Dartington, a ‘1,200-acre estate’ (Dartington) set in Totnes, Devon, is a fascinating place with a rich history and an inspiring mission.
Rich History
It all began back in 1925 when two ‘pioneers’, Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst bought the 14th Century estate. They forged ahead with the “Dartington Experiment” which aimed to restore the buildings and set up ‘a host of farming, forestry and education projects.’ One of their ‘initiatives’ was the Dartington Glass (see here for a 1978 film of the Dartington Glass Blowers and for more information), showing early signs that Dartington would be a territory and a champion of creativity.
It didn’t take long for Dartington to attract ‘artists, architects, writers, philosophers and musicians from around the wold, creating an exceptional centre of creative activity’, highlighting its spatial significance as a global creative epicentre. This historical geography has laid the foundation to enable Dartington’s contemporary flourishing and, today, the international tradition continues as it is still a ‘centre of creative activity’, bringing in over ‘800,000 visitors from across the world’! (Dartington).
Inspiring Mission
The vision – ‘To create a society that is sustainable, just and enriching.
The purpose – ‘To use our estate and resources to stimulate new thinking and action to help deliver this vision’
The strategy – ‘To play our part in building more resilient and creative communities’
What I find striking is the way in which Dartington’s appeal and success as a company rests on its spatial geography – it’s vital. With the purpose focusing on using ‘our estate’, one can imagine a gather-to-go mentality engrained within the company’s philosophy; people gather, or cluster – they get inspired, invigorated and impassioned – and then they go, with new found ability to make a difference to society with their creative skills, thus helping to achieve Dartington’s vision.
I want to focus on one of the three methods they choose to complete their mission – ‘Enriching Lives’. This includes ‘encouraging engagement in the arts’ and ‘supporting artists’. Here is one of the ways in which they work towards this and in which the gather-to-go mentally can be perceived:
In collaboration with Schumacher College, Dartington has ‘launched an exciting new range of craft courses … many offering the chance to learn from local makers’. From woodwork to Wovember (Dartington), Dartington engages visitors in the ‘experience economy’ (Pine & Gilmore, 1998; 1999) , providing ‘engaging experiences that demand a fee’ (Pine & Gilmore, 1998: 98). These learning and experiential activities take place when people gather (in a distinct time and space which is deeply geographical – see discussion about ‘fixing’ in the ‘EVENT’ and the ‘PRODUCT’ blog posts) but then in the going, the revolution can really take place – the ethos and the message of encouraging ‘our society to thrive within our planet’s ecological limits’ (Dartington) can be dispersed and has the potential to permeate society, acting as a form of activism.
References
Dartington, About, accessed by me on 11 March 2016, <https://www.dartington.org/about/>
Dartington, Dartington launches new expanded craft programme, accessed by me on 11 March 2016, <https://www.dartington.org/dartington-launches-new-expanded-craft-programme/>
Dartington, Our History, accessed by me on 11 March 2016, <https://www.dartington.org/about/our-history/>
Dartington, Our Mission, accessed by me on 11 March 2016, <https://www.dartington.org/about/our-mission/>
Dartington, Welcome to Dartington!, accessed by me on 11 March 2016, <https://www.dartington.org/visit/>
Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1998). Welcome to the experience economy.Harvard business review, 76, 97-105.
Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1999). The experience economy: work is theatre & every business a stage. Harvard Business Press.
Totnes Image Bank & Rural Archive, Leonard & Dorothy Elmhirst at Dartington Hall, accessed by me on 11 March 2016, <http://www.totnesimagebank.org/article/dartington-hall>
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