Info

 

During the Second World War, Winston Churchill’s finance minister said 

Britain should cut arts funding to support the war effort. 

Churchill’s response: 

“Then what are we fighting for?”

At a time when public funding for culture is being reduced at an alarming rate which is certain to have a significant impact on the arts, Troutbeck House aims to counteract this decline by lunching a micro-fundraising scheme to support the development of art projects with the help of a community of small-denomination contributors to help provide artists with initial funding.

Often artists need a minimal amount of funding that allows them to get a project started and put a process into action. The Troutbeck Dinner Project aims to help assist projects at this crucial stage by providing a framework where artists can share their ideas and raise funds for their work.

Our aspiration is to democratise the grant-giving process for the arts by creating opportunities for artists and supporters of culture to meet face-to-face in the intimate context of dinner. This aims to create a more sustainable approach to funding which allows for supporters to get to know the artists and continue to follow their projects over time. This scaled down approach encourages greater transparency in the process and allows artists an alternative, community-based means for raising funds.

The project

The Troubeck Dinner Project is based on a social enterprise model, where a sustainable non-profit activity such as hosting a dinner, can lend a contribution to the development of the arts.

The project consists of a series of dinners held at a private residence at 22 Troutbeck Road, in southeast London. Each meal is in support of a different project and the artist or collective will give a brief presentation followed by the chance to discuss the project informally over dinner and offers the opportunity to get to know the artists better. Twenty to thirty people are invited to each dinner, a contribution of £20 by each guest goes towards the meal and to the project.

The evening also provides the favourable circumstances for the contributors to get to know each other and create a stronger sense of community among individuals interested in supporting the arts on a small-scale.
Each menu is unique and consists of a hot buffet inspired by the fusion of cusine from around the world with an Italian sensibility. The dinner consists of appetizers or a starter, a main course, dessert, wine and a selection of drinks.

Friends of the Project

If guests are inspired by a particular project and would like to have their name associated with its development, they are invited to give an additional £20 toward the project. By becoming a Friend, they have their name added to the website in the area of the project and will be included in future publications of the project.



The Troutbeck Dinner Project strives for a more transparent and relevant relation between artists and contributors and we hope that this platform will help both the financing of the projects as well as lead to critical discussion about the idea and critical approach to the development of the creative process.