activities we produce a variety of posters, leaflets, and news releases targeted for specific audiences to achieve as much publicity as we can and to raise the profile of AOTM in Lincolnshire and beyond. In addition, all members are encouraged to produce their own local publicity.

We produce a monthly Newsletter for members, which can be seen in the news pages, and for those members who do not have access to the internet a hard copy is sent by post.

The Future

In the last thirteen years AOTM has built a reputation for quality and excellence in the arts throughout Lincolnshire. It has created a significant core of repeat visitors and attracts new audiences each year. The Steering Group aims to continue the development of AOTM at a steady pace and provide our audiences with some of the best arts and crafts in Lincolnshire. To help to achieve that we have a four-year AOTM Business Plan, which is updated annually.