JumpstART!

Big news from Big Lottery! Suffolk Artlink has been awarded £369,430 to continue its work with people with learning disabilities in Suffolk.

Fantastic news! We are really excited that we were successful in our bid to the Big Lottery Fund for JumpstART!, our project for people with learning disabilities interested in developing their creative and life skills. The funding will allow the project to take place in Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich and Lowestoft for the next four years – providing high quality creative courses for people across Suffolk. The modular courses will get under way in Bury and Lowestoft in September; we will develop our networks and provide taster sessions in the Ipswich area ahead of starting modular courses there in January 2016.

For more information about JumpstART! please contact Fran or Charlie at Suffolk Artlink: 01986 873955 / [email protected] / [email protected]

We will very shortly be recruiting Learning Support Assistants to work on JumpstART!

In April, students on the studio project worked with Holly Scholfield creating work in the style of Chris Ofili using wax resist and masking fluid with gouache paints producing some stunning results. They also worked with Kate Warner on charcoal life drawing and learned a lot of new techniques.

The studio project finished at the end of April with a mentoring session from Creative Minds. Students selected the best of their work to be submitted for exhibition at the Creative Minds East Conference in October 2015.

The work of the studio project artists will soon be part of an online exhibition of their work on the Suffolk Artlink Website.

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Creative Employment Programme

FlipSide Festival are offering a paid internship for a Trainee Marketing and General Assistant. This opportunity is based in Framlingham and is to provide marketing and administrative support to the FlipSide Festival, by assisting with all company social media profiles, database entry and maintenance and providing copy for press releases and publicity campaigns. Full training will be given in all areas.

For more information see our CEP page

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Suffolk at Play

This month we have completed the student training sessions at East Point Academy, Lowestoft, where we’ve been working with a group of Year 8 pupils.

The training introduces the students to the concept of reminiscence work, using a variety of memory prompts, including personal photos and favourite toys, as well as old games supplied by Julie Heathcote, our reminiscence facilitator.

These sessions encourage the students to think in depth about some of their earlier memories – for example, the first toy they remember getting or the name of their favourite teddy. The sessions also help them develop skills and techniques for talking about their memories – and listening to others talk about theirs, thus preparing the students for working alongside the adults who will join us in May.

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Rock Up

Since we returned after Easter, we have had regular DJ sessions with Sophie, and the result has been fantastic, with more and more young people taking part, and all of them going off with a disc of their mixes – and a huge smile on their face.

Meanwhile, the students signed up for the one-to-one tuition with Matt and Bryan continue to work really hard, and have made amazing progress, be it with their guitar, keyboard or vocal skills. There are now numerous online tutorials available to these young people, posted on our YouTube page, and more will follow this term.

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Clown Round

The Clown Doctors have been busy at the hospitals and hospices in the region bringing fun, laughter and distraction to children and young people.

We also still have Fidget and Hamish colouring / story books available if you are looking for a present and would like to help support Clown Round. The Fidget and Hamish book is £4.99 plus postage and packaging. To get your copy contact [email protected] or call Aliatair on 01986 873 955

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interact

Funded by the Arts Council, we are commissioning an interactive dance piece designed specifically for older people and people with dementia. We will be working with GlassHouse Dance Company to devise an interactive piece which will tour around Suffolk in a variety of settings such as residential care homes, day services, hospices and hospitals. The tour will start in September after a period of research, rehearsals and high quality experiential dementia training. For more information contact [email protected]

GlassHouse: www.glasshousedance.wordpress.com

Pulse Festival 28^th May – 6^th June 2015

While Suffolk Artlink is not doing anything at Pulse we thought that you might like some of the performances organised by New Wolsey Theatre as part of their Pulse Festival.

Pulse Festival has over 60 performances and events over 10 days including Ramps on The Moon: Is It Possible? A day of conversations and provocations, aimed at inspiring theatre-makers to think and act differently around disability and inclusion. Pulse festival also includes several disability focused performances including ‘People of the Eye’, ‘Can I Start Again Please’ and ‘Easy For You To Say’

For more information go to www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

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