Continuing Professional Development courses for the Arts Sector

This summer, the Worcestershire Arts Partnership launches, a series of four professional development opportunities for those working in the Arts in Worcestershire.
 
The courses will feature both externally invited and local speakers who have been asked to share their expertise, learning and best practice for the benefit of the arts community.

All the courses will take place in the Guild Hall, Worcester from 10am to 12.30pm.  There will be refreshments available and Wi-Fi.

The first session will take place on Wednesday 11 July and features speakers Deborah Kermode, Chief Executive and Artist Director MAC Birmingham and Clare Purcell Assistant Director at Meadow Arts on Business Planning for Success in the Arts.  Creating a Business Plan is a vital step to generating funding and audiences for artistic work, but not everyone knows how to produce one. 

Then on Wednesday 12 September Sarah Gee, Managing Partner Indigo Ltd and Manda Graham Director of Equal Vision will talk about Business resilience and sustaining your arts organisation.

There are two further sessions on Wednesday 14 November and Wednesday 6^th February 2019.

To book your places please visit: www.severnarts.org.uk/inspire-enable-empower

Places are available on a first come, first served basis.  Everyone is welcome.  Places cost £10 for one course or £35 for all four.

For more details on all the courses:  http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20191/arts/530/worcestershire_arts_partnership 

 

 

Arts and Health Symposium

New Prescriptions, the sub group of Worcestershire Arts Partnership, is holding a free Arts and Health Symposium on Tuesday 5 June 9.30am to 2.30pm in The Studio Theatre, The Hive, Worcester.

Guest Speakers are Rachel Adams from Wyldwood Arts speaking on Intergenerational Arts and Health and Lucy Chick Advanced Public Health Practitioner speaking about Social Prescribing and the arts in Worcestershire.

There will also be an open space event to share ideas about collaborative working.

Performances will include 'Cognition’ by Inter-Act from Reaction Theatre Makers and an intergenerational dance piece from EveryBODY Dance. Sight Concern will also present some photos of their latest exhibition.

There will be an opportunity also to network over Lunch.

To book a place click here

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Voices and Visions 2018 Exhibition

The Voices and Visions Exhibition will be returning to the Cathedral once again to celebrate the creativity of children and young people in Worcestershire.  It's a wonderful opportunity for children and young people to showcase their art work in the beautiful surroundings of the Worcester Cathedral.

Now in its 19th year, Voices and Visions has become a yearly fixture in the school calendar and brings together 45 schools in an exhibition that demonstrates the wealth of talent that can be found in the County.

This year schools have been working on the theme of 'Acts of Kindness', acknowledging all the good deeds people have done, no matter how big or small.

For the first time this year, Meadow Arts have been contributing to Voices and Visions by placing Creative Practitioners in four local schools. Fort Royal Community Primary School, Blackwell First School, Regency High School and Stanley Road Primary School have been working with Sarah Edwards, Mark Riley and Sarah Fereday to create new art work specifically for the exhibition.

 

The Exhibition runs from May19 to June 17 in the Cloisters at Worcester Cathedral during normal opening hours.

For further information please contact Elaine Knight, Arts Officer, Worcestershire County Council – eknight@worcestershire.gov.uk

Family Art Day at The Hive

Family Art Day at The Hive

Families are invited to come to The Hive and take part in a drop-in art workshop to create a giant totem pole on Saturday 3 March from 11am – 2pm. The structure will allow children’s artworks to be stacked on top of each other and create a piece that evolves through the course of the day.

The workshop will be led by Creative Practitioner Sarah Edwards, an experienced Worcester based leader, who will work with the families and take inspiration from the new papercrete and Bonsai sculptures currently on display at The Hive.

Meadow Arts is running the workshop based on the work ‘The Long Afternoon of Earth’ Bonsai sculptures, created by international artists in residence Heather and Ivan Morison.

Sarah Edwards said: “Everyone who takes part in the project will make a piece of work to go onto the structure and participants can create something as simple or as complex as they like. The work could take many forms and will be prompted by questions such as ‘tell us what you know’, topics such as the environment, space ,travel, oceans, history, music etc… will be used; some serious and some fun and playful.”

Steve Wilson from Meadow Arts, said: “This will be a really enjoyable workshop which is suitable for all ages. Simply come along from 11-2pm and take part and be part of creating something really special with Meadow Arts and Sarah.”

Meetings with The Hive staff, students, users and groups that frequent this vibrant and busy library inspired the project, commissioned by Meadow Arts. Heather & Ivan Morison looked at what the people of Worcester read and they opened their process up to the Fine Art students of University of Worcester, who followed and participated in this live, unique project.

The artists’ sculptural works complement the architecture of the building and convey a sense of the varied environments in which the act of reading occurs for different people.

 
The Hive was the first library in Europe to house both a university book collection and a public lending library, and the artists have been using this fascinating intersection between academia and civic life to develop this new work for 2018. 

 

Visit our website for more information about the project www.meadowarts.org .

Theatre Directing Workshop

Jump Start, Worcestershire’s leading new theatre and writing showcase, is delighted to announce a workshop on Directing for Theatre.

 

The workshop will be led by experienced director, Rob Watt and is taking place at The Hive in Worcester on Saturday 17^th February from 1.30pm to 4.30pm in the Studio Space.

 

Jump Start is a project funded by the Arts Council England and Worcestershire County Council and co-ordinated by the Worcestershire Arts Partnership and Worcestershire County Council.  It has so far showcased over 35 new plays and performances by theatre makers in the county and wider region.

 

Jump Start co-ordinators Steve Wilson and Lee Farley are excited at the prospect of the workshop. Steve said: "We are really delighted to having someone like Rob running the workshop and we hope that theatre makers from the county will really support the workshop."

Spaces for this workshop are limited so please book ahead.  There is a charge of £5 per person and to book a space please go to the Hive website on http://www.thehiveworcester.org/events

 

For further information please visit the https://www.facebook.com/groups/248446278623071

 

Or contact Steve Wilson on stevewilson19661@outlook.com

Call for Creative Practitioners

 

 

Meadow Arts – Call for Creative Practitioners

 

Meadow Arts, an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, require Creative Practitioners to work with schools, universities & colleges as well as the wider public to plan, deliver and evaluate contemporary arts projects as part of the Meadow Arts Inspires Programme.

About Meadow Arts and Meadow Arts Inspires

Meadow Arts brings unique contemporary art projects to places where art is not usually shown, supporting artists by commissioning new work and creating inspiring events and exhibitions. Based in Shropshire the organisation works predominately in Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Through its Learning programme, Meadow Arts Inspires, Meadow Arts works with schools, colleges, universities and artists to create education projects that are tailored to the needs of each education establishment. Recent projects have included working with a whole school group to create a Mandala with students from the Royal Grammar School in Worcester and creating craft items to be sold with young people (18 plus) at Chadsgrove School in Bromsgrove.

Your role

Our Creative Practitioners play a key role in running our programme. As a skilled practitioner you will be responsible for planning and delivering education and engagement projects with us. This will include responding to briefs, meeting with our Education & Engagement Officer, Steve Wilson and the individual schools and colleges, agreeing on dates and then running the individual project. You will be required to evaluate the project with us, to ensure that there have been positive and proven learning outcomes.

Your skills

We are looking for Creative Practitioners with the following skills and experience

• Ability to develop and implement projects from a creative brief
• Ability to evaluate projects
• Knowledge of Contemporary Visual Arts and the wider arts scene
• Knowledge of the school curriculum at all Key Stage Levels
• Experience of working within an education setting
• Experience of working with the wider general public
• Knowledge of accreditation including Arts Awards and Arts Mark
• In addition we require you to have your own transport and have a current DBS Certificate as well as your own Public Liability Insurance.

Our Role

We will support you throughout your work within schools and wider engagement work. You will be profiled on our new webpage and we will actively promote you to our many partners.

If you are chosen for any of our projects we pay a highly competitive rate of £250 per day and additional travel and expenses costs where appropriate.

If you are interested please send a CV and letter of no more than 2 pages outlining why we should select you. We would also like to informally meet you if you are selected.

Please email your application to Steve Wilson, Education and Engagement Officer at steve@meadowarts.org by Friday 26^th January 2018. You can also ask Steve any questions relating to this brief.