Creative Colleagues - June 2024

JUNE 2024

CREATIVE COLLEAGUES Creative Lives’ in-house magazine

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD OPEN FOR ENTRIES

The shortlist for this year’s Creative Lives Awards has now been chosen (a huge thank you to everyone involved in that lovely but difficult process!) and is now up on our website.

We’ll be encouraging the 34 shortlisted groups to spread the word far and wide to garner votes for the People’s Choice Award – but please do take a look yourself and vote for your favourite group. You can view the shortlist here.

Judging panels will meet in June/July to choose this year’s winners and runners-up.

Please ensure your nation has completed its judging by 25 July at the latest.

[Pictured: Vocal Vibes]

THE QUICK CATCH-UP CULTURAL VALUE SUMMIT PRESENTATIONS On 20 May, members of the Place and Policy teams came together in Edinburgh to take part in ‘Connections and Partnerships: The Value of Culture in Communities’, run by COSLA and the Scottish Government.

David, Jemma, Jess and Phoenix gave presentations and networked alongside Culture Counts, Glasgow Life, The Stove Network, V&A Dundee and others. Presentation topics included the social and economic value of culture and the role of partnership working.

BRIDGING THE GAP IN BRIDGEND After a few months of desk-based research mapping creative opportunities throughout Bridgend County, we have recently been out and about, conducting three open conversation events to explore the conditions that would help local creativity to thrive.

The events were hosted by local artist Tracy Breathnach and supported by our volunteer Alice Wilkins. The next step is to gather all the rich info into a report for Bridgend Council.

DANCING DIALOGUES SYMPOSIUM Kelly was at Cecil Sharp House in London on 1 June, attending the Dancing Dialogues Symposium. Focussing on groups in the South East, Midlands and South West of England, Dancing Dialogues is a research project looking at commonailities in traditional, national and folk dance styles.

Unexpectedly, as well as informing groups about the work of Creative Lives, Kelly ended up dancing six different dance styles!

We will now work with the researchers to give these groups, and fascinating multi-cultural dance styles, a platform on our website.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE AT DEPT OF EDUCATION MEETING Robin says: “Jess and I met Charlotte Piper and Helen Guezelkuecuek from the Community Learning team at the Department for Education to discuss the transition to the new programme of Tailored Learning starting in August 2024. We talked about the difficulty of measuring wider community impacts and identified a number of Creative Lives initiatives that might be helpful for the DfE to consider.”

ON THE HORIZON CREATIVE HEALTH IN ESSEX We’re delighted to be working with Natasha Richards-Crisp and Damian Hebron on a new project with Essex County Council to learn more about creative health activity across the county.

We’ll be holding conversations, online and in-person, between 12-14 June.

BARRIERS TO BANKING SURVEY Creative Lives is concerned about the reduction in banking services and administrative delays by banks that are having a negative impact of the work of local creative groups.

We are asking creative groups to complete this short survey about barriers to banking so please send it to any groups you think may have something to contribute.

UK GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE With the UK General Election under a month away, we have produced this election guide for creative groups.

Please feel free to share!

CREATIVE LIVES EVENTS IN JUNE Creative Network: Theatre - Wednesday 26 June (online) - Claire Appleby from the Theatres Trust shares her insight and advice on operating more sustainably.

Creative Network: BIPOC Creatives - Friday 28 June (online) Creative Lives in Reading: How can grassroots creative groups thrive? - Friday 28 June (online)

CHIEF EXECUTIVE TO MEET KEYNOTE SPEAKER Robin says: “As we continue to prepare for the 2024 Everyday Creativity Conference at Cecil Sharp House, London, on 26 September, I will be meeting Dr Mark Taylor from the University of Sheffield and Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre who is going to be one of our keynote speakers.

Mark is one of the authors of 'Culture is bad for you: Inequality in the cultural and creative industries' - an updated version of which is due to be published later this year.

GETTING TO KNOW...

SUNITA PANDYA Creative Lives Trustee

What’s your first memory of being creative?

Going to see panto with my mum as a young child at our local theatre and loving it!

If you could click your fingers and be proficient at any art/craft form, what would it be?

Drawing – stick people are my best attempt . . .

Which do you prefer: river walk, beachside stroll or hill climb?

I’d prefer a beach stroll but the sand, the sand! So probably a river walk as it is peaceful and no sand!

You’re planning a day of live music and can book any 5 artists (living or dead) – who’s on the bill?

ABBA, Skunk Anasie, Ray Charles, Macklemore, Amy Winehouse What inanimate object in your home most sums you up?

The washing machine – it seems to have a daily appointment with me!

What’s your favourite quality in a person?

Empathy Which do you prefer – chocolate bar, slice of cake or biscuit?

Slice of cake If you could choose any work of art to hang in your home, what would it be?

Anything from Louise Bourgeois Which country have you never visited but would love to?

Russia Tell us one thing your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you I used to go to the Snooker Masters at Wembley when I was a teenager – I was one of the only females there!

PHOTO FINISH Each month, we ask a colleague to capture an aspect of their life, at home, or out and about.

“When we got married in 2017, the daydream honeymoon was a Greek island, and the reality was a beach hut in Devon.

But this year, Ben and I finally got to Rhodes – and this was the view overlooking our resort, just outside Lindos.

Yes, we did tell them it was our honeymoon, and yes, they did gift us celebratory yoghurt.”

Emily Sherwood, Communications Officer