FOR THE MANY NOT THE FEW

by Tracy Shaw, Loca Creatives Director


Words by Jennie Lee et al, Cloud by WordItOut



 

Debate about the value of arts and culture and the importance of creativity in our lives, and for Britain, seems hotter this month than I can ever remember it being. February has seen the publication of the Warwick Commission report on Cultural Value, the launch of BBC's Get Creative campaign with stirring words from Deborah Bull on why creativity matters, a Radio 4 Front Row special on whether artists are owed a living, a report on the relationship between arts engagement and health from Manchester Metropolitan University, and Ed Miliband's Arts for All speech courtesy of the new Creative Industries Federation. A multitude of voices have been championing the vital role of arts in education ever more loudly, with artist Bob & Roberta Smith going all out to make it an election issue in Surrey Heath (and all power to him). Talking of the election, Fin Kennedy is doing his bit with Operation Mobilise and urging us to do ours - and we really should. I pledge that I will, here and now.

 

It's inspiring, thought-provoking, uplifting, validating stuff - but still, despite the discussion being hard to avoid over the past few weeks, I've had a nagging question. Is there really a public debate going on, or is it one that's just confined to the few (those who work in the arts, teach them passionately in schools, read long reports, follow Twitter conversations, listen to Radio 4...)? Which is why, for me, one thing has stood out above  all the noise - the call from Devoted and Disgruntled and Stella Duffy for us all to do something very public and attention-grabbing today - the 50th Anniversary of Jennie Lee's A Policy for the Arts White Paper (the only arts policy White Paper there's been, so I gather).  Coincidentally, it's 70 days to the election too.

 

In Stella's words: "sing, dance, declaim, rant, rave, pout, protest, applaud, evoke, annoy, effect, affect, acknowledge the dreams of fifty years ago.  And how much is still to do to make real the possibilities of fifty years ago. The hopes of arts for all, arts funding beyond London, arts in all schools, arts as a human need...Get the country together to demand a government that cares about ALL people having access to ALL arts." 

 

It's a call to really make a noise out there, to make a fuss and make the debate truly public - one engaged with by the many, not just the few - wherever you're working and whoever you're working with.  Do it, if not today then one day soon. Let's face it, if those of us teaching in the arts, working in the 'participatory arts' (or whatever label you like to choose) and performing in front of audiences can't get people talking about the value of arts and creativity in their lives, who the heck can?

 

So here are the tools, generously provided through the efforts of a small bunch of smart-thinking, committed and discontented people. There's a link to a document here - extracts from the original White Paper interspersed with contemporary facts, quotes and views which Devoted and Disgruntled are inviting us to use as a score, script or other basis for doing something - without limitations. Plus links to a Facebook group and googledoc where you can shout about what you've done, and a Twitter hashtag #ArtsPolicy50.

 

We'll be looking for ways of doing our bit, with thanks to D&D and Stella (and everyone else who's provoking debate and taking action) for the inspiration.  How about you?

 

 

IT TAKES TWO TO TANDEM

Just about a year ago we had a guest post from Phil Wood following his stint as provocateur at a Rotterdam gathering of community artists as part of TANDEM.  TANDEM is an exchange programme matching cultural organisations, and the people who work for them, with others across Europe and the World in order to build long-lasting international partnerships.  Now Millie Watkins of NYMAZ - delighted to have been shortlisted for a more recent round of TANDEM and eager to share the experience - writes from a participant's perspective.  Big thanks to NYMAZ for letting us publish Millie's piece.

Photo: Guido Bosua/tandemexchange.eu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The First Date
I was invited to participate in a Partner Forum, a five-day event in Rotterdam that was just the start of a wider scheme called Tandem Community & Participation. The programme aims to nurture partnerships between pairs of “cultural managers” from the Netherlands and its three neighbouring countries. I would be representing NYMAZ, among 31 other managers from the community and voluntary arts sectors. By the end of the five days, most of us would be in pairs coming up with collaborative project proposals in order to apply to the main phase of the programme – with the chance of making our projects reality.  Here's what happened next...

We were asked to prepare a ‘Pecha Kucha’ presentation – five slides, with one image and only 30 seconds to speak per slide. This was one way we could all immediately get to know a little about each other.  It was a tough task - not only to condense my own story into two-and-a-half minutes, but to take everybody else’s in!  Each individual had so much passion and pride in their work, but after twenty-or-so short bursts of inspiration, and two hours in, it was hard to keep track of how many times I’d thought to myself “I’d love to find out more about that…”

Where Do You Stand?
One of the most interesting things about the experience for me was the heated discussions taking place around every corner, and the TANDEM team had no doubt programmed the event in such a way as to encourage this. Is your community arts practice ‘digestive’ (concerned with enhancing social integration and cohesion)?  Or auto-relational (ultimately serving the purpose of the artist)?  People I spoke to identified with a number of different points on this ‘map’ of community arts, the above points being two of many.

What does ‘community arts’ even mean?  I met somebody who felt that community arts was a “cute, safe” kind of community engagement that does not add to nor take away from society, but is a way for the state to keep the people happy.  Others saw community arts as having the potential to amplify the voice of the people.  Some thought community arts was no place for professional artists, whereas I felt passionate that quality arts practice must be at its heart. 

Each debate that I took part in brought me closer to understanding my own motivations, and these were the moments that made the TANDEM experience not just about international partnerships, but about personal development, too.

Tying the Knot
Ultimately, the purpose of the Partner Forum was for each of us to find a Tandem partner. The whole event was chock-a-block with opportunities to discover common ground and forge ties. Speed dating, a grown-up musical chairs where two minutes per person was just long enough to gather a job title, a main art form and a wacky idea. A cookery lesson and a number of (delicious) dinners cooked for us, allowing us the space to think and talk about our interests and ambitions. 'Appreciative questioning and witnessing’, encouraging us to open up to listening ears, reflect on what we do well, and be inspired by each other’s success stories. All of these activities provided opportunities for us to make connections, which might later become Tandems.

There was a small catch. Some of the group, including myself, had found a partner before even arriving. I’d been in touch with Anouk Diepenbroek, the Head of Education at a contemporary concert venue in Amsterdam called Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, and we’d already thrown some ideas around for a joint project involving their unique education project, the ‘Sound Playground’ installations, and some of the accessible tools used by NYMAZ’s partners with young people with special educational needs and disabilities.  We both felt that our organisations could learn from each other’s different strengths. And by the fourth day we announced our engagement, ‘tied the knot’, and we were a Tandem.

Side Effects
After nearly a week of deep thought and ambitious planning, we were all knackered.  We’d seen so much, heard so much, connected so much that our brains were hurting!  But we’d made it to the end with plans to move forward, and I don’t think at the outset many of the Tandems could have predicted the collaborative project idea they would be running with by the end. 

Our project proposal, a Music Leader Exchange for community musicians in North Yorkshire and Amsterdam, was not one of the final seven to make it through to the main phase of the Tandem Community & Participation programme. But we won’t forget that one of the recurring themes of the week was ‘side effects’, or unexpected outcomes. Our Tandem partners were not the only new connections we made during the five days, nor were our final project proposals the only ambitious ideas conceived that week, and the whole TANDEM concept has opened up NYMAZ's horizons to the potential of international collaboration.   But sometimes, the best ideas come when you’re least expecting them.

 

2014 IN PICTURES

In time-honoured fashion we thought we'd wrap up the year with a glance back at some of the highlights. Thanks to everyone who's helped fill 2014 with inspiring creativity and magical moments, and in particular to the artists who've delivered this year's work with huge skill and care - the name-checks come nowhere close to giving you the credit you're due.

January: Arts skills training with staff at Kirkheaton Primary. Back
in class teachers applied their newly acquired techniques and ideas
to the term's Outer Space topic, supported by Fiona Goodwin.



February: Mill Lane Primary's Families project gets into its stride.
For six months, every Wednesday, James Allott and Christina
Holdsworth created a space that hummed with conversations,
laughter, pride, and kids and parents enjoying learning together.

March: The launch of Cornerstones on Poppy Road in St Mary's,
Oldham. Thanks Impossible Theatre for getting things off to an
attention-grabbing and memorable start with LightWeight.

April: East Island detail - part of the 'archipelago' created by Year 4
at Pinders Primary during a project focused on developing team-
work and social skills. North, South, East & West groups designed
their imaginary islands under the expert guidance of Mary Robson.



 



May: Cornerstones workshops on a Maps and Symbols theme got
into full swing. Lucy Bergman's sculptural bookmaking was just one
of many activities with St Mary's residents over the summer.

June: A proud moment for these parents, showing children and staff
their ideas for artworks for the Early Years Unit entrance at Christ
Church Academy. Bronwyn Morris and Jan Yates later turned the
designs into permanent pieces for fencing, walls and windows.



July: Luggage for Life transition projects wrapped up in three
Wakefield primaries.  Supporting 'vulnerable' Year 6 children to
cope well with change is the focus of our Risk and Resilience work
for the Council's Public Health team, led by Mary Robson. 










August: A privilege once again to co-ordinate the Change Project
in Batley, on behalf of Mosaic Community Arts and the Batley &
Birstall Schools Partnership. This year's exhibition definitely the
best yet - as we say every year!

September: A project to support secondary school students who
had recently experienced close bereavement created a safe space
for conversations, ably facilitated by Incy Wood and Sarah Jackson.

October: The Cornerstones finale. Fantastic to bring nine months'
hard work by Adam Strickson, Dan Jones and Lucy Bergman to a
close with an evening of celebration, procession and performance,
and to see the five newly installed carved boulders - beautifully lit
by Impossible Theatre - being appreciated and enjoyed.

 

November: New Social & Emotional Health projects underway in
Wakefield, focused on confidence-building and preparing for
transition. Conversations about Friendship, and other activities to
develop a shared emotional vocabulary, are an important part of 
the ground-laying work in the early sessions.

December: Such concentration and focus! Starting with mark-
making experiments, Year 8 and 9 students at Salendine Nook High
got totally engrossed in developing their self-portraits and achieved
great results in a few short sessions, thanks to careful, caring work
on self-identity and self-esteem done by Incy W and Sarah J.

 

FULL CIRCLE

We're delighted to have another guest post from our travelling associate Lesley Fallais. Last time she wrote about how arts and culture are leading Vardo's regeneration in Norway.  This time it's the quality of creative education in Scandinavian museum/gallery settings that's inspired her - not least because it took her back to where and why her own work started.  Lesley's original post with more photos from Birk Centre Park is here.

Families' artwork at HEART - charcoal, wire and tissue paper   Photo: Lesley Fallais

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of my four-month trip to Scandinavia I can look back on a journey filled with spectacular and inspiring experiences. In particular I will remember the many occasions on which I've been impressed and inspired by the way that culture, community, art and design seem central to public life, especially in Denmark.

 

In the last few days of my trip I visited Birk Centre Park in Herning, Jutland. As the publicity says, “Birk Centre Park is known internationally as a unique area where art, architecture, landscape, education and business interact in an exciting way. In the 60’s the textile industry in the area developed rapidly, key companies founded a new creative way of thinking by merging their industries with art and education. The architecture of the factories inside and outside made art and culture a natural part of the workers' everyday life.”

 

On this campus style site today, Modernist buildings that were once textile factories house students of TEKO, Scandinavia’s biggest Design and Business School for Fashion and Lifestyle. The Innovatorium places entrepreneurs alongside business support teams and this contemporary building is part of a larger, stylish business park. Other key elements in this creative mix are HEART - Herning's museum of contemporary art - and The Carl-Henning Pedersen and Else Alfelt’s Museum (founder members of the international COBRA art group in 1948). The University of Herning has more than 3000 students on the site studying business and engineering subjects. The site is full of green spaces, it has a sculpture park and the biggest public art sculpture in Northern Europe - the gigantic Elia, designed by award winning Swedish-Danish artist Ingvar Cronhammer.

 

One of the most striking things about the museums and art galleries I've visited in Scandinavia has been that they almost all have really impressive education spaces - creative learning is clearly valued and well provided for, is a core part of the offer, not an add-on. This is nowhere more true than at Birk. Visitors of all ages are involved in creative projects, young people can join ‘COBRA Junior’ and there is free access for children under 18 years of age. HEART museum runs a creative programme involving 20 local schools, each partner recognising that "Art can be a catalyst for learning".

 

I watched a group of parents and children with education staff at HEART and was forcefully reminded how powerful this type of work can be when it is well facilitated and well resourced. The group were looking at the work of Svend Wiig Hansen, a heavy weight of the Scandinavian art world (1922-1997). His work is expressive, abstract and challenging - “innumerable human bodies driven by the forces of nature”. I have no idea what the teacher was saying to the group but they looked transfixed. They eventually disappeared into the education room and re-emerged later for a public viewing of their art work. I was really struck by its quality - what the group had achieved in a short time was simply stunning.

 

It took me back, as my career began in museum education. I believed then, and still do, that art and culture are unique catalysts with the power to deeply engage people of all ages in learning and decision making. In all my work over the 25 years since - which have taken me far away from museum/gallery education into urban regeneration, community engagement, public art and public realm design - I've remained convinced of that 'truth', have sought to always apply it in my projects, and have been an advocate for it at every opportunity. In those few moments at HEART, witnessing the skilfulness with which those parents and children were taken through a creative learning process, the quality of what they produced, their absorption and the pleasure they took from the experience, it was a joy to be reminded of where and why my own work started.



FIVE TIMES, FIVE STONES

by Tracy Shaw, Loca Creatives Director

Photo: Porl Medlock

The work we've been doing for the past eight months in St Mary's, Oldham, has just come to a colourful crescendo (amazingly - it hardly seems a moment since we were poised at the beginning).  Last week five beautifully carved stones arrived on a very big trailer in the middle of a very small housing estate and were carefully craned into position. Placed in an arc they form a 'timeline' depicting five key periods in St Mary's history, and tell the story of how the piece of land they are sited on has evolved from wild, scrubby moorland into a place of new homes and new connections. They are arranged so as to create an area which can be used as a seating and social space. It's been a delight over the last few days to see them being sat on, stood on, played around, closely peered at and excitedly talked about.

On Sunday we celebrated with a magical event and a ceremonial unwrapping, inviting residents and guests to "come on a journey through stories of St Mary's told in a performance, songs, a film and five carved stones" - all components made through our work with and in the local community over the last few months .  The indoor performance and outdoor film screening brought the carvings to life and gave them added depth, ensuring that people will remember the stories told on the stones and will pass them on. By the time we and our many helpers packed up to make our weary way home there was a sense that the passing on is already beginning to happen, and that the stones already belong on Poppy Road.

See Sunday's event in pictures here.

There's still more work to be done and ends to tie up, but it seems a timely moment to say a big thanks to the Cornerstones team (Adam Strickson, Dan Jones, Lucy Bergman) for their fantastic work; to Contour Homes for the opportunity; and to St Mary's residents for welcoming us, working with us and celebrating with us. It's been a delight.

THE END IS JUST THE BEGINNING

by Tracy Shaw, Loca Creatives Director



Invitation to a drop-in session    Boulder design - Dan Jones    Graphic design - Lucy Bergman





 

 

Back in March we were just getting Cornerstones onto the starting blocks in St Mary's, Oldham, with a mixture of anticipation and slight trepidation. The anticipation was about the creative challenges and opportunities lying ahead of us, a multi-disciplinary team of four, as we set out to respond to a community engagement brief requiring carved stone seating, performance and film outputs - a big ask in relation to budget and timescales but exciting stuff to get our teeth into, with loads of potential.  The trepidation was about setting foot as strangers in a community that hadn't invited us to be there (the commissioning organisation had), wouldn't necessarily want to play ball, and didn't have in place most of the structures and resources that you  usually look to plug into when embarking on a new project.

 

How time flies when you're out in the field having fun. We're now cantering towards endings - installation of seating, 'grand finale' event with performance and film, and a sense of a job well done, not always in easy circumstances.  But really, truth be told, we're only now arriving at the beginning - the beginning of what could be, in a community that is just starting to be ready for a project like this.  With relationships established, supporters enlisted, local knowledge gained, connections made, conversations started, stories uncovered, and many activities run that have got people involved across age differences, cultural differences and language barriers (and some that haven't - you live and learn) where we have arrived now is a very good place to start.  

 

Standing here, looking towards the ending, with most of the practical essentials for next month's finale in place and all outputs soon to be ticked off, the excitement and reward come not from knowing what's been done but from the sense of where things could go next, if the seeds we've sown around this green space in the middle of this newly forming community are enabled to sprout and grow.  We're looking forward to getting the beautiful carved boulders installed and so creating a sculptural 'timeline' that depicts the story of the place from its early, green, Wild time (design above) up to its present-day Connection time.  We can't wait to see how people respond to the performance piece that is being made from the material we've gathered about the place they call home, and to the film that will turn Poppy Road for a few minutes into an outdoor cinema and hopefully give residents ideas for future events that could be held in the space. But most of all we're itching to have the conversations about where things can go from here and how people might continue working together - creatively and otherwise - to build on the starting points that are now in place.  You might call them cornerstones, even.

RESTORING VARDO

Our associate Lesley Fallais is off on her travels, topping up her creative batteries and her enthusiasm for culture-led regeneration as she goes. In Scandinavia she's been finding out about Norway's National Tourist Routes - 18 scenic routes designated by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration for their picturesque scenery and tourist-friendly infrastructure and incorporating architecture, design and art.  Many thanks to Lesley for this guest post, based on a post for her own blog about a recent trip on the Varanger Route to Vardo, where she was struck by the way in which a strong investment in art and culture is right at the centre of a town's regeneration, and spotted parallels with her own work. Read Lesley's original post - with more detail on the Steilneset Monument - here.
 

Photo: Lesley Fallais

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On an overcast and gloomy Sunday evening in Norway's easternmost town, Vardo, I arrived at the Steilneset Monument - a stunning and highly atmospheric art and architecture collaboration which commemorates 91 local people who were accused of witchcraft and sentenced to burn at the stake. It was jointly commissioned by the town of Vardo, the Varanger Museum and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, and was developed in association with the National Tourist Routes in Norway programme. 

The Memorial is the work of artist Louise Bourgeois and the architecture atelier of  Peter Zumthor and partners, and comprises two separate buildings. One is an installation by Zumthor, a 125m-long wooden structure framing a fabric cocoon which contains a narrow walkway,1.5m wide, lined with small windows, one for each victim of the witch hunts. The second adjacent structure is a square, black glass room containing the work of Louise Bourgeois who died in 2010 (the project was commissioned in 2006 and opened in 2011 so, The Damned, The Possessed and The Beloved was her last major installation). As described on Wikipedia “This room contains a central chair on which an eternal flame burns, the fire is reflected in seven large oval mirrors, placed on metal columns in a ring around the seat, like judges circling the condemned”.

 

The site, on the edge of the ocean, was striking on a cold and grey evening. The wind was blowing and intensified the sound of the burning flame, certainly theatrical. The scale and robust feel of the black glass room is impressive, the central fire reflected around the walls through which you can see the Barents Sea. The adjacent timber and canvas corridor (reminiscent of nearby fish drying racks) is a total emotional surprise. You enter via a ramp to face a black wall, your eyes adjusting to the dark interior, then turn to face the narrow walkway where 91 dim light bulbs hang beside 91 small square windows. Next to each window hangs a text-filled banner, one for each victim of the witch hunts which took place in Vardo in the 1620s - towards the end of the period that saw persecution of ‘witches’ all over Europe - in which 135 ‘witches’ were accused and 91 burned alive at the stake.

“The Steilneset Monument emphasises what is individual for every person who was executed. Each woman and man is named and correct historical information about these persons was made available to the project team.”(Varanger Museum Guidebook – Memorial to the Witches burned in Finnmark).

Since visiting Vardo I have done a bit of research to find out more about the town's regeneration project and its arts and cultural element. As this is my ‘line of work’, I could see that successful things were happening and I also spotted parallels with one of my more recent commissions in Fleetwood (Wyre MBC), where Sea Change funding partly enabled the building of The Rossall Point Marine Observatory (Studio Three Architects, Liverpool) and the partial restoration of Marine Hall Gardens (BCA Landscape, Liverpool).

During the 1980’s the collapse of the fishing industry and the downsizing of the public sector led to Vardo's decline. In the period 1980 – 2000 its population halved due to unemployment and there was a general exodus due to pessimism, leading to the decay of buildings and infrastructure. Morale was low and the town had a poor reputation. The regeneration of the town is ongoing through a partnership which includes local people, Vardo Restored and the Norwegian Cultural Heritage Fund. The Vardo Restored website gives loads of interesting detail on the initiative and shows examples of completed and future projects. 

Community involvement, heritage, art, architecture and culture are at the centre of what is happening. Many buildings in Vardo have been restored, including key historic buildings whose restoration has been enabled by financial support from the Norwegian Cultural Heritage Fund. Those awaiting repair have become sites for temporary artworks (in 2012, Vardo hosted the Komafest urban art event, where over a three-week period twelve international artists painted tens of abandoned houses). Cultural life is currently flourishing, there is a reported feeling of optimism and well being. Tourism is increasing, there are new jobs and new infrastructure (school, leisure and cultural centres). Vardo has a development strategy and early restoration and regeneration successes have inspired local people. As a result, civic and community pride are being rejuvenated.

Reflecting on my findings, the significance of art and culture being a major part of the whole regeneration package really struck me. Funding for art and cultural heritage initiatives is stimulating the reclamation and restoration of neglected properties and that is generating pride and optimism, creating relationships and momentum. Big art projects such as the Steilneset Monument bring attention, create landmarks, and I guess inspire a feeling locally that the place is really worth something, nationally and internationally. Visible signs of government investing in new infrastructure - a new leisure centre, repairs to the dock, for example - are fuelling the optimism further. At the heart of it is local people talking to each other, sharing capacity and making grass roots things happen, celebrating their history and culture.

I’m very pleased that some random elements brought me here to this remote peninsula, and was delighted to get a reply to my blog post from Vardo Restored inviting me to come back for food, chat and a tour around the town. And I'm very much looking forward to exploring some of the other projects on the National Tourist Routes.