Filed under: comment | Tags: DCMS, England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, UK, volarts, Wales
Tomorrow marks the beginning of Voluntary Arts Week, which provides a unique opportunity to highlight and celebrate the often-neglected riches of the UK’s voluntary arts sector.
Around the UK nearly ten million people belong to voluntary arts groups and regularly take part in the voluntary arts. This includes activities such as singing in a choral society, acting in an amateur theatre group, folk dancing, painting, lace-making, calligraphy, pottery and bell-ringing. Every week millions of people take part in voluntary arts rehearsals, classes and meetings. This activity becomes such a vital part of people’s lives that it can be the main focus of their week: the day-job sometimes seems like a mere distraction from the preparation for our next performance or exhibition.
Participation in voluntary arts groups is, for many people, their main opportunity for social interaction – the place to make friends. It is incredibly difficult to measure the importance of the voluntary arts to its participants but it is clear that it makes a massive contribution to the quality of life, wellbeing, happiness and learning of millions of people across the country.
From 12 to 20 May 2012 Voluntary Arts is promoting the first UK and Ireland Voluntary Arts Week. Voluntary arts groups across the country will be running special events during the week to raise their profile and celebrate their achievements. Groups can add their events to the Voluntary Arts Week website where the full list will be published. We are also encouraging everyone involved in the voluntary arts to promote their activities through the ‘What’s in your Window?’ campaign, showing their skills by creating a crafty window display at home, or in a local community centre, library or charity shop during Voluntary Arts Week.
Please take a look at the Voluntary Arts Week website, take the time to visit some Voluntary Arts Week events, look out for the What’s in your Window? displays, try taking part in a voluntary arts group for the first time or take the opportunity of Voluntary Arts Week to tell people about your own involvement in the voluntary arts.
You can support Voluntary Arts Week in the following ways:
- encourage more voluntary arts groups to register their events at http://www.voluntaryartsweek.org/ (it’s not too late!)
- attend the Voluntary Arts Week 2012 launch event in Falkirk town centre tomorrow: Voluntary Arts Scotland has secured the use of an empty shop unit at 43 High Street, Falkirk. Between 12 pm and 4 pm on Saturday 12 May the doors will open and passers-by will be welcomed into the space where they can try their hand at some of the arts and crafts on offer, watch a performance or two and find out more about the groups running in their area. There is a fantastic range of groups involved, with activities ranging from Floral Art to Martial Arts, and everyone is invited!
- visit some Voluntary Arts Week events – use the events listing at http://www.voluntaryartsweek.org/ to find events near you
- tweet about Voluntary Arts Week using the hashtag #voluntaryartsweek
- take photos of Voluntary Arts Week events and other voluntary arts activities and use the instagram app (free for iphone and Android) to upload them with the hashtag #voluntaryartsweek
- keep an eye on the Voluntary Arts Week blog – go to http://www.voluntaryartsweek.org/ and click ‘News’
- encourage people to display their art or craft skill in a window, take a photo and upload it to the ‘What’s in your Window?’ page at http://www.voluntaryartsweek.org/
- read my guest blog on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport website at: http://blogs.culture.gov.uk/main/2012/05/voluntary_arts_week.html
- join us online at 2 pm on Wednesday 16 May for ‘Voluntary Arts Week LIVE’ – a live video webcast which will feature Voluntary Arts Week highlights and interviews from across the UK and Ireland – go to http://www.voluntaryartsweek.org/ at 2 pm on Wednesday to watch and comment live
Robin Simpson.
Filed under: meetings | Tags: ace, England, excellence, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, UK, volarts, Wales
On Monday evening I was at the Royal Overseas League in London for the Epic Awards Winners’ Reception. Representatives of the four winners of the Epic Awards 2011 – Phizzfest from Dublin, Buddy Beat from Paisley, Third Floor Gallery from Cardiff and Peterborough Male Voice Choir plus the Ireland runners-up, Ballymena Arts Partnership – were presented with their awards by Voluntary Arts President, Lord Luce. We were joined by an audience including representatives of Arts Council England, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Audiences UK, the Theatrical Management Association, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and People’s Voice Media as well as Voluntary Arts staff and Board members. It was a lovely evening: all the winning groups had compelling stories to tell and gave passionate and inspirational speeches. The aim of the Epic Awards is to showcase excellence and innovation in the amateur arts and the 2011 winners are a credit to our sector and proved to be wonderful advocates for Voluntary Arts.
Accepting the England award, Peterborough Male Voice Choir Musical Director Will Prideaux said:
“Voluntary arts organisations transform lives and build stronger communities. I love the stories of friendships created and enthusiasm rediscovered or of depression beaten, horizons broadened or prejudices cast aside; of hope, of trust, of a sense of belonging or simply giving people something to look forward to – the list is endless and endlessly amazing.”
Tina Robinson accepted the Ireland award on behalf of Phizzfest, the Phibsborough Community Arts Festival, and said:
“Our experience to date has shown us the importance of the arts as a community development tool forging links and creating channels of communication within the many diverse groups in our area. Phizzfest is run entirely by volunteers and this award is a huge validation of our efforts and has given us great encouragement to continue with this project.”
Tom Chalmers from Scottish drumming group The Buddy Beat said:
“With the film we want to inspire people to get out there and get involved and if anybody’s got a mental health condition they should never let that hold them back because there’s so much out there that they can participate in – it helps you improve your mental health and your self-worth.”
Wales winners Third Floor Gallery gave a very entertaining speech about their humble beginnings and thanked all the photographers who entrusted their images to the gallery and endorsed their unique way of presenting exhibitions.
Watch Epic Winners 2011: The Movie at http://blog.epicawards.co.uk/2012/02/epic-winners-2011-the-movie/
The Government Culture Ministers in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all sent messages of congratulation to the Epic Award winners:
Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Republic of Ireland Government said:
“Phizzfest is a wonderful example of local volunteers and business interests working in tandem for the benefit of the wider community. The festival was a resounding success with something for people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy. Through art and arts related events new experiences were shared by all the participants.”
Carál Ní Chuilín, Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Northern Ireland Executive:
“In many cases arts begins at grass-roots level and wouldn’t be successful without the support of the many voluntary and amateur arts organisations across the island. Many congratulations to Phizzfest from Dublin, this year’s winners of the Ireland Award, and also to Ballymena Arts Partnership who were runners up and the People’s Champion for Ireland for receiving over 3,500 votes online. These are great examples of arts in the community and are truly deserving of this recognition.”
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Scottish Government:
“Congratulations to Buddy Beat on winning the first Epic Award for groups in Scotland. This is a truly amazing group which demonstrates the power of the arts to change people’s lives for the better. Scotland is a creative nation with a thriving cultural community and our voluntary groups play an important part in that. This project is a worthy winner of an Epic Award in the Year of Creative Scotland 2012.”
Huw Lewis, Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, Welsh Government:
“The work of Voluntary Arts and here in Wales, Voluntary Arts Wales, in supporting and encouraging the voluntary arts sector is fully acknowledged. They are to be commended in bringing forward the Epic Awards to recognise the work and commitment of this sector. Third Floor Gallery is an excellent example of the ingenuity and creativity of the amateur arts in Wales, harnessing the enthusiasm and energy of local volunteers to create excellent opportunities and facilities for the local community. Their innovative way of working in attracting exhibitions of contemporary photography by world renowned photographers, is to be applauded. Here in Wales we have a long tradition of amateur arts and are very proud of their accomplishments. I am therefore delighted to congratulate Third Floor Gallery as the winners of the first Wales Epic Award.”
Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, UK Government:
“It was an honour to attend the first ever Epic Awards last year, and I’m delighted to see the ceremony return, and announce a new raft of winners in 2012. The story of Peterborough Male Voice Choir shows just what a group of committed and dedicated local volunteers can achieve, not only in terms of raising tremendous amounts of money for good causes but also – from what I’ve heard – putting on excellent concerts in the process. I’d like to wish them hearty congratulations on receiving their award. They are another excellent example of the wonderful amateur arts activity that goes on in communities across England all year round, and forms the bedrock of the arts in this country.”
Robin Simpson.
Filed under: meetings | Tags: arts, Europe, Republic of Ireland, vcs, volarts
On Thursday and Friday I have been in Cork for the Creat and Voluntary Arts Ireland Arts and Civil Society Symposium. The event was held at Christchurch, Triskel Arts Centre – a converted church in the heart of Cork City’s shopping area. An audience of artists, arts organisations, academics, students and funders from across Ireland gathered to discuss how arts and culture can be reaffirmed at the heart of civic engagement. I chaired a breakout session looking at Measuring Artistic and Social Impact which was a practical and positive discussion about evaluation. It was particularly interesting to be talking about impact measurement again so soon after our Growing the Grassroots event in London. It was good to hear the debate about civil society and the arts in a Republic of Ireland context and to meet a wide range of people from the Irish arts sector.
Unfortunately the symposium was somewhat overshadowed for many of us by a fire that broke out just after midnight on Thursday at the hotel at which many of the delegates were staying. A large blaze in the car park behind the hotel was extinguished before it spread to the hotel building and thankfully no-one was hurt, but the hotel was filled with smoke and we were not allowed back to our rooms until 4.30 am. It was a difficult and exhausting experience and I felt sorry for the speakers on the symposium agenda on Friday morning who faced a largely shattered and drained audience.
On Friday the Carnegie UK Trust sponsored a challenge debate as part of the symposium which saw speakers from Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Italy, England and Spain discuss ‘Arts, Civil Society and Crisis’. This looked at economic, social and political change across Europe and its impact on arts and civil society.
Robin Simpson.
Filed under: meetings | Tags: Northern Ireland, politics, Republic of Ireland, vcs, volarts, volunteering
On Friday I was at Stormont in Belfast to take part in ‘Living Together Giving Together’ – a Celebration of Volunteering in Sports, Arts and Faith-based Organisations, organised by Voluntary Arts Ireland. This event was the culmination of ‘Another Way In’, Voluntary Arts Ireland’s two-year cross-border project in partnership with the Gaelic Athletic Association, Church of Ireland and City Church Belfast, which was funded jointly by the Northern Ireland Assembly Department for Social Development and the Republic of Ireland Government Department for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs. Opening the event, the Northern Ireland Minister for Social Development, Alex Attwood, said he was sorry that the Republic of Ireland Minister, Pat Carey, was unable to be present because of the general election. Alex Attwood stressed that the project had been jointly funded by the Belfast and Dublin administrations and was working across the border, “bringing organisations from different backgrounds together to demonstrate the wider potential of volunteering”. The Minister commended the work that Voluntary Arts Ireland and the other partner organisations are doing. The keynote speaker, cultural broker Peter Jenkinson, spoke about the need to be “bigger than self” and urged organisations to “make friends with strange people”. He said it is increasingly important to make connections, break down barriers and put people together. Don Sexton, from the Department for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs in Dublin, said there was now “a recognition that the Third Sector is part of the solution” and that “the infrastructure has to be protected”. At the end of the event Maeve Walls, from the Northern Ireland Department for Social Development, announced that “in recognition of the work done, the Minister is encouraging the partner organisations to make an application for funding for another year of this project”. This was excellent news at the end of a great event and what has been a fantastic project. Congratulations to Kevin and Tony for organising the celebration and to Isobel for all her work on ‘Another Way In’. And many thanks to the members of Larne Youth Arts Co-operative who spent the day recording vox pops interviews with many of the delegates (including the Minister) – I look forward to seeing these on the website and Facebook shortly.
Robin Simpson.
Filed under: meetings | Tags: drama, Europe, politics, Republic of Ireland, volarts, volunteering
On Thursday I was at the Volunteering Ireland conference, ‘The Value of Volunteering’, in Dublin where I met John Curran, the Minister of State for the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. I spoke to the Minister about the VAI ‘Another Way In’ cross border volunteering project which his department is co-funding: he was fascinated to hear about the sofa our Project Officer, Isobel Cleary, had placed in the middle of a street in Enniskillen as a platform for artistic performance during our recent Up4Arts day. My short speech to the conference immediately followed the Minister’s opening address and gave me the opportunity to stress the scale and value of volunteering in the voluntary arts in Ireland. I then introduced the wonderful ‘Women Making Waves’ drama group from Fermanagh who performed their sketch about disability and prejudice, ‘Does She Take Sugar’. Their performance was extremely well received and lots of people came to talk to us about it during the coffee break. Many thanks to Eileen Drumm, Carmel Campbell and Liz McCord for helping us to demonstrate the value of voluntary arts participation and to Isobel for organising this. The Minister had spoken about volunteering as being “central to the goals of democracy, social inclusion and active citizenship”. Subsequent speakers, including Eilis Lawlor (from the New Economics Foundation), Elaine Bradley (Chief Executive of Volunteering Ireland) and the independent MEP for North and West Ireland, Marian Harkin, addressed the social, economic and political value of volunteering. There was much discussion of the problems of using gross domestic product as the only measure of a country’s success, the potential use of the Social Return on Investment model, the invaluable contribution of volunteers during the recent floods in Ireland and the opportunities presented by the 2011 European Year of Volunteering and Ireland hosting the 2012 World Volunteer Conference.
Robin Simpson.
Filed under: comment | Tags: Republic of Ireland, UK, volarts
Voluntary Arts Week 2012 has been taking place across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. More than 100 events have been registered on the Voluntary Arts Week website, at http://www.voluntaryartsweek.org. Voluntary Arts Scotland ran a launch event in an empty shop in Falkirk on Saturday. A host of local groups gave visitors the chance to try their hand at activities such as floral art and playing the guitar and drums, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm5KpBYyl6Y. The Voluntary Arts Ireland team visited the Open Source event in Belfast at the weekend, see: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.364938660235835.88872.197806216949081&type=3. The Voluntary Arts England/BBC Radio Merseyside Up for Arts project in Liverpool gave significant on-air coverage to Voluntary Arts Week: Helen Jones broadcast 5 slots on BBC Radio Merseyside to promote Voluntary Arts Week and her Voluntary Arts Week trail has been played 18 times. We also established an Up for Arts choir as part of Voluntary Arts Week. I wrote a guest blog about Voluntary Arts Week which was featured on the official Department for Culture Media and Sport website, see: http://blogs.culture.gov.uk/main/2012/05/voluntary_arts_week.html. Kelly wrote a great article about Voluntary Arts Week which was published on the Guardian website, see: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2012/may/15/voluntary-arts-crafts-week?CMP=twt_gu. There has been extensive discussion of Voluntary Arts Week on Twitter, using the hashtag #voluntaryartsweek. And on Wednesday afternoon I hosted the Voluntary Arts Week LIVE webcast: you can watch the video recording at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WlTdvTdYyo. Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to making Voluntary Arts Week 2012 such a success.
Robin Simpson.