Directory: LOCAL AND COMMUNITY ARTS

 
     _{COMMUNITY ARTS: HEALTH}

::  Creative Remedies is an active and successful arts-for-health initiative in North Staffordshire.

::  Borderland Voices - runs arts & writing workshops for the mentally ill in Staffordshire Moorlands and the White Peak area.

::  Emily Campbell - a Stoke-based artist undertaking public art projects, including arts and health work. Her Love Ties work and other work can be seen on her web site and is also featured on Creative Stoke.

::  Letting in the Light - a Newcastle-under-Lyme based community arts group, with a particular interest in working with groups and communities that don't often have a voice.

::  Glassball Arts - based near Leek. Digital-arts group with mobile kit and strong experience in community arts.

::  Hullabaloo - a group of artists in North Staffordshire, who have experience of delivering creative workshops and projects in community settings.

  Jigsaw Arts for Health - based at Trentham Mews Medical Centre, Stoke-on-Trent. An Arts & Health Project that runs regular arts events and holds an annual Community Arts Festival, in conjunction with local primary schools.

    _{COMMUNITY ARTS: YOUTH & PERFORMANCE}

::   Creative Arts North Staffs (CANS)." CANS works with hard-to-reach communities, and... "encourages the use of artistic activities to support community development and improve quality of life. [...] We often work in areas where there are social, cultural or environmental issues to be addressed, and have many years experience of working with young people. We often assist Youth Services in project work in race, gender, disability, health and the environment, and are highly experienced in working with the following groups: young people from disadvantaged backgrounds; young offenders; mental health user groups; ethnic minorities; the elderly; substance misusers; people with disabilities." CANS has photos on Flickr .

::  Verbal Arts - applied and performance arts specialists based in North Staffordshire.

:: Partners in Creative Learning (PiCL) - formerly Creative Partnerships Stoke-on-Trent, the government's 'artists into schools' national project.

::  Staffordshire Dance Collective.

::  Staffordshire Performing Arts.

::  Si Waite - formerly of Planet Sound, offers original music composition, creative music technology and education.

::  D.J. School Association - based in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent.

::  Nex Level - based in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent. Nex Level provides motivational courses for young people in media and photography skills, performing, creative and visual arts.

::  Soniq Studios (formerly Studio Q at the Queensberry Youth Centre, Normacot) - in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Run for under-19s, and available free.

::  Joliba West African Drum and Dance School

::  Verbal Arts.

::  Creative Academy - seeks to engage... "youths who are socially and educationally excluded and encourage their creative talent".

 Burslem Summer School. Major annual summer youth-theatre workshop series with professional directors.

::  Alton Castle - a 12th Century castle near the Churnet Valley; now a residential centre owned by the Archdiocese of Birmingham - which can offer disadvantaged children short-courses in spiritual, outdoors and creative activities. Has a new Discovery Centre with a dedicated room for Arts & Crafts.

     _{COMMUNITY ARTS: SKILLS}

::  Barefoot Doctors - a skills-development project in North Staffordshire which is being run by Newcastle-under-Lyme's B Arts. The project is funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

     _{COMMUNITY ARTS: CRIME & PRISONS}

::   Rideout: Creative Arts for Rehabilitation - based at The Roslyn Works, a cluster of managed crafts workshops in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. Rideout specialises in... "the development of long-term creative arts programmes for prisoners." A recent touring exhibition had some impressive work, involving interactive wooden models which symbolised the destructive behaviour which sent each criminal to prison.

     _{COMMUNITY ARTS: IDENTITY & PLACE}

::  Emily Campbell - a Stoke-based artist undertaking public art projects, including arts and health work. Her place-based Love Ties work and other work can be seen on her web site and is also featured on Creative Stoke.

::  Alan Barrett - Stoke-on-Trent storyteller.

     _{COMMUNITY ARTS: ENVIRONMENTAL}

     _{COMMUNITY ARTS: COUNCIL SUPPORT}

::   Stoke-on-Trent City Council - Community Arts. Small grants have traditionally been available from their Community Arts Development Programme (CADP), for suitable community/educational arts & crafts projects - and they can also suggest local artists for groups to employ on projects. There is now a Council Arts Strategy for Children.

     _{COMMUNITY ARTS: INSURANCE}

::  A:N (aka Artists' Newsletter) magazine has a scheme called AIR. If you subscribe to the magazine + take AIR membership then you automatically get A:N's £5m Public and Products Liability insurance (PPL). At Sept 2010 their website has the following information on the insurance...       "This policy is intended to cover visual or applied artists against all activities they are likely to engage in as part of their professional practices, including the making, designing, creating, preparing, installing, exhibiting and display of any works of visual or applied art; this will include display in your studio or other premises as well as at open studios and similar events, inside or outdoors. It also covers the lecturing, teaching or demonstrating of visual or applied art including workshops, residencies and community projects."

     _{LOCAL ARTS GROUPS:}

::   There are several informal social neworking websites in the North Staffordshire area for creative producers: Culturing Stuff; Creative Central; and HeadTalk North Staffordshire.

::   North Staffs Decorative & Fine Arts Society.

::   Leek Art Space.

::  CIN - by & for professional creatives in neighbouring Buxton, parts of the Peak District, and thoughout north Derbyshire. An excellent and polished website.

::   Macclesfield Imagination.

::  Ridware Arts Group - based in South Staffordshire. Runs a variety of short-courses.

::  The Hindu Cultural Society, Staffordshire.

::  Derbyshire Open Arts - the annual open studios event.

::  artists@work - a dynamic group of fine artists in neighbouring south Cheshire who organise the annual Open Studios event for the county.

::  Cheshire Open Studios event.

::  Education Arts Service West Midlands - for art & design staff in West Midlands schools.

     _{VOLUNTEERS AND FUND-RAISING}

::  Stoke-on-Trent's External Funding Team - can offer grant-finding services to local community groups.

::  National Lottery Funds, and the Awards for All scheme for smaller groups.

::  SAM Arts - their excellent list of fund-raising books.

::  Arts & Business: West Midlands - for advice and training on obtaining business sponsorship and partnerships.

::  unLtd provide grants to individuals who run projects which help their communities.

::  Robbie Williams' Give it Sum Fund can be applied to by voluntary organisations in Stoke-on-Trent.