Artlink opportunities

Suffolk Artlink Opportunities and News July 2015

JumpstART!

The new JumpstART! project is up and running.  Artists Carrie Phoenix and Kate Warner have run tasters in installation art at Hadleigh Inclusion Project, The Infobar in Bury St Edmunds, West Suffolk College, The Hub in Sudbury, Lowestoft College, Great Yarmouth College and Top Cats (a community enterprise for young adults with learning disabilities).

The theme was ‘Making Spaces’ and participants had the opportunity to create interesting ‘spaces’ to display their artwork. This involved using lots of different materials from umbrellas, netting, cloches and tents!

Lots of people have shown interest in attending the Explore Days at the St Johns Centre in Bury St Edmunds on Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 17th August and at the Bethel Centre in Lowestoft on Thursday 30th July and Thursday 13th August.  Places are filling up fast so contact Charlie if you’re interested in coming along to the Bury St Edmunds Explore Days and Fran for the Lowestoft Explore Days. Participants will be using lots of different materials to make artworks. Explore days’ application forms can be found at www.suffolkartlink.org.uk/our-work/jumpstart

Future Lowestoft tasters will be held at Leading Lives, John Turner House and Involve (a new enterprise for people with additional needs under 25)

The new course ‘Making Spaces’ Installation Art will start in Bury St Edmunds on Tuesday 1st September and in Lowestoft on Thursday 3rd September.

Suffolk at Play

We’ve shared stories and played games, we’ve written poetry and created scenery –  and we’ve animated, scrapbooked, photographed and generally had a whale of a time at East Point Academy in Lowestoft.

Suffolk at Play 1
And now it’s almost over – we’ve completed all the filming with Emma and Mary-Lou, we’ve had our final session with Julie, our reminiscence expert, and this week we’ve had our final session with the adult group. They’ve been great fun to work with and we really do appreciate how much they’ve contributed to the project over the last 10 weeks.

Our brilliant volunteer, Amanda, will be joining Candida for one final session with the students – after which we will be saying goodbye to the Academy and everyone there; our thanks to all the staff who have supported us and the students, who have worked really hard and, we hope, got a lot out of the experience.

Suffolk at Play 2
We will be back in the autumn, to celebrate their hard work and show everyone the animations and published booklet. In the meantime, please do visit the blog site for lots more images and details about the project.

suffolkatplay.primaryblogger.co.uk

Creative Employment Programme

The Creative Employment Programme has been in full swing with more organisations signing up to have interns or an apprentice. The apprenticeships and internships are open to young unemployed adults who are interested in working in the creative industries.

The opportunities currently open are a Studio Assistant Intern at Brian Alabaster’s artist studio and foundry in Linstead near Halesworth and an Assistant Stage Manager at the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts in Stowmarket.

For more information about how to apply for these exciting paid internships go to www.suffolkartlink.org.uk/cep

Clown Round

If you had popped your head round the door of the latest Clown Round Play Day training in June you would have seen Suffolk Artlink’s team of Clown Doctors in full flow playing their Ukuleles led by Ray Travasso from Suffolk Music Therapy Services. Children receiving visits from the Clown Doctors will be able to hear some good old favourites as well as some popular culture inspired tracks mixed in with bubbles, balloons and puppets. Ray also led the team through some song writing exercises with one of the hits featuring pizza.

The Clown Doctors equipped with a song list are now coming to the end of the Summer term rounds on the children’s wards. They will not be hanging up their red noses just yet as they are excited to be visiting the EACH Treehouse Hospice and Quidenham Hospice over the summer.

Clown Round 2
Suffolk Artlink loves to receive children’s pictures of their very own Clown Doctor designs. Below are some beautiful pictures that we received last month.

Our thanks to Chris Draude and Vicki Weitz for raising £15.76 at Christchurch Park, Ipswich on the 5th July 2015 for Clown Round visits in Ipswich.

Here is a reminder, if you already know, that we are looking to recruit a Project Development Officer to manage on our Clown Round project for 9 months.  The deadline for applications is less than a week away now as it is 9am on Monday 20thJuly.

Clown Round 1
Successful candidates will have experience of managing arts projects and working with children. The role is based at Suffolk Artlink’s Halesworth office, but also involves visiting hospitals and hospices in Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex.

For the fuller job description, the person specification and the application form go to www.suffolkartlink.org.uk/support-us/#work-with-us

Rock Up

We can hardly believe it, but we’re almost at the end of term – and almost a year of Rock Up music sessions at Colville House senior youth club in Lowestoft.

It’s been a tremendous time, and the young people have certainly benefitted from the opportunity to practise and learn new skills with regular tutors, Bryan and Matt.

As one young woman commented, “Do you remember when I first came? I’d sit there with my head down, whispering a song, I’d keep stopping and saying I was no good. Last time I came here, I taught my sister how to play a song. That’s amazing. I never realised how far I’ve come.”

We may be at the end of term, but it doesn’t mean the music stops. On the contrary, we’re going straight into a special summer school of Rock Up rock and pop, featuring DJ Tallulah Goodtimes, trumpeter and composer Dan Friend and, of course, our regular tutors Matt and Bryan.

interact

As part of our ‘interact’ project we held an Experiential Dementia Training day for artists led by Rachel from Engage and Create (www.engageandcreate.com). The training included a ‘Pop-up Dementia Experience’ allowing people to feel what it might be like to live with dementia and sensory impairment, how it effects people’s lives and how they engage with their environment. Artists gained an insight into the sensory experience of older people living with dementia and how certain challenges may lead to some of the classic dementia behaviours.

interact
Comments from artists:

‘The simulation was very helpful, the most powerful part of the day’

‘The sensory tent was invaluable and just talking about dementia and discussing ways of working was good, it will give me more confidence and awareness’

‘interact’ is funded by the Arts Council

New intergenerational project in Stowmarket

This month we’re getting together with poet Dean Parkin and community artist Caitlin Howells, to begin planning a brand new intergenerational project in Stowmarket.

Starting in early September, the project will involve pupils from the Cedars Park Community Primary School and residents at nearby Cedrus House Care Home. It will provide weekly creative after-school sessions over the course of the autumn term, and culminate in a celebration event nearer Christmas.

Dean is a regular contributor to Suffolk Artlink projects – you can read more about his work at www.deanparkin.co.uk  whilst Caitlin provided creative activities for us, as part of an Activities Unlimited Family Day. She is a highly experienced community artist – read more about her practice at caitlinhowellscommunityarts.wordpress.com

Cabinet of CuriositiesCabinet of Curiosities

Although this is not an event linked with Suffolk Artlink we thought that some of you may be interested in The Cabinet of Curiosities which is a new art project by Jane Watt. Jane is inviting people to bring along curious objects to her mobile studio where she will be cynaotypes of the objects. Jane will be at the bright blue mobile studios at UCS on the 8th August between 11am – 3pm and see Jane

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