Andy Christian

Key Experience

ANDY CHRISTIAN specialises in the development of arts-based businesses. He has worked in this area for the last thirty years and has run two successful, high profile, retail and exhibition based organisations - The Devon Guild of Craftsmen and Dartington Cider Press Centre. In both he increased visitor numbers, developed their regional and national profiles and consistently introduced programs of innovation and development as the centres grew and developed.

 His skills as a writer make him a natural choice in developing promotional material and working on marketing and media campaigns. He understands the possibilities and limitations of the tourist market and has diagnosed ways to attract customers and clients. He relishes the use of his knowledge and experience to help with the pricing of work, finding appropriate galleries and shops and with the development of retail sales.

Andy’s Career History

He graduated from Goldsmiths’ College in 1977 and has worked as a teacher, painter, retailer, writer and exhibition organiser. He instigated the Business Studies Department at The University of Cumbria in 1980. During these years in Cumbria Andy worked closely with Bill on aspects of business and the Arts to develop the Guild of Lakeland Craftsmen. They also established a trading company, running a gallery in Keswick for the Lakeland Guild.  He researched the marketing of craftwork for the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and served on the Visual Arts panel of Northern Arts. He chaired the Northern Arts Crafts panel and was a company director of Artic Producers Publishing Company, who launched Artists Newsletter (AN) and many self-help books for artists and craftspeople.

 In 1987 Andy became the first director of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen. Nine years later the Guild’s premises were completely paid for, their membership had increased and spread across the whole South West Region. Regular support had been established from the Regional Arts Council and 90% of the Guild’s income was self-generated.

 In 1996 Andy was invited by the Trustees of Dartington Hall to become the Managing Director of the Dartington Trading Company. Between 1996 and 2008 he developed this crafts based retail operation into a vibrant centre – The Cider Press. It has a current annual turnover of nearly £4m and welcomes annual visitor numbers in excess of 600,000. During each year of Andy’s tenure as Managing Director it returned substantial profits to The Dartington Hall Trust for use in its charitable activities.

He was a member of the senior management team and an advisor to Schumacher College & High Cross House (the Archive) and was charged with developing new opportunities for Dartington.

Whilst at the Devon Guild and at Dartington, Andy was invited by John Makepeace OBE to teach Business Studies to his furniture design students at Parnham College. He taught there for five years. He also spent five years as an advisor to the Crafts Council of Ireland.

He writes on a regular basis for Ceramic Review, Ceramics; Art and Perception, Proof and Resurgence magazines. He also writes for galleries and he edited and published ‘ Heather Jansch’s Diary’.