Context: Symbolic Weight, Structural Fragility

In 2023, Manuh Collective collaborated with Ed Cross Fine Art, an independent gallery in Old Street, London, to strengthen its internal systems and reimagine its sustainability model. Founded in 2009, the gallery had become an essential space for artists from across and beyond the African diaspora—deeply valued symbolically yet structurally precarious.

Operating as a micro-enterprise in one of the world’s most expensive cultural capitals, the gallery embodied the paradox of London’s art economy: immense cultural contribution but limited structural backing. In an ecosystem where algorithmic visibility and spectacle often outweigh continuity, independent galleries like Ed’s rely heavily on goodwill, bootstrapping, and adaptive care rather than scale or capital.

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Approach: A Volunteer Partnership Built on Trust

This collaboration grew from a goodwill-based relationship between Priyanka (Manuh Collective) and Ed Cross, grounded in shared respect and a commitment to sustaining cultural ecosystems. Though not a tech startup, Ed Cross Fine Art faced similar early-stage challenges: fragmented digital tools, overlapping processes, and rising operational strain.

Over a four-month active period—with continued light-touch follow-up into 2024—Manuh Collective conducted an end-to-end systems review. Key interventions included:

• Transitioning from Dropbox and Office 365 to Google Drive and the free version of Google Workspace.

• Retaining Zoom for meetings and limiting Office 365 to domain management.

• Developing a colour-coded sales-tracking system in Excel, later adapted to monday.com, consolidating scattered lead data.

• Retaining the Artlogic–Xero link for stability while evaluating QuickBooks for future integration.

These changes helped reduce software costs, streamline communications, and create a sustainable workflow that could operate without external consultants.

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Impact: From Systems to Sustainability

When Ed Cross Fine Art closed its Old Street space, end of June 2025, it was not a closure but a transition to Somerset House, joining a community of creative organisations rethinking sustainability and social purpose. The systems work provided a foundation for continuity and opened space for exploring new finance models—potentially through a Community Interest Company (CIC) framework rather than a traditional LLP.

This project highlighted that systems optimisation is a quiet but essential act of care—especially for small, resource-limited organisations that form the backbone of London’s cultural life. In helping a micro-gallery strengthen its foundations, Manuh Collective affirmed that sustainability in the arts is as much about structure and relationships as it is about visibility.

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Organisation: Ed Cross Fine Art
Location: 19 Garrett Street, Old Street, London EC1Y 0TY (until June 2025)
Transition: Exchange, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA (from July 2025)
Collaboration: Manuh Collective (Volunteer Systems Optimisation)
Team Size: Micro-Enterprise (Fewer than 10 people)
Active Period: 2023 – 2024 (4 months active engagement + follow-up support)
Website: edcrossfineart.com