## **THE VOID ARTS CENTRE** ## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024**_ The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019). ## **Objectives and activities** Void Art Centre is a civic-engaged arts organisation based in Derry�Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Alongside our focus on the distribution of art pro�ects, Void Art Centre aims to address local issues and wor� with our surrounding community to develop collaborative experimentation. With process-based and site related pro�ects, we support social inclusion by creating a sense of place through cultural engagement and civic imagination. Void Art Centre wor�s with local and international art practitioners to address critical �uestions, alternative pedagogy and shared imagination. Situated within Derry�Londonderry, we aim to create a generative culture where Derry�Londonderry and Northern Ireland can play the role of catalyst. �ur organisational structure and wor�ing process are based on Social Permaculture principles. Social Permaculture values co-existence and co-creation, as well as sustainable use of local resources (both monetary and nonmonetary) such as public grants, voluntary commitments, mutual aid, sponsorship and commercial arrangements. Through embedded practices and institutional learning, we are a self-reflective organisation that addresses local issues as well as global urgencies in our civic engagement, programming as a whole and wor�ing practices. ## **Vision** To promote challenging contemporary art� to ma�e it accessible to all, to encourage active participation and to position Void at the heart of the region's visual culture. ## **Aims** - To enhance and develop contemporary art locally, nationally and internationally. - To support artists in the development of their own creative practices. - To create programmes and provide facilities that encourage people to pursue art as a career choice. - To be active in all aspects of visual cultural development in the city. - To provide additional resources in order to engage a wider audience and ma�e contemporary art more accessible. - To encourage critical appreciation of and active participation in contemporary art practice. ## _Public benefit_ The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should underta�e. - 1 - ## **THE VOID ARTS CENTRE** ## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024**_ ## **Achievements and performance** Throughout 2023�24 Void exhibited the wor� of: The financial year 2023�2024 started with an exhibition that ran from the previous financial year: a collaboration between Loc�y Morris and Ja�i Irvine, who were invited to expand on their exhibition RE�SETT�INGS, exhibited in the Complex Gallery, Dublin 2021. For this exhibition, Loc�y Morris and Ja�i Irvine explored the digital realm and its absorption into our everyday lives. The slippage between the two worlds was explored through a layering of both film and digitally created wor�s. It was an exploration of the endemic nature and potential of the digital age. For this pro�ect we were awarded the Digital Evolution Award from Arts Council Northern Ireland. Ja�i and Loc�y collaborated on the wor�s which utilised digital technology in the form of CGI, sound, 3D models, and film wor�s. The installation created an immersive layering of sound and digital wor�s that was presented on flat screen monitors. The digital wor�s in the gallery coincided with a digital billboard off the Culmore Road and Garden City �unction. This brought the digital wor�s into real space. The digital world and fabrication of wor� was a new departure for both artists and the s�ills gained throughout can be seen in the execution of the show and offsite billboard ali�e. During the final wee�s of RE�SETT�INGS, Void Art Centre�s new director Viviana Checchia began her tenure at Void Art Centre. In June, Void Art Centre launched _Leviathan_ , a solo show by artist She�ad Dawood. This pro�ect was programmed by former Director Mary Cremin, who returned to Void Art Centre to host an artist tal� during the launch. _Leviathan_ is an ambitious multi-year interdisciplinary pro�ect that loo�s at the �ey issue of our day: how do we understand the intersection between climate change, migration and mental health in our shared ecosystems� The pro�ect comprised a ten part film cycle, a Virtual Reality trilogy, sculptures, paintings, neon and an extensive public programme and research archive bringing together scientists, philosophers, activists, anthropologists, futurists, trauma specialists, oceanographers and climatologists. The 10-part film series envisaged a future eerily li�e our present, whose inhabitants are the survivors of a cataclysmic solar event. Each film presented in the exhibition was written from the point of view of an individual character, providing insight into their particular trauma and pathological traits and giving each episode its own personality, visual language and rhythm. The larger narrative followed a migratory �ourney across Europe, Asia, North Africa and beyond, encountering a series of idiosyncratic communities along the way. Ta�ing a global and collective approach, Leviathan loo�ed at what is increasingly not only a humanitarian crisis but a wider systemic crisis within our biosphere. As the protagonists� �ourneys progress and increasingly intertwine with others throughout the film, we see a shift from fragmentation to resilience in their methods for surviving, amidst competing visions for how the future might be shaped. - 2 - ## **THE VOID ARTS CENTRE** ## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024**_ Void Art Centre commissioned a new film, one of the chapters of this long term pro�ect. This film was screened in our galleries together with a series of tapestries. �ur Interim Head of Programme, �oe McSparron, arranged various events during the course of this exhibition, such as a tal� and sea swim with Eas�y Britton. For this specific event we were invited to learn about the blue mood and also to reconnect with our water - our surroundings and entangled bodily connection - both from a theoretical and literal approach. The sea dip at Ned�s Point consisted of a diverse group of participants. During this show, not long after our new Director�s appointment, we learnt that Finance �fficer Mary Cotrell would leave her position. She subse�uently left the post on September 28th. In July 2023, the new Director Viviana Checchia started the wor� of restructuring Void Art Centre, in consultation with the organisation�s board and Art Council Northern Ireland. This entailed the creation of two new posts: Head of Sustainable Growth and Curator of Civic Engagement. In August 2023, during the run of Leviathan, Void Art Centre�s Press and Mar�eting Coordinator started maternity leave, with maternity cover Caolan Austin starting at Void in the same month. In September 2023, we were �oined by Banu Cennetoglu. Whilst programmed by Void�s previous Director, new Director Viviana Checchia led on the curation, supporting the artist and overseeing the exhibition and public programmes. The pro�ect and new commission, entitled �right��, represented our first collaboration with the CFA at NCAD. The pro�ect stemmed from an exploration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on December 10, 1948, three years after the end of World War II. According to the UN, it sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and has been translated in over 500 languages. In our galleries we presented the 11[th] and 12[th] articles of the UDHR in bou�uets of gold letter balloons. As the bou�uets deflate during the run of the show, they will leave viewers to �uestion whether any rights can remain without the labour of protecting, extending, and upholding them. For this pro�ect and with the help of our Interim Head of Programme at the time, �oe McSparron, we organised various activities focused on human rights and collaborated with Derry City�s Halloween festival, Bounce Festival and Ulster University. In November 2023, we opened � _son of’,_ a solo exhibition by �ine Mac Giolla Bhr�de. �ine is an Irish artist wor�ing in the field of sculpture and this was their first solo exhibition in the UK. We secured a production grant from Foundation Foundation, mar�ing the organisation�s first time funding Void. �ine�s wor� is materially driven and considers site and the situated body via staged sculptural arrangements. These materials reference domestic, urban, and commercial motifs and imagery via an abstraction. The pro�ect was guided by Void Art Centre�s galleries, and was site-specific. The artist�s wor� saw subtle interventions interrogate the utilisation of space both in the private and the public setting. The intention with the exhibition at Void was to wor� across both the public realm and the gallery space to create a dynamic between how we occupy these two spaces. The installation consisted of architectural interventions in the gallery space that created distinct areas, fragmenting the large gallery space. These areas were populated by domestic items and fabricated sculptural elements all of which are underpinned by research made prior to the exhibition.During the course of this exhibition, which was curated by Viviana Checchia, there was little public programming. This was in part due to the organisation going through a transformation. Caolan Austin, our press and mar�eting coordinator (maternity leave cover) left the position due to excessive wor�load. Cecelia Graham replaced Caolan as maternity cover, and she still performs this role today. - 3 - ## **THE VOID ARTS CENTRE** ## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024**_ During the course of � _son of’_ , Void Art Centre�s new Head of Sustainable Growth Mitch Conlon and Curator of Civic Engagement Mhairi Sutherland began their roles. During this time, our Learning and �utreach Coordinator �o� McSparron, left the organisation, beginning a new position at Waterside Theatre. This was due to salary considerations. In January, Void�s long standing Gallery Coordinator, Stephanie Gaumond, left the organisation. Stephanie's departure mar�ed a total turnover of the team at Void Art Centre. � _son of_ � also mar�ed the end of the former Director�s programming, and with this, the new Director too� time for observation and strategy implementation. The galleries did not host a show from the 7th of Feb up until the 23rd of March. Composting for the Future (CFTF) mar�ed the beginning of Void Art Centre�s new strategy, which is based on the principles of Social Permaculture. The pro�ect was twofold, consisting of an element that loo�ed to the past in celebration of twenty years since the organisation was first constituted, and an element that was future-facing, loo�ing to Void�s new strategy and team structure. The element that loo�ed to the past consists of: - Archival research by Paola Bernardelli and Gregory McCartney - Archival research by community selectors - An exhibition of this archival research in the form of a timeline - The presentation of wor� previously commissioned by the organisation, including wor� by Keef Winter, Forerunner, Alan Phelan and Invernomuto. The element that loo�ed to the future consists of: - Internal team training with Dorian Braun - Public training with Alfred Dec�er of 12P Design - Internal team training with Stephane Verlet Bottero - Reading groups and a library resource by Karla Sanche� - A mural and textiles by Stephane Verlet Bottero - Risographs of notes ta�en during Alfred Dec�er�s training A full description of CFTF will be included in the 24�25 Trustee Report, as it spans across two financial years. ## **Health & Safety** In November 2023 we were able to begin improvements to our spaces than�s to the Health � Safety Capital Programme. With the e�uipment we ac�uired, we have increased the organisation�s accessibility, team safety and visitor experience. Examples of this include: - Purchasing folding museum chairs that will aid visitors with accessibility needs in a discrete and agile way. - Ac�uiring new folding tables for our Engage Space. These tables are more secure and spacious, providing a safer space and wor�ing environment for participants of wor�shops and Engage programmes. - We commissioned an overhaul of our sound and pro�ection system, installing new flight cases to house sound and pro�ection e�uipment safely and allowing team members to set up e�uipment safely and more efficiently. - We commissioned a local practitioner to design and install a barn style door for our Engage space, which was previously open plan. This will greatly improve visitor experience, creating a more secure, private and warm room. - 4 - ## **THE VOID ARTS CENTRE** ## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024**_ ## **Job Start** Former gallery coordinator Stephanie Gaumond availed of an initiative funded by the Department of Communities Northern Ireland, �The Job Start Scheme�. The scheme supports employers to offer paid employment for 18-24 year olds who are at ris� of long term unemployment and to give the young person an opportunity for personal development and enhance their employability s�ill set for the future. Void was successful in securing a 9-month grant that allowed the creation of a new role, �Front of House and Invigilator.� We successfully recruited Alex Cregan. Alex, a former Void volunteer, is now managing our front of house with the aim to enhance our visitor experience, as well as this, they are assisting with day to day running of exhibition programmes, our boo�shop, and the art centre facilities. Alex has become a valued team member and together with the wider team is dedicated to learning and developing their s�ill set in an arts organisation. Alex was initially line managed by the Curator of Civic Engagement. Sin�ad Feeney, who now will be loo�ing after the running of the scheme, has plans to apply again for 2024�25. The Exhibition Programme for 2024�25 is as follows: ## **The Engage Programme** ## **Ongoing programme:** **Open Mic Night/Silver Tongued Deviance** � We have further developed this popular bi-monthly event hosted by Fran� Rafferty as a collaborative pro�ect with the Waterside Theatre, allowing the event to ta�e place monthly, alternating between each venue. This collaboration began in January 2024. The rationale for this development was the growing interest and audience at the event, and the potential to apply for funding support for outputs such as publications, invited guest contributors and an annual event. Ma�ing connections between the cityside and waterside venues and potentially new audiences was a �ey element in our planning. The recent sad news about the Waterside Theatre will impact these plans, but the potential for a partnership with a related organisation can still be researched. **Foyle Womens’ Aid – Void Womens’ Art Group –** The group have been meeting regularly in Void Engage since 2022, facilitated by local artist Sinead Crumlish. An open, welcoming social session with this closed group explores a range of arts and crafting activities and approaches. Development included a visit to Ashley Wood House by Mhairi Sutherland and Sinead Crumlish on 13�03�24 to meet the women residents and invite anyone interested to �oin the Wednesday morning sessions in Void, which resulted in 4 new members, almost doubling the existing group. New and established members then wor�ed on a collective wall hanging artwor�, which was shown as part of the group exhibition _Stitching us together_ . Mhairi wor�ed with Sinead to create personal lin�s between the Void archives�CFTF for the exhibited artwor�, in addition to the women contributing individual artwor�s. The closed launch for the group was attended by Jo Corcoran of Foyle Womens� Aid� Justice Centre on 10 April and was open to the public in the Void Engage space 11�04�24 � 20�04�24. The group is supported by the Ban� of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund and the report to release the final tranche of �2,100 was submitted successfully on 27�02�24. This group has the potential for strong growth, wor�ing with new artists and through contributing their stories and experience to the civic programme, and continuity funding is to be sourced. - 5 - ## **THE VOID ARTS CENTRE** ## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024**_ ## **FWA personal reflections:** _“The Void is a great place to meet, we are well looked after� Learning new skills is a great boost for me when �’m there, feeling no pressure at all times� � hope future people get as much en�o�ment out of these classes as � do�� �Philomena�_ _“�t is great for mental health and wellbeing as doing the art �ou get so lost in it �ou forget about �our worries� �t is a lovel� wee class which � look forward to ever� week� �rom starting the class � have seen great improvement in m� mental health, � am more rela�ed and able to do more� ��ernadette�_ ## **Void Art Centre Life Drawing** Life Drawing is scheduled to ta�e place once during each exhibition, (A�ne ni Ghiolla Bhr�de � 07�12�24 � CFTF � 24�04�24) facilitated by artist Cara Donaghey and model Mel Bradley. �pen to the public, widely advertised and boo�able for a small charge of �8 pp, this popular programme attracts new people and regular attendees, including Void Visionaries and Visual Art Collective members. Void provides materials and refreshments and Cara facilitates this accessible session with energy and sensitivity, including a curated soundtrac� themed to the current exhibition. Mhairi and Cara met in February to discuss how the programme could be developed to expand the programme, including a longer session with a reflective�feedbac� element and potentially an exhibition�open event scheduled for the Engage space. Currently there is no funding allocated to the Life Drawing programme and this would have to be sourced for development and increased artists� fees. ## **Void Visionaries** As a group with many members who self-identify as disabled, trans, �ueer and on an autistic spectrum, it has ta�en some time to ad�ust to the changes in staffing at Void. However, a Spring re-launch programme aimed at identifying areas of interest, ownership and getting involved with a refreshed phase of Void Visionaries has been successful and is gathering momentum. An animation programme over x 3 sessions was facilitated by Mhairi Sutherland and filmma�er�Northern Ireland Screen award recipient Brogan Wa�eley. Sessions on Thursday 07 March, Saturday 09 March � Saturday 06 April creatively explored programming ideas through animation. A small group of 8 young people explored time-lapse, stop motion, Claymation and recorded their ideas using audio e�uipment. They have produced an artwor� in progress, and their completed film will be available from the end of April. �voidvisionaries Instagram is being used to show outputs and engagement. Ideas creatively expressed have been drawn up as an Excel document and the next stages of the re-launch have been identified by the group to date as� - Raise the age group to 15 � 24 - �pen a call for new members through schools, youth groups and the wider community - Re-introduce the WhatsApp group, (with restrictions on direct messaging) - Pilot an ��pen Studio� � Summer Scheme Drop-in creative access in Engage space summer 2024 - Call for new�existing members to sign up to a �outh Forum � VV Leaders team - Hold a launch event using the Animation as a form of recruitment - Arrange a dynamic, possibly public arts wor�shop to attract new members� encourage existing � Peaball Graffiti was suggested Lin� to animation wor� in progress. Soundtrac� elements are original compositions from Michael Devine, VV member. https:��drive.google.com�file�d�12Ml7CFN8yKm3�ouiy1a3MaouF0�I�4J��view�up�drive lin� ## **NWRC & public Tours CFTF** In liaison with NWRC Tutors Ursula and Kerrie, Mhairi provided a bespo�e presentation to a group of 19 students prior to CFTF opening to the public and a tour on 09�04�24. Students are warmly welcomed, encouraged to use the exhibition for their own course purposes and visit independently. Public Tours of CFTF designed and led by the Curator of Civic Engagement have been advertised as Drop-in events for Saturday 20 April and Saturday 04 May 2024. - 6 - ## **THE VOID ARTS CENTRE** ## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024**_ ## **North South Visual Arts Network - NSVAN (Shared Island VV app)** The remaining funds of �1,523 were allocated to an online presentation with the current CFTF artist Stephane Verlet Bottero on institutional permaculture. This was scheduled for 27 March, before the Report to Funders Community Foundation was submitted on Saturday 30 March 2024. There was a poor response as this was during Easter wee�, and this presentation will now ta�e place at a later date. The remaining funds �1273 were allocated to Void Art Centre overheads�core costs, with the agreement of partner DHG and as indicated in advance of Report submission to the allocated CF �fficer. Wor�ing with NSVAN partners Douglas Hyde Gallery Dublin and Galway Arts Centre, an application was submitted on 22 March for 179,700eu for Triangulate: A Trans-border �outh-arts Group (Wor�ing Title) a tri-parite cross-border new learning and engagement pro�ect for young people aged 15 - 24 to the Creative �outh in a Shared Island (2024) fund. Arising out of the relationship already established through the NSVAN and spearheaded by DHG, the pro�ect re�uest for Void Art Centre and Galway Art Centre is to assist with core salary costs for engagement posts. DHG may create a dedicated p�t post to increase capacity if successful. Briefly, the pro�ect aims to� - Establish through collaboration a new �outh Arts Council from members of Void Visionaries, the Redbird Collective in Galway and the Student Forum Pro�ect in Dublin and to subse�uently design and organise a �outh-Led Art Biennale. - Throughout the �peration Stage, the �outh Arts Council will meet regularly to discuss progress, address challenges, and ma�e decisions collaboratively. �nline collaboration tools will facilitate communication and ensure that all voices are heard. - During the Implementation Stage, young people will play a central role in conceptualising and organising the �outh Arts Biennale. A comprehensive mar�eting and outreach strategy will be implemented to promote the Biennale to young people across the island of Ireland, emphasising its inclusive nature and opportunities for creative expression. Decisions will be communicated in May 2024. ## **Void Art Centre 'Imaginative Futures' - Explorers and Families Creative Programme 2024 funded by Halifax Foundation NI** This programme was successfully applied for by �oe McSparron, former interim Head of Public Programming at Void, and was awarded �5,000.00. The programme is aimed at providing a creative forum and opportunities for children aged 8 - 14 throughout the course of 2024 alongside the exhibition programme. Void has underta�en to wor� with our community partners (particularly The Women�s Centre, Parents �f Children with Autism (P�CA), Barnardo's �oung Carers, The Service for Loo�ed After Children, The North West Migrant�s Forum and the Rainbow Pro�ect), to invite parents�guardians along to our active drop-in discussion sessions and�or to invite them to nominate their children to sit on our new children�s advisory panel. In the selection process for this panel, we will select a diverse range of children from different bac�grounds, abilities and ages to ensure the feedbac� we are wor�ing with is relevant and inclusive to all. The Children�s advisory panel will input creative ideas and content for a series of drop-in sessions and wor�shops for children and families throughout 2024. To date, all named potential partners have been invited to a group meeting in Void after Easter to discuss and also to meet the artist Eibhlin Morrison, who has been invited as the lead artist and who has created the current resource boo�let for young people visiting CFTF at Void Art Centre. Coordinating diaries for a group meeting can be difficult and to date Mhairi has meet in person with Catherine Barr, The Women�s Centre, 18�04�24 discussed in a call with Sarah Logue, Bernandos (young carers, closed group) 19�04�24 and a Teams meeting with Nia Loughlin scheduled for 22�04�24. - 7 - ## **THE VOID ARTS CENTRE** ## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024**_ ## **Ulster Graduate residency exhibition: Making connections with artist �ara Lyness** Initially selected by �oe McSparron during the Ulster Graduate Degree shows 2023, Mhairi has liaised with �ara consistently since December and recently oversaw the Residency exhibition installation on 22�23 April in the Engage space. �ara is a member of performance group bBeyond and wor�s with the University of Atypical in Belfast and has a strong interest in access and inclusivity. Her Ma�ing connections exhibition of ceramic �igsaws reflects this through a fully interactive process, accompanied by explanatory posters and postcards. This residency� exhibition has no allocated funding and all costs have been borne entirely by the artist, including the travel and installation of the artwor�. This is not an acceptable position for our ethos of fairness and an organisation funded by the ACNI which recommends artists� fees and preparation should be paid for pro�ects. It has been discussed within the team that Void may not ta�e part in the Ulster Ulster Graduate residency scheme for 2024, unless funding can be sought and confirmed. Ma�ing connections is open to the public 23 April - 07 May 2024. ## **Visual Arts Collective / � Foyle Pride Void public work (August 2024)** A new grassroots organisation VAC (Visual Arts Collective) has been established and have met twice in the Engage space at Void, following an offer by Mhairi to host the group�s S�etchpad Meet-up sessions. The organisers have lin�s to both Void Visionaries and the life drawing programme and the group is developing well, with increased numbers attending the second session on Wednesday 17 April and gathering social media attention. As part of the initiative, the organisers discussed with Mhairi the potential for a public pro�ect ta�ing place during Foyle Pride (15 - 25 August) in the city. From this a proposal was submitted and circulated amongst the Void team, accepted and a pro�ect involving a highly visible ta�e-over of the Void windows will ta�e place during the wee�. This was a first proposal submitted to an organisation by a young local �ueer artist and reflects and continues Void support of Pride in the city. ## **Civic Mapping / new relationships** Alongside continuing relationships with community organisations locally and regionally Viviana and Mhairi have discussed ways of involving and collaborating with potentially new partners as part of a permaculture approach to civic engagement. To date, Mhairi has attended the Foyle Repair � Care cafe and invited the organiser Caroline McGuninnes-Broo�es to visit Void and wor� together on shared interests maximising the use of the Engage space. We are also in discussion with Stephanie Bradley, owner of �ffing cafe, around food culture and the monthly Potluc� event for the Void team and our neighbours. ## **Currently - research sources for Adri�n �alseca** Adri�n specified specific visual sources for his research trip to Belfast�Derry 02 - 18 May 2024. A research timetable has been planned with the assistance of Bernadadette Walsh, DCSDC Archivist, Clare Ablett, Curator of Transport and Industry and Stephen Weir, Picture Library National Museums NI, Stuart Temple, Libraries NI District �fficer and Niall McCaughan, Director Donegal Railway Museum. Adri�n will visit the Museum of Transport at Cultra, DCSDC Pennyburn archive stores and the Biggar and McDonald collection, Central Library, Derry. ## **Social media** This year, we have increased our amount of followers across our social media platforms - Instagram, Twitter and Faceboo�. �ur current followers are as follows: - Faceboo�: 6,643 - Twitter: 1,666 - Instagram: 5,153 2023-2024 saw Twitter change to ��� which has included many people leaving the platform for others such as Threads. This has impacted our Twitter statistics and use of the platform. This year, we also loo�ed at the financial sustainability of our social media platforms. This has resulted in several ma�or changes: we have decreased the amount of paid advertisements in use across social media and we have ended our subscription to Sprout Social, a scheduling tool. - 8 - ## **THE VOID ARTS CENTRE** ## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024**_ This year, we have wor�ed on ensuring our social media output aligns with our future strategy as an organisation that doesn�t focus solely on exhibitions. Now we are ta�ing a long term approach, see�ing ways to accessibly communicate pro�ects that span across several months, and even years. This wor� is ongoing, and we are in the process of learning how this can develop. ## **Social media statistics** ## **Facebook:** - Engagement: 128,400 - Page visits: 11,200 - Followers: ,6643 (�350) ## **Instagram:** - Engagement: 41,900 - Profile visits: 8,000 - Followers: 6,643 (�952) ## **Twitter:** - Followers: 3,169 ## **Press** This year Void Art Centre continued to maintain and develop strong relationships with press, nationally and locally. We particularly increased our connection with local press, strengthening relationships with Derry Journal, BBC Radio Foyle and Visual Artists� Ireland. Visual Artists Ireland interviewed Director Viviana Checchia for a feature on the new strategy of Void Art Centre, which detailed the organisation as well as our future programming. ## **Outreach** This year, we have gathered data in partnership with Thrive as part of our desire to gain a deeper understanding of our audiences. This data has enabled us to understand that: - The ma�ority of our visitors are over 35, with 30� of them identified as 35-44 and 27� identified as 55-64 - 16� of our visitors identified as being d�Deaf, disabled, or having a long-term health condition - 39� of people visited Void with friends, 30� visited alone, 21� visited with a spouse or partner and 15� visited with a young child (0-11) - 52� of our visitors have children living with them in their household - 63� of our visitors identify where they live as urban - While the ma�ority of our visitors are from Derry, we also had visitors travelling from Portrush, Portstewart, Donegal, Tyrone, Hull and Vienna - 73� of our visitors mar�ed their experience as �Very Good� and 97� of people said they would recommend the venue to friends and family. ## **Offline publicity** This year, Void Art Centre continued to utilise physical promotional material including: - Postcards - Posters - Gallery Guide This material was distributed across the city and North of Ireland, and included in site-specific promotion at the gallery (such as our outdoor poster holders, which provide signage into the gallery.) Across the year, we have discussed ways of continuing this physical promotion, which can reach audiences such as those without access to the internet, phones for example, in a way that is sustainably responsible. For Composting for the future, we created bespo�e postcards in collaboration with artist St�phane Verlet B�ttero which promoted the artist�s wor�, alongside the pro�ect. We found these postcards to be particularly useful, and wish to continue the creation of specially designed physical material. In the future however, we wish to find a local printer to do this wor� in a cost effective manner, in line with the social permaculture principle to use local resources. - 9 - ## **THE VOID ARTS CENTRE** ## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024**_ ## **Website** Void Art Centre�s website has undergone some changes in the past year, which include different image specifications and some structural issues such as layout function. As a team we have been investigating problems for short-term solutions alongside Neil Doherty, a local website developer. It has become apparent that the current website no longer feels in line with Void Art Centre�s ethos as a civic-engaged organisation, with team members highlighting the cold feel of the site and the logistical problems of uploading images. To re-imagine our website, we have initiated a period of research into ways of integrating our web structure into a more civic-engaged, social permaculture framewor�. This includes understanding how to invite our local community into website development through community focus groups and the potential of wor�ing with a facilitator to lead on this wor� alongside Neil Doherty, who is also currently a Void volunteer. To begin this research in a more sustainable manner and activate this pro�ect, we have applied to Fat Beehive foundation to establish a pro�ect loo�ing at our website, wor�ing with the local community to co-develop a site that wor�s for them and us. The result of this application is outstanding as of April 2024. ## **�uilding** Caring for our building and office space is a �ey part of the role of our Coordinator of Production and Dynamics. Sin�ad, since �oining in January, has liaised with the landlord regarding maintenance of the building and ongoing wor�s. Since our move to Waterloo Place we continue to adapt and react to the new space. The large glass windows create an accessible and inviting position for a contemporary art centre. However, this has brought challenges regarding heating the building. ## **Plans for the future period** In April 2024, we received assurance via an official email that ACNI will award Void Art Centre a standstill amount. However, allocations across the sector are still un�nown, which has affected our ability to plan into the future. ## **Financial review** Total income for the year was �279,840, of which �254,396 was generated from charitable activities. Total expenditure was �314,678. The balance of total funds at the year end was �59,273, of which �52,273 was Unrestricted and �7,000 Restricted. The Trustees consider it prudent to hold monies in reserve in the event that unforeseen circumstances should lead to financial difficulties which might �eopardise the future of charity. The Trustees have examined the re�uirement for reserves in the light of the main ris�s to the organisation and established a formal policy, that �51,000 should be the target level for unrestricted reserves. The unrestricted reserves at the year end were �52,273. the Trustees are striving to attain and exceed this target, so that they will be able to continue the current activities of the charity. ## _�eserves polic�_ It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level e�uivalent to between three and six month�s expenditure. The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity�s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year. ## **Structure� governance and management** The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 15 December 2004 and accepted as a charity by HMRC under reference �R69455. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the ob�ects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. In the event of the company being wound up members are re�uired to contribute an amount note exceeding �1. - 10 - THE VOID ARTS CENTRE TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were.. S Birney A Kelly D Mccall E Mccann H Quigley P Kealey U McNally D Greer S Horshi P Connolly B Bridges S Kissane (Resigned 17 November 20231 (Resigned 14 August 20231 (Appointed 17 January 20241 (Appointed 17 January 20241 (Appointed 9 February 20241 (Appointed 17 January 20241 (Appointed 29 February 20241 (Resigned 17 August 20231 The Iruslees, report was approved by the Board of Trustees. Quigley Trustee Dale.. 1311212024 11