In Conversation with Spirit de la Mare, the woman that does it all
“I firmly believe that it is through cultural programmes and manifestos that communities are tightened; communications across all barriers improved and they can provide unwavering bonds between age groups and societal difficulties” — Spirit de la Mare
1. To start off, tell us a little bit about yourself! Where do you come from? Please, also tell us about your academic and professional background and your interests.
I was born in London and educated in East Sussex at Roedean School for girls having received a government assisted scholarship when I was 11. I won an academic scholarship and a music scholarship elsewhere but I always had my heart set on Roedean from the moment I saw the place on ITV news. I am ever grateful for all those that supported this early journey, it wasn’t easy.
I watched an interview recently with actor and activist; Riz Ahmed on BBC Arts. He also received a similar award and articulated beautifully the difficulties and benefits of being something of a social chameleon. He had the additional cultural code-switching to process but I can definitely relate to socio-economic challenges that a young child faces in this environment. This ultimately enriching experience turned out to be an incredible tale of determination and I hope one day I can provide this experience to other young people of grit.
I excelled in subjects such as English literature and art and naturally held my teachers in high regard and am close friends with many of them now. I am now a governor of Roedean School and was delighted to count myself among the sponsors for their ‘Pitch Appeal’ this year, providing a 24-hour sports pitch to Roedean and the surrounding schools. I look forward to the unveiling with the Mayor of Brighton later this month. I enjoy being able to say thank you to a place that helped me so much through a very difficult time in my life.
In terms of my work, I am a freelance journalist and writer of academic articles as well as poetry. I am also soon to be an art critic for an international publication. I don’t much like the word critic so let’s say an arts writer. I can’t wait to officially announce this soon. I have previously worked in galleries, primarily in public relations and marketing.
Now, a lot of what I do involves behind the scenes research projects and on-demand writing for large culture organisations. I collaborate with creative bodies to direct public art and culture initiatives via my public relations company ‘de la Mare PR’. I am also the editor of the independent arts paper Brogue Magazine. Brogue is due for re-release in a few months following a massive rebranding. Look out for our blog launch just before Christmas.
I dedicate my time fully to the growth and development of the creative industries whether it is via personal contribution or by supporting larger organizations in terms of growth and strategy.
Committing to the growth of the creative industries has always been incredibly important to me, and I do so with my professional work, extensive volunteering and high profile commitments. I fully understand the importance of working with established organisations as well as the start-ups and charitable causes that make up our incredibly diverse, culturally rich city.
The aim of most of my projects is to bring together as many voices connected to London and the surrounding areas as possible, to provide cultural respite as well creative stimulation amid the hustle and bustle of the city streets.
I firmly believe that it is through cultural programmes and manifestos that communities are tightened; communications across all barriers improved and they can provide unwavering bonds between age groups and societal difficulties. I believe filling the city with cultural events demonstrates unparalleled unity, shows communities what is possible when we all work together and also opens the eyes of the next generation, encouraging careers within the creative sector as well as encouraging a steady dialogue between organisations, charities and community leaders.
This year I was made a Fellow of The Royal Society of the Arts an accolade of which I am extremely proud. I am also a Freeman of the Guild of Entrepreneurs and am on the editorial panel for the annual Guild magazine ‘Dare, Create Succeed’ -look out for it in and around the City as of November. I am a trustee of the arts organization ArtCan and I have also been able to act as a mentor to several young people, nurturing the next generation of artists. I am looking to formalize this mentoring programme at some point but help where I can and time permitting.
2. You have an incredibly rich and vibrant career, working in several organisations. Could you tell us a bit about how you manage your time between them as well as keep up your own creative work?
As I am sure you can imagine it is challenging to juggle several projects at once, it is also complex to switch from critical thought to creative thought. As I said before I aim to contribute to the creative industries as well as help others to do so which means I am constantly switching between the two.
I am incredibly lucky to have people around me that understand the way I work. I tend to do a lot of work in my head, plan everything down to the last full stop, work everything out and then execute the finished product very quickly and bring it to fruition. I am not a spreadsheet kind of person, loath emails but love discussion, collaboration, and action. I think we waste a lot of time in this day and age kidding ourselves we are producing work by procrastinating with one-word email responses.
It is also essential for me to take long walks and this is often the time I have my best ideas and it seems to give my thoughts a steady flow as opposed to a pile-up at a busy junction. I always carry a voice recorder with me on these walks like an over-busy eighties cliché. I am incredibly lucky to love my work and the temptation to overexert myself is ever present. However, I am beginning to focus far more on my own creative journey and am excited to see where the next year will take me.
3. You are a trustee of ArtCan Organisation, what attracted you in them?
ArtCan has always been on my radar. I collaborated with ArtCan founder Kate Enters a few years ago, featuring several artists in an online exhibition via the Brogue Website. Kate’s constant ability to evolve the organization and share her success as well as see areas that need development is quite remarkable and I have no doubt this is the reason for ArtCan’s ongoing success.
I think the art world can be incredibly hard to navigate around. It can be bias and ruthless at times and fruitless for the inexperienced. ArtCan provides artists with profile raising activities plus exhibitions and fully understands that artists need time to establish their practice. Rather than provide an alternative to established gallery structures, ArtCan complements the system and allows for emerging talent to be experienced and purchased. On top of all this ArtCan promotes fair payment to artists. We are a not-for-profit and no-commission initiative and all artists receive the entirety of the profit if their piece sells during an ArtCan event.
ArtCan has recently expanded into the international arena and I am incredibly excited to see the development of the organisation in the forthcoming year. Also, my fellow trustees are a constant source of encouragement and inspiration. Kate Enters, Director, Founder and Editor at Large at STATE Magazine and artist in her own right. Brian Harris, Arts Development Consultant and former founding director of Battersea Arts Centre. Tabish Kahn, Visual Arts Editor at Londonist, Art Critic and Columnist for FAD. Deborah Henry-Pollard, Coach to creative practitioners at Catching Fireworks. Jo Baring, Curator, Advisor, Arts Speaker and Director of The Ingram Collection, a non-profit organisation working with museums and institutions across the UK. And our newest additions: Rich Nicholls, A chartered accountant by profession, currently a director at Deutsche Bank in strategy and business planning. And Georgia Lord, Financial Crime Investigator at Deutsche Bank. Former Trustee of a charity helping long-term mental health sufferers develop employability skills. Avid fundraiser and supporter of a number of charities.
There are also many more people involved in making the organisation what it is including all of the chosen artists.
4. What’s the latest/coolest thing that you are working on at the moment?
What a question, I have so many exciting developments to share with you all over the next few months. I am amid a huge re-shuffle and re-branding with Brogue Magazine and have some fairly big ideas and have some great people contributing, advising and working with me. I will be launching the blog first, expect high profile interviews with dynamic artists and people in the art world and culture industries. I am working on a fantastic initiative interpreting architecture with poetry and spoken word but more on that as and when it develops.
I am interviewing Madi Maxwell-Libby this week as part of ‘You Don’t Own Me’ another fantastic event bought to you by ‘Poet In The City’. Poet in the City Producers have collaborated with RawMinds Ambassadors to create a playfully disruptive event at the heart of the Wellcome Collection — inviting you to question what museums are and to reimagine what they might be
Madi Maxwell-Libby is a comedy writer-performer, spoken word artist and facilitator. Writing commissions include poetry pieces for the London Underground, BBC One, Huffington Post, Nationwide and the Natural History Museum. Her solo show, MASSIVE SENSE OF URGENCY, about an office temp who tries to understand capitalism using power-tools and mime, previewed at the Roundhouse in June 2017 after development support from Battersea Arts Centre and Camden People’s Theatre. Madi won the Roundhouse Poetry Slam in 2016 and was a finalist in Hammer & Tongue’s UK National Final Slam at the Royal Albert Hall 2017.
I really enjoy interviewing creative people and I have a series of interviews coming out this Autumn. They will be available to listen to via the new De la Mare PR radio platform as well as iTunes and SoundCloud.
I have always been something of a closet poet but braved breaking down my own barriers this year and shared my work in a much bigger way. I was delighted to have three poems published in an Anthology “#WOMAN, Remapping The Territory. Our Way. The collection contains 50 poems and spoken word pieces by 16 female creators from across the globe including: Ted Hughes Award nominated Poet, Salena Godden Writer, Leah Moore, Poets, Basia Palka, Moksha, Lyricist, Marijne van der Vlugt of celebrated Brit Pop band SALAD, Artists, Stav B, and Nana Ghana, and many more. The book launch will be held at Vout-O-Reanees members club on the twelfth of September. I can’t wait to see some of these performances.
“In what feels much like a deft echo of “If” by Rudyard Kipling, Spirit de la Mare writes of what a man can be, and has been, and what he shouldn’t be” — Magda Knight, Mookychick
I am also incredibly excited to be photographed by none other than Carla van de Puttelaar this month. Artist/photographer, Art Historian and Lecturer (Royal Academy of Art, The Hague). Her work has been featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker and has a truly mind-blowing international exhibition record. I am so flattered to have been asked and cannot wait to see the photography that emerges out of the shoot.
5. You are very involved in the entrepreneurial/ startup scene, any ideas on what might be the next big trend in those fields?
I am indeed and am delighted to be surrounded by some of the country’s most celebrated Entrepreneurs as a Freeman (of the Guild of Entrepreneurs). I think there is a huge space for art businesses relating to the rapid growth and appreciation of multi-sensory art and installation. I’m not sure how this may translate into a profitable business but there seems to be a huge desire from the public to enjoy art ‘experiences’. I don’t think we should pack away the traditional ways of experiencing art just yet… but I do think it is very important to move with the times and embrace the changes and developments that arise in a competitive industry.
Personally, I love the collision of poetry and art and have designed a fantastic project utilising the two. I also adore impassioned contemporary dance and how that too can enhance a viewer’s experience or artistic narrative. I am also aware that the introduction of this style of work is a great way to engage younger audiences and bring in revenue. There is an interesting article on this by the Londonist’s, Rachel Stoplar.
6. What do you think is lacking in the London art scene at the moment and what should be talked about more?
Honestly, I think there is a lack of support structures in place for young people that are unsure of what area of the art world to venture into. I am contacted a lot by university leavers that are confused as to what jobs are best suited to them and utilises their skills to their advantage. I know there are lots of wonderful mentors out there and I try to do my bit too but it does seem as though young people get a bit lost at this point. Half the job titles in the art world are a little unclear, a lot of them can also be very administrative.
I also think there is a real lack of kindness towards interns. I believe in nurturing people not draining them and I think we all need to address this across the art world, media and fashion industries. I love the independent ‘Intern Magazine’ celebrating people at the early stage of their careers.
On another subject at the forefront of public sensitivity; Women outnumber men at art schools, yet their work isn’t being shown in galleries after they graduate. This subject matter has been highlighted by many publications such as The Guardian, The HuffPost Vogue, and Bustle. I think it is hugely important that we continue to highlight and tackle gender bias in the industry. I am glad these subjects are talked about more openly now but acting on this criticism is essential.
There are some great organisations such as AWITA that represent a cross-section of females in the art world. I think these organisations are great for meeting other like-minded women and facilitating connections within the industry. A lot more opportunities arise from meeting each other than hiding behind computer screens. There are also those fantastic women taking the art scene by storm and representing us all in male-dominated corners of the industry.
There are also lots of dynamic social enterprises out there but as far as I’m concerned the more the merrier. There appears to be a form of snobbery around these excellent businesses, a common misconception that you can’t make money from a social enterprise — you can. There are several excellent high-end social enterprises that believe in supporting the city and young people too. I am very keen to explore this idea myself armed with my unwavering commitment to the culture sector and a love for the next generation of culture contributors.
7. What have been your highlights of the art calendar so far this year?
What a year it has been with a constant flow of incredible shows.
As a Trustee of ArtCan I have the great pleasure of enjoying the organization’s events calendar. Earlier this year we hosted a fundraising pop up event selling postcard-sized artworks by the ArtCan artists. This was a huge success and such a great opportunity to invest in affordable art by this talented pool of artists.
The Barbican young poets are constantly producing new and exciting work. Kingsgate Workshops Trust has a fantastic, unusual gallery space with a programme worth following. The Poet in the City, Poetry & Lyrics Festival was unbelievable, headlined by BBC radio 6 music’s Cerrys Matthews and featuring such a great selection of different voices.
The Tate’s All Too Human: Bacon, Freud and a Century of Painting Life, the three-part exhibition retrospective by the phenomenal, poetic film-maker: Tacita Dean: Landscape, Portrait, Still Life, National Gallery’s Ed Ruscha: Course of Empire
Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up The V&A. I was besotted with the Serpentine Gallery’s Christo & Jeanne-Claude exhibitions and the Mustaba, Tomma Abts, and Mayfair Art Weekend was super fun. Eves Klein at Blenheim Palace and 90 Years Of The Iveagh Bequest At Kenwood House, curated by Allison Goudie were all superb.
And we still have the Turner prize fast approaching and Ribera: Art of Violence at Dulwich Picture Gallery.
There are never enough hours in the day.
Don’t forget to check out Spirit’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn profiles.
