1. art + power
The Campaigne for Creativity
FIVE-YEAR PLAN TO END CULTURAL EXCLUSION
April 2009 - March 2014
At art + power, I do things that surprise me.
I used to think, me, no way.
But I am really enjoying it.
It is all unbelievable.
Betty Sargent, photographer and writer
I have observed at first hand the empowering effect Art + Power has on
it’s members. It is equally important to note the beneficial effect their
empowerment has on the wider society. Through art + power, those
designated as disabled or as having learning difficulties have created,
through their work, a mirror, crystal clear, reflecting their life experience.
It is a mirror which the rest of us can see an image of ourselves.
That image is often a discomforting one; as so many of us merely pay
lip service to the creation of an inclusive society.’
Labi Siffre
2. art + power 2
content s Our Vision, Mission and Values
Executive Summary
3
4
History and Background 8
Context 14
Investment Opportunities 16
Our Ambitions 18
The Campaign for Creativity 19
PASS - The Personal Arts Support Scheme 22
Participation as audiences 27
Participation as artists 32
Participation in art + power and the arts industry 35
Marketing Plan 40
Financial Plan 44
Monitoring and Evaluation 49
Action Plans 50
3. Artist Profile
Sylverine D’zenyo art + power is an all round organisation, they are not just about
the painting but what they can do in the future for us artists. My
Originally from London, Sylverine re-discovered art whilst in future plan is to work as an ambassador for art + power. I want
treatment for alcohol addiction. Sylverine had been drinking to use my experience as a reference for other artists out there
for 25 years. She has been clean for 2 ! years. Whilst doing who would gain a life-saving experience.
art therapy she was drawing pictures of her therapist who
encouraged her to get in touch with art + power. This is where Trust is a big issue. It’s about gaining trust and me trusting
her journey began. others. I’ve been more open through art + power than with my
counsellor. For example when I first painted the picture of me in
“I didn’t want to do art before because I was told it was evil. My a cell (‘Locked In’) I painted it as a
art was just about getting back at people. As a youngster my Caucasian woman thus deflecting
father said it was a gateway to hell, it captured the soul of the attention from myself. Now I am
person being painted. So I kept all my drawings secret. Most of confident enough to reveal my own
my drawings were about him dying – it was my way of getting identity - thanks to art + power! art
back at him for my sexual abuse - but it didn’t work! + power has shown me not to be
Coming into art + power has saved my life. I know this. Without ashamed of my past. Therapeutic
art + power, I would have relapsed because my worst trigger is means we don’t have to talk about it
boredom, when I used to be bored picking up a pint would make all the time, actually having images
me pass the time but now I come to art + power and pick up on canvas and looking at them I
a paint brush. Nobody calls ‘Time’ at art + power and now my know that it is not all in my head, it
friends have a heartbeat – they are not called ‘gin’ and ‘vodka’ actually did happen and you can see
etc. it.
art + power for me is having somewhere to go where you’re art + power has given me the power
not being judged and not feeling worthless and people actually to talk about my past, hence I can
taking notice of me as a person and what I do. It’s encouraged write these words, which I would
me to embrace my life. never have done a year ago. For
the first time since cleaning up I
Nobody has ever said to me that my work is good or encouraged actually look forward to getting up in
me. It all comes from coping with my Dad. I used to hide it all but the morning knowing that I can paint
art + power encourages all artists and I’ve found it is ok to show without being beaten but being told
it. It might help someone else in the same situation. how good I am.
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4. art + power
art+power is an open space
where artists grow, flourish,
and support each other to
find their voice
Joanne Peters
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5. Our Vision, Mission and Values
Vision To end Cultural Exclusion.
Mission To release the potential for the arts to empower individuals, strengthen
groups and build a more equal, inclusive and creative community.
How we will do it By engaging a broad coalition of partners to support disabled
and socially excluded people to participate in the arts as audiences, artists/
performers and professionals.
Values Empowerment, freedom & participation, creativity, independence,
learning, quality, teamwork & partnership, not to be needed in future or to deliver
where others are better placed, value for money. Transparency, Accountability,
Communication.
6. Executive Summary
art + power is about an idea - the idea that art empowers and that if people work
together for a common aim they can achieve extraordinary results.
To mark our 10th anniversary as an independent arts organisation we are launching
a five-year strategy to end cultural exclusion by bringing people together to build
inclusive and creative communities. The ‘Campaign for Creativity’ is for everyone who
wants work together to build a more inclusive and creative society.
art + power exists because art empowers. We are an arts organisation because we
believe this is the best way to achieve social change for individuals, groups and for
society. Increasing cultural inclusion can have widespread social impact not just in the
arts but in health, education, employment, equality, democracy, and social cohesion.
We aim to build a creative community where everyone belongs and every voice is
heard so that the arts can become central to all our lives and everyone can share
in the magic of the arts. However, this cannot be achieved by forcing art onto an
ungrateful and confused public. Instead we propose to create dialogue with those we
currently exclude and build a concerted cross-sector partnership of people working
together for a common aim.
art + power is uniquely positioned to lead on because of our expertise and because
we are led by the passion and commitment of talented disabled and socially excluded
artists. It is their expertise and that of others like them that will drive this project.
We are now seeking partners to a ‘Campaign for Creativity’. This is not a lobbying
campaign to persuade others to act it is a practical demonstration of what can be
achieved when people come together to achieve a common goal.
The campaign works simply by matching the goals and aspirations of participants
with the support offered by partners.
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7. THE CAMPAIGN FOR CREATIVITY
participants partners
art + power
end cultural exclusion
If you want to help build a more equal, inclusive and creative community then we see it as our role to make it easy for you to contribute.
Please ask yourself what you can do to end cultural exclusion - and get in touch!
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8. ACTION PLAN stage 1 stage 2 stage 3
April 2009 - 2010 2010 - 2012 2012 - 2014
STAGE DEVELOPMENT CITY WIDE NATIONAL
1 Campaign for Partnership development, task Project launch, city-wide Supporting projects in
Creativity groups, project infrastructure. delivery, national pilots. different regions. National
.1 Partnerships hub, training and consultancy.
.2 Development Dissemination and exit plans.
.3 Delivery
.4 Evaluation
.5 Dissemination
2 PASS PASS development and pilot. City-wide adoption of PASS National roll-out of PASS - 3
.1 Training ‘Take part in Arts’ developed. partner areas.
.2 Practice
.3 Delivery
3 Participation as Newsletter and website. Bristol wide partnerships, National adoption of tools,
Audiences Develop explorer packs. Local explorer packs in use. Five regional websites/newsletters.
.1 Resources outreach and pilot projects main partner venues. Three national partners
.2 Outreach
.3Venues
4 Participation as Creative content for Bristol Festival of Cultural National arts event
Artists newsletter/website, public Inclusion
.1Building performance and outreach
Creative Condemned to Darkness 2. City-wide participatory project Series of linked regional
Community projects
.2Creative Fusion
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9. ACTION PLAN stage 1 stage 2 stage 3
April 2009 - 2010 2010 - 2012 2012 - 2014
STAGE DEVELOPMENT CITY WIDE NATIONAL
5 Participation in Strong governance in place. Social enterprises established National employment in the
art + power and Establish PASS as route to City - wide volunteering and arts programme in place
the arts industry employment. work experience in the arts
.1 art + power Social enterprise planning programme .
.2 Employability complete
and Social
Enterprise
.3 Arts Industry
6 Marketing 6.1 Training and team 6.1 Develop training role 6.1 Roll-out training role and
.1 Participation development promote arts participation in
.2 Promotion the UK
6.2.1 Newsletter and website 6.2.1 City wide newsletter 6.2.1 Regional newsletters
and national hub
6.2.2 Plan public promotions 6.2.2 City wide promotion 6.2.2 National promotions :
campaign campaign: Capital of cultural Creative Britain.
inclusion
7 Finance All funding streams Diverse fundraising policy in Diverse and sustainable
.1 Statutory established. Funding in place action. funding / exit strategy in place
.2 Trusts for stage 2 and plan for stage Earned income = 10% with Earned income = 25%
.3 Corporate 3. Stage 3 funding in place
.4 Individual
.5 Earned
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10. History and
Background
I am a freelance human being. If someone offers me
something worthwhile, I commit to making it the best
it can be. I am here because art + power is a good
organisation that offers quality.
Alex Kyriacou, writer and musician
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11. art + power was set up by a group of disabled people with
learning difficulties and their support staff from a day centre
run by Bristol City Council Social Services Department.
Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s groups of people
in the day centre worked together to produce theatre, music,
poetry and visual arts. Each group had its own identity and
worked with local community groups to exhibit and perform
across the City.
In 1993 we began to explore collaborative mixed-media
projects including: ‘True Lives, an animation and two short
Legal Structure films‘ (1994) and ‘The Portway Opera’ produced at Bristol Old
In August 1998 art + power registered in England as an Vic in association with Picture This and Welsh National Opera
Industrial and Provident Society No. 28770R and is recognised (1996). 1996 also saw Bristol City Council adopt the social
by the Inland Revenue as charitable for tax purposes, Ref: model of disability and begin actively seeking alternatives to
XR26236 day centre provision. This helped the group to discover their
shared identity and seek greater control of their futures. It
We chose this structure to reflect our co-operative values and to became clear to everyone that the aspirations of the group
safeguard the vision of the founder members. were unlikely to be met by operating within a social services
department and art + power was born.
art + power was launched in April 1997 at Watershed as part of
Bristol’s first disability arts festival (‘High Time’).
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12. The opportunity to create an independent
organisation arrived in 1998 when art +
power was selected as a pilot initiative
for ‘Working Out’ an ESF funded
employment project. This project was the
first major partnership between the four
leading organisations supporting people
with learning difficulties (the National
Development Team, Values Into Action,
the Mental Health Foundation (now the
Foundation for People with Learning
Disabilities), and Scottish Human
Services).
This funding enabled art + power to
move out of the day centre and into St
Werburghs Community Centre where
we hoped to benefit from being placed in
one of Bristol’s most diverse and creative
communities. We also completed our
most ambitious project to date (courtesy
of funding from Arts Council England’s
lottery funds) - The Freedom Project.
The Freedom Project was a major programme of community arts exploring the theme
of freedom through the arts. art + power worked with a number of community groups to
compose poems, which formed the basis for song, sign song, theatre, illustration and
animation. Project highlights included The Freedom Performance involving over 100
artists at The Victoria Rooms and an award-winning animation film ‘This River Winding’.
The whole project was the subject of a series of five arts documentaries screened on
ITV West in 2000. The Freedom Project is a case study in ‘The Power of Art’ an Arts
Council publication celebrating the social impact of the arts in the last decade.
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13. The success of this project meant that art + power was able 2006 brought three big developments for art + power. We
to sever it’s last ties with the Social Services Department and broadened our participant base so we could support anyone
become a key arts provider to Bristol City Council as part of the facing social exclusion (our focus remains on disabled people
council’s portfolio of leading organisations (2001). This was a with learning difficulties); we moved to the creative heart of
remarkable transformation - one day we were being funded to the city at Spike Island (a leading centre for the production
keep people separate from society and the next we were funded and distribution of contemporary arts); and we launched the
because of the contribution these same people could make! Professional Arts Support Scheme (PASS).
PASS was a unique year-long programme for emerging
Despite this instant success the transition from Social Services disabled and socially excluded artists, actors and writers.
to arts has been a long and hard journey. Initially not much Setting up PASS put our work into a context of Continuous
changed, indeed for some there was no change at all - we Professional Development (CPD) and put the creative
inherited the same staffing structure and with it a degree of ambitions of disabled and socially excluded people at the
individual and collective dependency that has been hard to heart of our programme. The programme led to some exciting
shake off. Yet what we were trying to achieve could hardly be performances and exhibitions including ‘’ at Centrespace
more different from the institution we had left. (2007) and ‘TransformARTive’ at Grant Bradley Gallery (2008).
Crucially participants began to take much greater control of our
It has taken us a further eight years to develop our new model of programme.
empowering arts practice. Each step on this journey has taught
us more about the nature of dependence and helped us learn
about how to release the empowering potential of the arts. Along
the way we have also had to unlearn many of our assumptions
about how to work with people in the arts.
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14. 2008 was our 10th anniversary and
we used that opportunity to set up
a thorough review of what we had
achieved to date and where we wanted
to be in the future. We knew we needed
to respond to a changing world and were
determined to find out how we could
share our experience with others across
the country so that more people could
benefit from the transforming power of
art.
We realised that we have learnt a huge
amount over the years about how people
can empower themselves through art.
Yet, despite some extraordinary personal
and collective successes, there was still
more to do to create a fully participative
and empowering programme.We set out
to develop a new model of empowering
practice that was driven by participants
and made the most of this experience. In 2007 the first group of graduates from
art + power’s PASS scheme secured
PASS helped us realise that people funding from Quartet Community
needed the opportunity to develop Foundation to develop their business
the fundamental skills of independent plans. They have since organised
arts practice at their own pace. The their own joint exhibition: ‘Disabling
programme needs to be flexible enough Conclusions’ exhibition at Hengrove Art
to enable people to deal with illness and Gym. Three of the group now sit on
life changes. Although there are many art + power’s Governing Body.
courses to learn technical skills there are (The governing body has twelve
few that help people develop the freedom members in total: 6 participants and 6
to collect ideas, explore the arts world or volunteers, the majority of the board are
develop critical awareness. either disabled or facing social exclusion)
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15. We used the idea of an Imaginary Games Company to explore
IMG_0842.JPG - Google Mail
the arts as a creative journey overcoming barriers and reaching
10/25/08 1:15 PM
key milestones along the wide. Together we mapped out the
landscape of the arts and created our ‘freedom framework’
to help each individual create their own route to achieve their
ambitions. Armed with all this information we worked together to
create a new Personal Arts Support Scheme and a new model
of empowering arts practice.
We now accept that we cannot make change happen to people.
We do not see disabled and socially excluded people as a
problem to be solved but as the solution to social inequality.
The power of art belongs to the artists. Change will only come
through the desire for freedom, participation and creative
expression of those we exclude when coupled with the social
responsibility of those of us who want a more equal, inclusive
and creative culture. art + power’s role in our new model of
empowering arts is to broker those relationships - to make
it easy for everyone to play their part in building creative
community.
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17. This programme has been developed during a period of major
change in the arts and in society at large. The programme has
been developed with these changes in mind. It is an arts project
for a new era.
This plan has been developed as the British and global
economy goes into a period of recession. This is likely to lead
to increased interest in finding creative solutions to social
problems.
Despite the financial pressures, Arts Council England continues
to make some strong statements about the social benefits of
the arts e.g. ‘our central belief is in the transforming power
of the arts’ (ACE); ‘We will invest in campaigns to increase
participation in the arts’ (ACE SW). This commitment is reflected
in high profile projects to increase engagement with the Arts
Council and raise participation in the arts - a key theme to the
recent McMaster report. Also many local governments are now
looking for strategies to increase participation in the arts to help
meet their targets (Ni11).
art + power’s new model of empowering arts practice has been
designed with just these changes in mind. We are keen to share
our local success so that people across the country can enjoy
the transforming power of the arts.
The Campaign for Creativity is based on finding low-cost
creative solutions to social problems whilst ensuring both high
quality standards and value for money. We believe there will
be increasing emphasis on small-scale high-impact events. art
+ power aims to demonstrate just how much can be achieved
by a large number of people each making small contributions
to a common goal - sign up now and see what we can achieve
together.
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19. In particular we are looking for funding to:
• create a city wide pilot project to promote Bristol as a centre of
cultural inclusion
• produce an inclusive newsletter to encourage participation in
the arts
• develop ‘take part in the arts’ game and associated toolkit
to enable participants to engage with the arts and launch their
creative journeys
• develop ‘explorer kits’ and participation packages for are
The campaign for creativity seeks to engage anyone who is venues to enable them to engage with hard to reach
interested in creative approaches to social change. The holistic audiences.
and strategic nature of our plans mean there are significant • produce a fully accessible and inclusive website that will
investment opportunities for people working in any of the enable us to roll the programme out nationally.
following fields: Equalities, Empowerment & Participation;
Education; Employment; Social Enterprise; Health and Social
Care.
art + power is available to:
• provide inclusive, participatory and empowering artistic
opportunities
• share our expertise on participation and engaging hard to
reach audiences and offer support and advice to individual
artists, organisations and policy makers
• create practical packages and toolkits to increase participation
in the arts
• develop programmes to support participation in organisational
governance and participation
• develop services to to help increase participation amongst
people who feel excluded from the arts
• offer workshops, presentations and performances to
encourage and support the use of arts for empowerment
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20. Our Ambitions
1. To develop a nation-wide ‘Campaign for Creativity’ that helps people to work
together to build a more equal, inclusive and creative community.
2. To establish ‘PASS’ as a national programme that helps everyone gain the
freedom to be creative.
3. To achieve a significant increase in the number of disabled and socially
excluded people attending and enjoying the arts.
4. To encourage the development of ground-breaking arts activity, improving the
practice and delivery of inclusive, participatory and empowering arts projects.
5. To develop art + power’s governance so that everyone can participate fully
in the organisation and to encourage inclusion, diversity and participation in the
arts industry.
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21. “Disabled people remain more likely to
live in poverty, to have fewer educational
qualifications, to be out of work and
experience prejudice and abuse. They
routinely find themselves experiencing
poorer services”1. 9 out of 10 people with
a learning difficulty suffer from bullying
and as few as 10% are in jobs2. Disabled
people are twice as likely as non-disabled
people to have no qualifications3.
1 The Campaign for Creativity
Access to art is not a minority issue - it affects everyone and we all benefit from each
improvement. Experience has taught us that increasing participation in the arts is
a complex process that requires a co-ordinated approach from a broad coalition of
partners. Our aim is to take a strategic and holistic approach that engages the whole
community in building creative community.
To do this we have set up ‘The Campaign for Creativity’. This is not a lobbying
campaign to persuade others to act it is a practical demonstration of what can be
achieved when people come together to achieve a common goal.
Everyone is welcome. The campaign aims to facilitate, promote and celebrate
empowering arts activity wherever it takes place.
Every contribution is valued. Everyone who joins gets their own scorecard to record
their achievements and we keep a running total of how many people join and how much
we have all achieved.
The campaign works simply by matching the goals and aspirations of participants with
the support offered by partners.
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22. Participants
All art + power participants are socially excluded and most are
disabled people with learning difficulties – one of Britain’s most
vulnerable groups. They all talented people with a passion for
the arts but need support to realise their creative ambitions.
The campaign for creativity is driven by the creative demands of
participants.
Participants take part by joining PASS – the Personal Arts
Support Scheme.
This personal development programme helps people to gain We can also help partners - and participants - to get the
the freedom to participate fully in the arts. Each participant is maximum value from available funding. For example where
supported to create their own profile on our website identify funding is available for an individual to employ an arts tutor and
their goals and use ‘I’m looking for...’ cards to access the they would be happy to share the experience we can promote
support they need from partners. the opportunity to other participants with similar interest at no
cost.
Partners
We will help partners celebrate their achievements and share
Partners can be anyone who wants to help build a more their learning with each other. We see our role as helping
inclusive and creative community. People can join as individuals everyone to play their part in ending cultural exclusion. For
and as groups to offer money, time or practical support. Partners example, we are also keen to develop a range of packages to
will also be able to develop their own profile and monitor how assist arts venues to increase participation in the arts amongst
much they can achieve. Each individual, group or business can hard-to-reach audiences.
keep their own record card to see how much each individual,
team or organisation has achieved. art + power helps partners art + power: ensuring quality for all
celebrate their achievements and ensures that the support
offered by partners reaches disabled and socially excluded art + power helps to ensure that all contributions are used in the
people. most effective way possible. The Freedom Framework helps us
identify activities for which there is the greatest demand, those
Partners can use art + power to offer opportunities to that will have the maximum impact and those which present
participants, for example exhibition opportunities or arts projects. value for money. Decision making is open and transparent and
art + power can help these opportunities reach the people who information is shared so that everyone can see the value of their
can benefit the most. contribution and how much we can all achieve together.
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23. I am a painter. My paintings take me a long
time. They are hard work. To be an artist you
just have to carry on and remember to wash
your brushes when you have finished.
Jack Mundy, visual artist
24. 2 PASS - The Personal Arts Support Scheme
Participants take part in the Campaign for Creativity by joining PASS.
PASS is a self-directed process of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Each participant chooses
their own route, with support from creative mentors, tutors and staff, for as long as they wish to participate.
PASS acts as a catalyst to people’s own creativity. The programme is developed to enable participants to
become more creative in everything they do – to develop independence, autonomy and participation.
art + power sees freedom as both an aim and a way of making progress - it is like a journey where
each step opens up new possibilities. PASS uses the features of a ‘take part in the arts’ game in which
participants navigate their own course towards empowerment. A ‘Freedom Framework’ `(See appendix)
enables each participant to chart their own personal artistic journey and identify their goals. A range of
‘opportunity’ and ‘challenge’ cards assist participants to overcome barriers on the way. All projects and
activities are designed to support participants to achieve the freedoms they desire.
25. Participants use a ‘Freedom Framework’ to plan their careers through the three stages
of the journey - for aspiring, emerging and practising artists.
Stage Emphasis Key Processes Example Freedoms
ASPIRING ARTISTS Exploring the arts. Using our senses Curiosity
Researching the arts Awareness
Organisisng ideas Art Appreciation
Expression Using notebooks
Creating art
EMERGING ARTISTS Developing artistic Learning craft Demonstrating skills
practise. Sharing Team building
Feedback and criticism Self and Peer
Researching the industry assesment
Developing own style Awareness of
employment issues
Exhibition/performance
PRACTISING ARTISTS Delivering Vocation Project management
empowering arts Employment Governance
projects. Marketing
Finance
Leadership
Participants receive support to identify the freedoms they wish to gain and the support When I first heard of PASS
they need to move forward. We use this information to provide opportunities for and art + power, I had just
partners to get involved. The framework also helps us direct support towards activities
been told that I couldn’t do art
that can have the maximum impact for participants.
at sixth form. That didn’t feel
Participants based in Bristol can also use art + power’s studio at Spike Island which very good for me. I felt great
acts as the creative hub to the Campaign for Creativity’ offering: when I realised I could do it. It
gave me the chance to show
• Hot desks and studio spaces to develop art work
• Computers for research and writing/digital art my work to people other than
• Access to volunteer, creative mentor and staff support teachers.
• Work experience opportunities with art + power Simon Conway, visual artist
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26. Here you can actually get out and do things and
get things done. When I was living at home with my
Mum and Dad, I needed a lot of help. I used to be too
frightened to get on a bus and go anywhere. I used
to walk with a stick. Now, most of the time I can do
whatever I want to do. Last year I went on holiday
for the first time. I am most proud of two things. I am
proud of having my studio and of having my pictures
up in galleries.
Heather Hooper, visual artist
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27. Training Delivery
art + power is not primarily a training agency. We do not wish Working together through art + power gives participants the
to provide services where others are best placed. However we opportunity to achieve things collectively that would be very
will provide specific training where we see a gap. There is a difficult in isolation. This is particularly true of performances
clear need for training to develop independent arts practice. In and exhibitions. We will provide at least one annual showcase
addition we will provide induction courses to assist people in event for all participants to contribute to but it is important
using the tools we provide and a range of flexible training events that our performance and exhibition programme is led by
and workshops to fulfil specific needs requested by participants. participants. We do this by co-ordinating the creative aspirations
of participants with those of partners that wish to host exhibitions
Practice and performances. Partners can use art + power to offer
opportunities to participants and we will broker that relationship,
Participants are supported to develop their own strategies for helping to ensure quality and maximum impact. One example of
creating art. This could be through their own studio space or this is a new ‘art for rent’ service that we are developing with
working with an established group. We don’t wish to create local businesses.
dependence by running regular sessions in our studio. However,
participants can book a hot desk in the studio on a daily basis
or for longer when they have a specific piece of work in mind.
We also provide regular forums for artists, actors and writers to
come together for mutual support and sharing of ideas.
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28. Before I worked with Art+Power I did not fully understand that
Everyone in our community has creative potential and should have
opportunities to explore, grow and express their creative talents and
ideas. I remember the first time I saw a selection of paintings by
Art+Power members and commenting with surprise that they were
‘really really good! And Dave saying ‘yes, I know they are, we just need
everyone to have the chance to see that.’
For me Art+Power is doing an amazing job opening new creative doors
for many people - by offering them access to the support, skills and
tools they need to develop and express their talent - and by ensuring
their art is professionally presented to broader audiences’.
Deborah Harrison
Arts & environment consultant,
SilverLeaf Associates
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29. 3 Participation as audiences
The focus on the first stage of PASS (for aspiring artists) is on exploring - developing
curiosity and imagination and learning how to engage with the world of the arts. For
many disabled and socially excluded people this is indeed a different world with its
own language and social rules. Unfortunately these rules and the way the arts are
presented makes many people feel excluded from the arts. Disabled people are not
alone in this. We can all feel this way at times. Even Melvyn Bragg says that when it
comes to philosophy: ‘I don’t have the codes’ to engage fully.
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30. It is frustrating when others are
passionate about something and you
can’t quite see what the fuss is about.
Participants at art + power have become
so frustrated about their sense of
exclusion that they have made a film
imaging a world in which art is banned.
(‘Condemned to Darkness’ is a powerful
and humorous film that creates a
desolate world in which cultural exclusion
is complete). It must also be frustrating to
be passionate about the arts and not able
to communicate your excitement.
The Campaign for Creativity aims to Resources
bridge this communication gap and
create a dialogue that can unlock the We are developing a wide range of tools to make it easier for disabled and socially
codes to the arts and enable everyone to excluded people to explore the arts. These tools support participants to develop
share in the magic of the arts. their own independence, to remove barriers to access and to give participants the
confidence and skills to engage with art in public settings.
Developing and diversifying audiences
for the arts depends on creating a Regular newsletters will be produced to promote arts events, celebrate empowering
sense of ownership, understanding arts practice and to share ideas about increasing participation and make it easy for
and belonging. Our plans to increase everyone to get involved.
audiences rely on promoting the arts as
a valuable part of all our lives. Creativity, The newsletters will be a central part of a publicity programme promoting cultural
inclusion and diversity are key messages inclusion. In Bristol the 500 bus route passes many central venues (including
for our times. We want the arts to art + power’s base at Spike Island) and would provide an ideal platform for distributing
become central to our identity as a city newsletters and a clear way of identifying the arts as belonging to the public and
and a nation. Effective communication promoting the city as a place where everyone can enjoy the arts.
of this message is essential if we are
to increase the numbers of people that
enjoy the arts.
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