Artswork - The December Snapshot
Artwork's Creative Christmas Fundraiser:
Artswork is fundraising this Christmas to bring joy and creativity to children in Southampton, Portsmouth, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Many of us are looking forward to a Christmas full of giving, family and fun, but this year, perhaps more than any other, could be a tough time for families, and even more so for those children, living in challenging circumstances.
We are asking for dontations to help a child have a brighter Christmas, by giving to Artswork’s Creative Christmas fundraiser. £20 creates a Creative Christmas box full of arts and craft supplies, along with creative ideas to make and inspire.
Every pound given goes into making a Creative Christmas gift box which will be distributed by volunteers through foodbanks and community organisations in Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight.
This year, our Artsmark Celebration events took a slightly different direction from the originally planned events due to Covid-19. Nevertheless, we were able to continue to highlight the incredible work being carried out by Artsmark settings across the South East.
“Thanks for inviting Holy Cross to your online celebration events. Year 5 and 6 had such fun and they still talk about it now. We have passed on the lesson plans and resources to the other classes so hopefully they can all have a go too!” – Charlotte Travers, Holy Cross CE Primary School
Along with a set of video tutorials each attendee also received an exclusive resource booklet, containing tips and tricks, and lesson plans, to allow them to deliver the workshops within their setting.
As part of our Arun Inspires programme of cultural investment for children and young people in the District of Arun, we are pleased to announce our new small grants scheme to support creative projects for vulnerable children locally.
Creative Return will offer grants from £1000 – £5000, and local groups working with vulnerable children and young people are invited to apply for funding to support new creative projects that respond to these experiences. The funding hopes to support projects running in the first half of 2021 to use creativity to respond to defined needs, supporting the wellbeing of vulnerable local children, and giving them the chance to experience quality artistic experiences and for organisations to try out new ways of working with artists. Projects may be in person or virtual.
Artswork are looking to commission a local artist to produce a short video, outlining the barriers to the arts young people are currently facing.
The video is for a project, exploring what the students hope a post-lockdown creative and cultural world will look like, run by Artswork's two Creative Apprentices. The aim of the project is for the students to express and show what their hopes are, in an artistic format. These responses will then be displayed in an online gallery.
The video will need to inspire the students to think of their hopes for a post-lockdown creative world, and describe and show ways in which they can respond to it using their creative talent. A fee of up to £500 is available.
Each year Trinity College London and Voice Magazine celebrate some of the many young people who achieve Trinity's music, drama and Arts Award qualifications.
In 2020 young people have faced additional unique challenges, but many have used their creativity and determination to tackle them head on.
Teachers, parents and peers can nominate young people aged 13-25 before 18 December who have achieved Trinity qualifications during 2020 and have demonstrated: ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT, CREATIVE FLAIR, PROGRESS or LEADERSHIP. There is also a special category for Arts Award alumni, to celebrate 15 years of Arts Award.
A series of portraits of school leavers dressed for proms that never took place because of the coronavirus pandemic has won a £15,000 prize for photography.
The judges of this year's Taylor Wessing Prize felt Alys Tomlinson's Lost Summer "spoke to the events of 2020... without being heavy handed."
London-based Tomlinson said she wanted to show her subjects' "vulnerability, sadness [and] resilience".
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch), in partnership with King’s College London, opens submissions for a new award that celebrates the civic role of arts organisations in society.
Offering one award of £100,000 and two of £25,000, the Award for Civic Arts Organisations aims to shine a spotlight on the vital role that arts organisations play in society.
The world has changed rapidly in the last year. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought devastation, but also a reset in how we live our lives and how communities operate. And as we emerge, it is arts organisations that will help us shape the future: culture, creativity and the arts are the basis through which we tell stories of our past, our present and our future, enabling us to realise what it means to be fully human, individually and collectively.
The #HereForCulture campaign has been shining a spotlight on the huge range of arts and cultural experiences that can be experienced digitally and safely from home.
Their site contains a range of digital resources from partners including Arts Council England, English Heritage and the BFI.
Connecting with Culture:
Artswork's Connecting with Culture site is a simple way for schools and children & young people's organisations to connect with arts and culture across the South East.
The site has recently updated with a refreshed look and improved accessibility. The site offers a place for arts and cultural organisations to share their education offer, and schools and education settings to connect with them directly.
We are continuing to deliver a wide range of professional development courses and sessions online throughout the Autumn and Winter, helping meet the changing needs of those working with children and young people during this time. More information on upcoming events can be seen below.
For more about these courses, please see our training and events page and for any queries, please email training@artswork.org.uk.