Arts and Health Newsletter - April 2021
This month we have a huge range of exciting events and opportunities to share, and with spring just around the corner, lockdowns slowly easing and daylight savings bringing up brighter days, it really does feel like the world is opening up with opportunity.
Take a look below at some of the brilliant stuff happening in April..
News
- Centre for Cultural Value Launches New Podcast: 'Reflecting Value'
Reflecting Value podcast includes a series of reflective discussions with guests working in the culture, health and wellbeing field. The first episode explores the ways in which the cultural sector is conveying its value to the health and social care sector. Guest include Veronica Franklin-Gould, Mike Chitty, Sue Pavitt and Shamalia Anwar.
Reflecting Value is a podcast that asks the big questions relating to cultural value in a reflective space. Hosted by Dr Robyn Dowlen, it shares the successes and challenges of communicating cultural value, bringing together a range of thought-provoking contributors for discussion and reflection.
The first series launches with four episodes that focus on themes emerging from our research into culture, health and wellbeing.
- Tickets for the Culture, Health and Wellbeing 2021 International Conference are now on sale!
The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance national conference will be held online across 3 days, 21-23 April 2021, ending with the celebratory CHWA 2021 Awards Gathering. The core theme of care includes caring for each other, caring for the environment and caring economies. The conference will be delving into conversations about the big topics that have been amplified by Covid-19, including practitioner support and grappling with the sector’s role in challenging health inequalities, reflecting on how we can work more collaboratively and more intersectionally to address the multiple emergencies we face; a global health pandemic, the climate and ecological emergency, and rising inequality.
Events
- Fleet Arts
Fleet Arts in Belper has continued to offer a range of arts and health activities to communities and professionals, including Go with the Flo workshops for NHS staff, Staying Inn online open mic events, and Derwent Delights which includes live streaming video drones with teenagers, poetry zooms and textile video tutorials. Check out their Facebook Page or website for more details.
- This Girl Codes - Data Selfie Workshop
Junction Arts have launched their brilliant new 'This Girl Codes' project, with some exciting online workshops and events coming up in March and April that you can join in for free! These are open to all genders, ages and abilities.
This Girl Codes has developed a playful, participatory workshop to get you thinking about your data and how you can be creative with it.
Join in the family data selfie workshop on Wednesday 7th April, where you will hand-draw a self-portrait which captures you as a whole and builds up a picture through answering questions such as “are you morning lark or night owl?”
- Age of Creativity Festival
The Age of Creativity Festival is still going ahead this year, but with a slightly different orientation. Taking place on 1st - 31st May 2021, this year’s festival is all about events and activities for, with and by older people. Have a look at their redesigned website which accommodates both on-line events and downloadable activities for people who are not tech savvy.
If you have an event/s taking place in May please enter the details on the Age of Creativity website. These may well be activities which just happen to be in May as well as ones specially created for the festival. They welcome all content particularly content that reaches out to our diverse community.
- Chesterfield Together Online
Share your talents on a virtual stage - Chesterfield residents are being invited to share their talents in a virtual talent show called Chesterfield 2Gether. Whilst it still isn’t possible to hold a live performance in the theatres, the aim is to bring a variety show by local people for local people right into their homes. The final video will showcase as much local talent as possible.
Singers, musicians, actors, rappers, dancers, magicians, puppeteers, artists, sculptors, gymnasts, storytellers, jugglers, skateboarders, footballers, whistlers, animators and anyone else is welcome to submit entries to the competition. The aim is to show as many different talents from across the borough as possible.
The variety show is open to all ages and all talents are welcome, but submissions should be family friendly. Videos must be a maximum of five minutes long, but images and audio files are also welcome. Please send the finished performance to me by email at wendy.blunt@chesterfield.gov.uk
- Creative Bridges International Conference 2021
This two-day conference, brought to you by Lapidus International offers a host of inspirational speakers and presenters. Bringing together both theory and practice of writing for wellbeing, whilst exploring and expanding ideas with experiential workshops.
Lapidus International brings together the varied experiences of researchers, practitioners and participants to explore and expand the diversity of Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes (CWTP) and writing for wellbeing, drawing from a range of disciplines (literature, counselling & psychotherapy, neuropsychology, medicine, emotional geography, socio-spiritual approaches and more). Creative Bridges will showcase relevant research and practice, assess the current picture of the international field and find inspiring and robust ways to bring CWTP research and practice to our diverse communities across the globe.
- Spring Wellbeing Activity packs
The Connection Space CIC have developed a set of Spring Wellbeing Activity Packs and Supported Volunteering Opportunities at The Wild Thyme Garden, Matlock. Both of these form part of the wider Connecting Communities Project, funded via the Derbyshire Dales Social Connectedness Fund, therefore all activities/opportunities within the Connecting Communities Project are free for people living in the Derbyshire Dales.
Please support people who may be isolated or lonely to access the services provided by The Connection Space and share the information with colleagues and other organisations.
Volunteering opportunities at The Wild Thyme Garden are dependent on current COVID 19 Government Guidance and may be subject to change. The first session is being tentatively plannied for mid April. The garden is on the corner of Wellington Street and Cavendish Rd, Matlock.
- Only the Lonely? Exhibition of photography by Tony Fisher
Peak District Mining Museum, Matlock Bath.
11am-4pm Everyday | FREE Admission
Training and Opportunities
- Events Programmer - Derby Museums
Derby Museums is looking for an energetic and motivated Events Programmer to lead the development of public events across the three Derby Museums’ sites that engage a wide range of audiences and partners.
Do you thrive on delivering exceptional events? Are you excited about working with communities and partners to develop exciting and engaging programmes? Are you a highly organised people person? If this sounds like you, then you may be just the person they are looking for.
- Paid development opportunity for Staffordshire-based ceramicist
British Ceramics Biennial (BCB) and Stoke Recovery Service (SRS) are looking for a Staffordshire-based ceramicist to support ReCast – a project combining creativity, addiction recovery and clay.
- Chesterfield in Lockdown Exhibition
An opportunity for anyone to submit creative responses to the theme of Chesterfield in Lockdown for an exhibition at Chesterfield Museum.
Discover how you can get involved in the Chesterfield in Lockdown' Museum Exhibition.
We are also looking to create a textile artwork which reflects what lockdown meant to us and our community and we would love you to be involved.
Learn more about this unique opportunity to become part of our ‘Chesterfield in Lockdown’ Community Textile Artwork.
If you have any questions or queries about this project please email museum.collections@chesterfield.gov.uk or rachel.fannen@chesterfield.gov.uk or call 01246 936225.
- Call Out for Artists: Project eARTh for projects September 2021 onwards
High Peak Community Arts are looking for freelance artists to send in project ideas for Project eARTh, its program for adults experiencing mental distress.
Project eARTh usually holds 2 groups per week, one in New Mills and one in Buxton. During the past year, they have instead used postal and home delivery arts kits, but are looking forward to face-to-face work in the near future. When this happens, they envisage still working in smaller groups (half of each group on alternate weeks) whilst covid restrictions necessitate.
We encourage and welcome applications to broaden the diversity of their pool of freelance artists, to include artists from different cultural backgrounds, disabled artists, or those with lived experience of mental ill health. Please get in touch with High Peak Commuity Arts to discuss any adjustments which would help you carry out this work.
Find the full application pack, Click Here.
Deadline: 9th May 2021.
- RSPH launches Health & Wellbeing Awards
The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has opened the nomination process for its annual Health & Wellbeing Awards. The awards include a category for Arts & Health, to recognise organisations whose work has furthered the contribution of the creative arts to health and wellbeing. The awards aim to promote and celebrate health and wellbeing by raising awareness of the way public health programmes, charities, and businesses have supported the health of their communities and staff over the past year. They are free to enter to organisations based in the UK and anyone nominated will receive two tickets to the ceremony taking place in London in October 2021.
Deadline for entries Thursday 22nd April, 5pm
Click Here for more information.
Funding
- Grants for Organisations Supporting Children and Young People
BBC Children in Need is offering support through its main grants (£10,001 to £40,000) and small grants (under £10,000) programmes. Grants are available for up to three years to organisations supporting children and young people aged 18 and under. Deadline: 12th April 2021.
Click Here for more information.
- Funding for Activities to Improve the Lives of the Elderly
The Home Instead Bring Joy Foundation makes donations to charities, small grassroots organisations, and other not-for-profit groups that can demonstrate their commitment to creating activities designed to improve the lives of the elderly across the UK.
Small grassroots organisations can apply for funding up to £500 and small local registered charities can apply for funding of up to £1,500. Larger grants can be considered for exceptional projects. The funding is available for events, activities or pastimes that prevent social isolation and loneliness amongst adults over the age of 55 years.