Provide Arts Opportunities for All

Breakdance Workshop

How we do it...

By providing access to appropriate projects - 
Our work is focused on taking opportunities to communities rather than expecting them to come to us.  This means that arts activities are designed to take place in a variety of settings from youth centres and schools to village halls and outdoor spaces.  Our approach also involves getting communities involved in deciding what activities are provided, so that they are more appropriate to their needs and interests, and consequently more engaging.

With individuals or groups who may have limited experience of the arts, it is important to recognise that the process in these activities is as important as the product. The main purpose of the work is to give people an opportunity to develop new skills, gain creative confidence, and to have the opportunity to express themselves, and for this expression to be given a public forum. 

Branston Mosaic Group

By getting the whole community involved -
artsNK is also committed to projects which bring different members of a community together.  These projects often focus on getting people to express their views about things they have in common, for example: the place that they live in or the skills they are learning.  Through this process of identifying common experiences amongst the different groups, there is the potential for broader positive change. This is achieved by breaking down prejudices and fears, and then working towards a sense of mutual understanding.   These projects can then also help to develop valuable local networks

In the case of young people who find themselves marginalized or disaffected, artsNK also specialises in providing targeted arts work that can help to develop self-confidence, and a tangible sense of achievement.  Participation in arts activities can also often provide constructive alternatives to anti-social behaviour.

Billinghay - Zoetropes to Zentropa

Case Study: Zoetropes to Zentropa: Moving Images in Billinghay

This was a digital media based film making / consultation project, involving young people from the local Youth Centre.  The project was held over the summer holiday period, with the group meeting up to twice a week, to work with a professional film-maker.

The group engaged village residents and other young people in dialogues about their experiences of living in Billinghay, based around the theme of the past, present and future of the village and its residents.  They then used these ideas to help them plan and structure a short documentary film which gave visual representation to this material.  The young people learned numerous creative and commercial skills, such as how to use digital film cameras, professional film editing software, electronic music programs, as well as learning planning and interviewing skills.

Following the project, the DVD 'Billinghay or Boringhay?' was shown to councillors, council officers and members of the Local Strategic Partnership. This brought attention to this neglected village, and resulted in the following:
- a new children's centre - one of only three in the district
- several highly successful community development events
- a targeted rural transport scheme to give young people better access to services
- targeted support in developing a parish plan

'Zoetropes to Zentropa' was developed to work in conjunction with an innovative public art and regeneration scheme for Billinghay, led by the design team Electricwig.  For more information about this scheme, please visit the project website. You can also find information out about this and other public art projects through Lincolnshire Public Art Network by visiting the LPAN website.

Case Study: The Intergenerational Project

This project was a partnership between young people living in sheltered accommodation at The Foyer in Sleaford and older residents in sheltered accommodation at Elsaforde Gardens, Sleaford.  The aim was to use the arts to dismantle any preconceptions or fears within the groups and to help them find common ground, while at the same time learning new skills,and  gaining confidence in themselves.

The project ran over 4 weekends and the groups worked together with music, dance and photography to write and perform a song which they recorded on CD and film.  Images taken by the participants have been used to produce an attractive photographic panel sited in their respective homes.