Clare Gee

Island Life

Clare Gee, Arts Development Officer at Orkney Islands Council talks about why rural communities can benefit from arts projects as much as urban centres

Clare Gee, originally from the north of England is working as Orkney's first Arts Development Officer in Kirkwall. She talks about her job and how she came to Orkney. 

"I found myself here by compete luck. My parents are keen bird watchers and we visited many of the Orkney Islands on bird watching and wildlife holidays when I was a child. As an adult, my partner and I always said we'd really love to live in a place like Orkney.

"I went to Falmouth School of Art in Cornwall and then I became Arts Development Officer in Hartlepool in the North of England. A good friend of mine there happened to see an advert for this job and passed it on to me. I had always said to her that we should visit Orkney for a holiday because she has a background in archeology and Orkney is full of great archeology.

"Getting the job here was just kind of fate really. My friend saw the advert on an obscure website so I would never have normally seen it. The job was perfect for me in terms of my career development. It is a higher level and more strategic post. I hadn't been looking to move or for a new job so the fact it was on Orkney was absolutely key.

"I started work here in May 2004. It is a three-year post so it will finish in May 2007. It was really exciting starting here as no one had any assumption of what an arts development officer should be. Of course people were concerned that I would try to tell everyone to start doing things differently, which I haven't done of course. In fact people have been very supportive of me.

"My job hasn't been about getting things going, because there's a lot going on in Orkney anyway, but it's assumed that everybody knows everyone else and what they are doing. That isn't always the case.

"We are trying to be a hub, so that when information comes in, I can then send it out to the right people. It could be an information digest or perhaps someone who comes in with an idea for a project. I can put them in touch with someone who is doing something similar. It's about linking ideas and people together.

"There is a lot that needs doing here. More advocacy is needed within the big public agencies about the benefit of the arts. Everyone knows we have really good things going on. Events like the St Magnus festival are really fragile though because of their reliance on volunteers, so if one person decides not to take part anymore it can be quite delicate.

"I'm writing an arts development plan at the moment which talks a lot about Orkney's ability to do research-based arts as it has done with renewable energies. It is good to be at the forefront of scientific and arts research and thinking. The two can complement each other.

"People do things here because they want to. For example I don't have any budget to work with. I've been writing about the need for art in the community, especially in times when there is no money. In a place such as Orkney if the arts are thriving then it’s a sign that the society is thriving.

"In a different environment, in Tyne and Wear I ran a community arts studio which was funded by health and social services as it was for people with mental health difficulties. I was there when a really good friend of mine was commissioning the 'angel of the north' (sculpture) in Gateshead. Gateshead was always the real poor relation in Newcastle. Everyone said what a huge waste of money to buy the sculpture but it was a catalyst for a revolution in that area.

"Orkney is the most amazing place. I've never lived anywhere that is as multicultural, forward thinking and outward looking. I think you have to do your bit though and demonstrate that you are investing in the island as well. I was very lucky as I am an artist as well and my job gave me an immediate network of artists and friends.

"I don't want to act like a know-it-all. In terms of my job here, the people who know about the arts in Orkney are the artists and not me. One of the most practical things I do is working with people on funding applications as some find it hard to fill out the forms. I’ve helped them to get funding for their work that they wouldn’t have otherwise received.

"I've only worked in places that see arts development as mainstream, but the job here hasn't been typical. Little things like people ringing up and saying that they have an idea for a project. They are then surprised by my willingness to go to them rather than the other way round, but I really want to get out and see what they are all doing. With this post, you can make a big difference."

Related links

• Orkney Islands Council
• Clare Gee’s Art
• Artists in Residence: Christil Trumpet