Consultancy, Curation, Teaching, Training and Research

DAVID MANLEY

Professor of Art and Director of Cultural Development at the University of Derby, David was until summer 2007 Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Design & Technology and previously Dean, School of Art and Design, Director of School Research and of The Open Studio [HEFCE funded Research Centre].   David has over 25years experience of senior level arts development and administration in the Midlands. During a career at East Midlands Arts that culminated in a period as Head of Public Affairs & Services he was responsible for a wide variety of projects and initiatives including many of the major organisations active in the region today.

In the early nineties his consultancy work included many local authorities, arts councils and independent arts organisations.   Amongst these were bids for the Year of Architecture, Photography and the Visual Arts for different city and county authorities; Business Planning for Company Kumar Saswat, Leicester, Shooting Stills Photography Agency, Birmingham, Hereford Photography Festival and more; Arts audits and cultural strategies for eight local authorities and project management for Phoenix Dance Company, Leeds, Yorkshire Art Space Society and Nottingham Castle Museum amongst others.

From 1991 to 1995 he was a principal in the da capo Arts Consultancy and produced a number of key early strategy documents for a variety of local authority clients as well as acting as Director to the Yorkshire Artspace Society.  The formulation of the strategy that led to the realization of this artist's studio project's major lottery funded new Studios 'Persistence Works' in 2000 - another national award winner - was an achievement of this period.  

He has also worked extensively in the visual arts in higher education devising and running programmes in professional practice at over thirty different Universities and Colleges. He has published essays on many artists including leading figures in the region including John Newling, Paul Mason, Denis O'Connor, and artists from elsewhere including Richard Sadler, Dave Morris and Gillian Brent.

The Faculty of Arts, Design & Technology is unique in the region's HE providers in that it hosts the Creative Exchange, is the lead institution for the New Technology Initiative (NTI) in the Creative Industries (CINTIN) and operates the region's only Apple Accredited Training Centre. 'The Open Studio' benefits from HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) Research Capability Funding in respect of Visual Arts activity. It's educational emphasis lies in the ground breaking initiatives in the vocational creative disciplines with national awards for the Narrow Fabrics industry training and for the Post Graduate Certificate in Arts Practice (CONNECT).  These projects sit alongside the Faculty's leading role as a provider of Foundation Degrees in media work.

As chair of the New Contemporaries student art competition organization Professor Manley oversaw two three year funding bids to BT for support of this nationally recognized event.  He was also recently a member of the Board of ELIA (European League of Institutes of the Arts) and is currently Vice Chair of the Board of Deda, Derby's centre for Dance.

Key institutions from whom funding and projects have been forthcoming include:

East Midlands Arts (now Arts Council - East Midlands)

EM Media

Arts Council England

Regional Arts Lottery Fund

Crafts Council

Henry Moore Foundation

Design Council

East Midlands Development Agency

KLITRA (Knitting and Lace Industries Training Organisation)

European Social Funds and European Regional Development Funds