the hub

Wendy Smithers

In the mid 1990s Wendy and Julia met whilst working at the Barbican, one of Europe’s largest arts centres. They realised they had common professional goals and values and, whilst fundraising for (Wendy) and marketing (Julia) a range of international multi-arts festivals they shared their ambitions to have a real impact on the cultural sector through their own company.

They both held a belief that independent artists, musicians, promoters, producers and arts managers were often deprived of practical advice and support that could help them reach their true potential. Wendy was frustrated by seeing established organisations getting the cream off the top of funding pots, skills development programmes and mentoring programmes whilst some inspirational young creatives were unable to get a foot in the door.

After much dreaming, planning and plotting, on 1 November 2002, the hub was born. Since co-founding the hub, Wendy has gone on to lead the company’s skills development and training offer and its fundraising activity. In Autumn 2008 the hub’s training programme is being rolled out across the UK. This is in response to much success in the field and excellent feedback from clients and participants alike on the hub‘s ability to address need and deliver meaningful solutions. Wendy remains passionate that all training needs to bespoke and of immediate practical use to delegates once they are back at their desks so is working with the hub‘s team of ‘industry insider’ trainers to ensure all courses are fit for purpose. Wendy is also seeking to ensure that relevant agencies, funders and authorities are supporting activity; as with many things those who need it most can’t afford it, so the hub seeks to ensure that its offer is subsidised.

In her six years at the hub Wendy has worked with a wide and inspiring range of clients from leading Rugby Club the Leeds Rhinos, on a project to fund an artist-in-residence, to Tête-à-Tête, a leading independent, innovative opera company, on a three year business plan.

In 2008 Wendy has worked with a whole host of clients from developing a fundraising strategy for the music and arts education charity, Music for Change, to mentoring staff at development agency Audiences London. She has also developed some bespoke training for Museums, Libraries and Archives London and the London Borough of Southwark. Alongside colleague Jenny Harris, Wendy was pleased to be involved in a project that evaluated one of London’s biggest and hugely respected community arts festivals Paradise Gardens. With hub Associate Adam Jeanes, Wendy was delighted to work with Birds Eye View women’s film festival on a funding application to the UK Film Council, which secured a grant in excess of £180,000.

Wendy is proud of what the hub has achieved in a short space of time and is keen to share her skills and learning as an entrepreneur and business owner with other like minded individuals. She does this through speaking at a variety of seminars and events from the Think! Sponsorship conference to the Creative Industries Development Agency annual showcase, to the New Media Knowledge organisation training programme and through written pieces in industry publications such as Arts Professional and for the government Department of Culture, Media and Sport for their online Culture publication.

Wendy graduated from the University of Warwick in 1992 with a BA (Hons) degree in Theatre Studies and Dramatic Art. She was privileged to have been taught by the late Clive Barker, a seminal and inspirational theatre practitioner. In 1994 Wendy studied for a Postgraduate diploma from Roehampton Institute in Arts Management.

Wendy is passionate about people the world over having access to stories, being able to participate in storytelling workshops and having the opportunity to tell and record their own stories through oral history. She is currently exploring ways in which her skills and the hub can increase opportunities for this to happen.

Wendy is a member of the Institute of Directors, the Institute of Fundraising, NALGAO and a founding fellow of the Arts & Business fellowship.