#savecooltanarts

[savecooltanarts-blog]

Xmas celebration/demonstration

You are all welcome to come and join us this coming Friday 16th December at 6pm  to celebrate Xmas and to demonstrate against CoolTan's continuing mismanagement.

We will be protesting about:-

1 The failure of Cooltan (specifically Tom McCabe, Lilian Nalumansi and Richard Truss) to return Michelle Baharier's valuable personal possessions many of which she has had there for over twenty years

2 The failure of CoolTan to hold its legally required annual general meeting, which should have happened in September 2016

3 The failure of CoolTan to publicise what is going on there - H Taylor has left, there is no CEO and the post has not been advertised, who is running the show? 

4 The resignation of three former patrons Maggi Hambling, Clare Allan and Ali Smith over the disgraceful treatment of Michelle Baharier and the ongoing mismanagement and disregard for vulnerable people.

We also know that there are numerous other issues to protest about regarding CoolTan's mistreatment of vulnerable people and the total lack of respect CoolTan's management have shown towards Michelle who raised millions of pounds for the charity over the years often working 70-80 hours a week to keep the place going.

Please come to this celebratory protest and bring food/drink/banners and the original spirit of CoolTan to challenge injustice and celebrate life - we will be moving on to a pub after the protest to continue our celebrations

[savecooltanarts-blog]

Rescheduled demo this Thursday 15th September outside Charities Commission, 1 Drummond Gate, Pimlico, London SW1V 2QQ - 5-5.30pm

The demonstration set to take place last week has been rescheduled for this Thursday 15th September at 5pm at the Charities Commission headquarters. Bring handmade banners! We will be asking the Charities Commission to suspend the trustees board of CoolTan, freeze the assets and bring in a replacement board so that the charity can be run in an accountable and transparent way. 

The CoolTan AGM is always held on the third Tuesday of September (which would be 20th September) and members are entitled to attend. As CoolTan have not responded to requests about when their AGM will take place or explained why there has been no further information, we’ll be raising this lack of transparency with the Commission.

[savecooltanarts-blog]

Charities Commission meeting & demo

**** Please note that this meeting due to be held at the Charities Commission today has been cancelled so unfortunately the demonstration will not be going ahead today. We will let you know when this has been rearranged ****

Some of us have been invited to a meeting with the complaints department of the Charities Commission at 3pm on Wednesday 7th September. There will be a protest outside the Charities Commission offices from 5 -5.30pm about everything that has happened at CoolTan Arts since September 2015. Media will be in attendance. Please get all your friends to sign our Petition!  We want CoolTan back in our hands and the AGM is 20 September. Call them 02077012696 - we can stand as board members.

The address of the Charities Commission is: 1 Drummond GateLondon SW1V 2QQ

Just a reminder about the petition: 

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/demand-charities-commission-suspend-cooltan-arts-board-and-freeze-the-assets

[savecooltanarts-blog]

Why won't CoolTan Arts let Michelle Baharier self-identify her belongings at the premises?

Watch Save CoolTan’s latest video with Michelle recounting her long history with CoolTan Arts and asking how it is possible that she can be denied premises access in order to identify and cover her own possessions there, gathered over such a long period of time?

[savecooltanarts-blog]

Esteemed local artist Wendy Sullivan barred entry to CoolTan Arts’ 25th Year Birthday Party!

On July 26th Save CoolTan activists gathered outside CoolTan Arts to express dismay over exclusion of Michelle Baharier during the official event, despite Michelle's bedrock role in the charity's formation. Protesters rightly named this exclusion "rewriting history" and letmelook.tv was on the scene to document the event:

Further upsetting was that esteemed local artist Wendy Sullivan was denied entry, despite invitation, to the very same Birthday Party! Wendy is a well-known and award-winning (Brixton Open) artist as well as a veteran of numerous exhibitions at CoolTan itself and elsewhere! Her reaction was filmed by Save CoolTan Arts' video unit:

Wendy Sullivan also finds the time to champion local causes such as the recent Carnegie Library campaign. Her empathy must come from having been a carer for her incapacitated partner for so many years until his demise. Caring for others is hard work anytime - but caring for the infirm, disabled or elderly is even harder. This makes it doubly difficult to understand how CoolTan could have barred her. 

Below: indefatigable Wendy campaigns for the Carnegie in the rain and gets praise from Cllr Rachel Heywood!

Below: Wendy’s painting ‘South London from Loughborough Junction'

Reinforcing her commitment to social awareness and the very important role carers play in our community Wendy was part of 'Feeling The Journey' in 2013, an exhibition of works by area artists who are or have been carers and have also been changed by their experience. She showed work using tempera (egg) and oil, sand, marble dust, and quartz. Tempera became a necessity when she became allergic to turps, nickel, and cobalt!

Below: Wendy’s ‘Memories of a Beach’ which showed at 'Feeling The Journey'

Now in her late 70s, Wendy started painting abstracts in 1973, eventually studying at Goldsmiths and Sir John Cass colleges. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at ASC Studios, Stockwell Road. 

[savecooltanarts-blog]

REPORT ON VOLUNTEERS FORUM (By Attendee)

WEDS 27 APRIL

There were around 5 staff and 4 Volunteers’ including myself.at the meeting

I was a few minutes late but interim CEO was summarising the situation with regards the investigation underway of the CEO. Taylor explained that the process had taken so long because the CEO had put in a grievance. However this has now ended and the Trustee’s are immersed in an investigation process.

Following this he talked about the patrons, as apparently, there is view abroad that the historical relationship with CoolTan Arts’ patrons - Maggi Hambling, Clare Allen, Rosemary Shraeger, Arthur Smith, Ali Smith – has not been entirely satisfactory. A perception was aired by the Acting CEO, that with the possible exception of Rosemary, engagement with the patrons has evaporated

He proceeded to explain the funding successes achieved since the last AGM. Which includes £7,500 through the London Community Foundation, another £5,000 has come in from The Peabody Trust, if I understood correctly. Over and above this, I am pleased to report, more funding (an actual figure wasn’t given) has come in as a consequence of the work done by CoolTan staff and participants at the Affordable Art Fair, and more yet from the Chapman Trust. As if this wasn’t enough, we have more good news from the Breakfast Club from where some £500 has come in to CoolTan for valuable projects.

Tom McCabe (as Operations Manager) gave a presentation outlining staffing at CoolTan. If I understood correctly, CoolTan has 20 paid staff including the reintroduction of the self Advocacy Team. a Development Officer post (funded by Southwark), a second administrator, and the engagement of two Cleaners.

I also noted that CoolTan Arts now has a new Trustee, Mark Burnett, although I remain unclear as to the details or origins of this appointment.

The discussion then moved onto events being planned:

· Preparations for the 25th Anniversary of CoolTan Arts Exhibition.

· I did enquire into what role the CEO/founder would be playing in these celebrations. As it is essential they participate

All in attendance were receptive to this suggestion,

Saffron asked about the practical implications for the CEO’s return after the investigation process. The Acting CEO clarified that CoolTan developments over the interim period have specifically revolved around process and procedural enhancements, so such transition need not be in any way disruptive. He noted that there would be personal implications in the necessity for him to stand aside from his acting role, returning to previous personal plans. He gave his assurances to the room that he would do this in the event of such an outcome.

My thanks to CoolTan Arts for the volunteers forum

[savecooltanarts-blog]

Just a reminder about the Back to Brixton walk taking place this Saturday 30th April - meeting at 1pm at 224-236 Walworth Road - outside Specsavers!!

[savecooltanarts-blog]

Patron Maggi Hambling Speaks Out!

Painter, sculptor and CoolTan patron Maggi Hambling C.B.E. recently signed our reinstatement petition and had this to say:

“I met Michelle Baharier in the early 2000s through Morley College where I have taught painting since 1969. I immediately admired her initiative in setting up CoolTan which fulfils an essential role in enabling people to realise their potential through being creative in a professional way, and I agreed to become the first Patron. Longstanding participants who are used to Michelle’s trusted presence are being given mixed messages by staff, being told “not to worry their heads about it” because it’s “political”. One group was told at first that Michelle was away on sick leave and then that she had been suspended. The participants at CoolTan, some of whom have long term mental health issues, must be finding the present climate extremely unsettling. I would like the current situation of Michelle’s suspension fully explained. It seems clear that CoolTan’s money is being wasted on human resources consultants etc and I would ask exactly how much money CoolTan has raised during Michelle’s absence?” Please read the rest of Maggi Hambling’s comment on our petition page and please sign the petition too, if you haven’t already! http://chn.ge/1T4fmNT

(Photo of Maggi from the YouTube video ‘A Conversation with Maggi Hambling - Resurrection Commission for St Dunstan's Church (2012)’ from electricegguk:  http://bit.ly/1RUr53h)