Today a new website, wedidthis.org.uk, opens for business. It's an intriguing idea: it hopes to support specific arts projects via donations, of any size, given online. If the project reaches its target funding, the donors will be given a small reward (in fact the bigger the donation, the heftier the reward – rising from acknowledgements on the website to, say, a champagne reception with cast and conductor). If the campaign doesn't reach its target, the donors will be refunded (but not receive the reward).
At the moment, there are two projects on the table: a commission for MIMA by artist Richard Forster. Here, those donating to the process over £100 can make suggestions that may inform the finished work. The second project is to help the Classical Opera Company record Apollo and Hyancinthus, Mozart's first opera. For this one, donations start at a fiver.
What's nice about the site is the tangible, achievable nature of the projects (£10,000-£15,000). This marks out the idea from "friends" or "members" schemes, where the emphasis is on generally supporting an organisation, rather than specifically having a hand in bringing something about. The emphasis is on the donors – even at quite a low level – becoming involved in and excited about the art they are helping support. That's pretty usual if you are a big donor, giving in the thousands or millions, but less so further down the scale.
Meanwhile, another site, wefund.co.uk, which launched in October and also aims to support culture by crowdsourcing funds, has just claimed success in its garnering support for The White Review, a new art and ideas magazine. Good news.
