Sponsors of the October Gallery
October Gallery Directors receiving a cheque for £10,000 from Mr. Mark O'Connor, Marks & Spencer Regional Director, in April, 1999, to fund the post of the October Gallery Education Department Co-ordinator.
The October Gallery is an Educational Trust with charitable status in the United Kingdom. Mounting between ten and fifteen exhibitions each year, the Gallery, with no financial reserves of its own, must find the running costs for each exhibition on a project specific basis. The Gallery is only able to maintain the high quality of its exhibition programme by applying to various bodies for financial assistance. Even with a sterling reputation and known track-record, the Gallery's work is made possible only by the generosity of a large numbers of sponsors who give both in cash and in kind to support our efforts. The inevitable short-fall in the running costs of almost all exhibitions is made up by commissions on the sale of work, the rental of the Gallery's unique rooms and facilities and the dedication of a large number of professional staff who volunteer their time and labour without requiring much more than satisfaction at a job well done in return. We thank them one and all.
The Gallery is currently the recipient of an award by London Boroughs Grants - that
ensures the continuation of a successful programme to introduce art from around the world
to school pupils throughout the London area.
For
the past three years, the post of Education Co-ordinator at the October
Gallery has been assured by a very generous gift by the Marks and Spencer
Community Involvement Fund. This has enabled the expansion of this pioneering
programme to provide artist-led workshops for London primary and secondary
school children as well as over for 60s outreach groups and groups of
special needs children including the visually disabled. The support of
Marks & Spencer has been invaluable in helping to build up the consistency
and standards of the October Gallery Education Department.
In
1996 the October Gallery received a generous award from the Arts Council of England's
Millennium Fund that enabled the Gallery to upgrade its ageing Security, Lighting,
Telephone and Computer equipment and to perform a Disability Access Audit in order to
provide better facilities and easier access to all comers.
The
October Gallery receives much project funding support from a wide variety of institutions,
including the Arts Council of England - which, in the past has funded numerous exhibitions
and, in 1998, the publication of the highly successful El Anatsui: A Sculpted History of Africa.
Other funding bodies that have given important support to the Gallery's initiatives over the years have been: London Arts Board, Visiting Arts, The British Council, the International Initiatives Fund, and a wide range of corporate donors including Glaxo, Qantas Airlines, Air Niugini, British Airways, Absolut Vodka and many, many others.
We thank them one and all!