Artist Professional Development for Socially Engaged Practitioners, Commissioned by Heart of Glass | Image: Stephen King
  • Heart of Glass

Artist Professional Development for Socially Engaged Practitioners

Mark Devereux Projects, in collaboration with Heart of Glass, were delighted to produce a series of six practical artist professional development sessions for artists working within socially engaged practice. The sessions took place in St Helens between November 2018 and April 2019.

Details

Start Date:
13/11/2018

End Date:
09/04/2019

Venue:
Heart of Glass

Address:
11 Haydock Street
St Helens, WA10 1DD

This new collaboration was one component of Heart of Glass’ new national professional development programme for artists, producers and commissioning agencies working in social and community contexts.

Led by Mark Devereux Projects, each workshop in the series addressed key aspects of realising projects and commissions, providing attendees with the confidence and know-how to move their practice forward.

Each workshop was tailored to the participating artists’ key questions and concerns; providing information, advice and guidance alongside open discussions and peer-to-peer sharing.

Lunch and refreshments were provided. Workshop lunches were hosted by a different member of the Heart of Glass staff/associate artist team to provide informal networking opportunities and access to staff expertise where relevant.

Whilst primarily aimed at artists working within socially engaged practice, artists working within other mediums were also welcome.

Sessions could be booked individually or as a whole programme at a discounted rate.

Professional development is one of a number of research and talent development strands initiated by Heart of Glass to establish essential critical pedagogy around collaborative and social arts practice, and to offer a collegiate space for debate, enquiry and sharing in this field. Other strands include WITH FOR ABOUT – Heart of Glass’ annual conference, the fourth iteration of which will take place in May 2019; writing & publishing – PRAXIS Volume II will be published later this year; and FIERCE AND URGENT CONVERSATIONS: The First International Triennial of Social and Collaborative Arts Practice, taking place in Autumn 2021.

Course programme

Planning your project | Tuesday 13 November 2018
Led by Mark Devereux & Jack Welsh

Planning your project took a practical look at how to develop, manage and successfully realise projects of different scales and durations. The workshop highlighted the journey from developing the seed idea, through to realising the project and its resulting legacies. Providing an in-sight into the challenges artists can face when managing projects, this session equiped participants with tools and techniques to encourage success. The session also looked at how artists can formulate a longer-term career plan to support future developments and growth within your practice.

Artists were invited to share their questions, concerns or previous experiences associated to project planning and management when booking their ticket.

Talking about your work | Tuesday 11 December 2018
Led by Mark Devereux & Jack WelshHow you talk, write and present your work is crucial. Getting this right will be invaluable to securing opportunities, commissions and tendering for future projects. This participatory session shared practical exercises to give participants the confidence to present their practice and its intricacies to audiences. By recognising audience and the various approaches artists can employ, participants were given the skills and awareness of how to articulate their practice in the most relevant way, whilst allowing personality to shine through.

Artists were invited to share materials that demonstrate how they present various aspects of their practice in advance, which was then discussed during the session.

Finding the right opportunity | Tuesday 15 January 2019
Led by Heather Peak Morison with Mark Devereux & Jack WelshIdentifying the right opportunity is not always as easy as it sounds. As an artist’s career develops, opportunities will change and you may start receiving invitations that impede your progress. This workshop gave tools to help dissect and understand the opportunity artists are offered and how it does or doesn’t relate to their practice ambitions. The session also looked at platforms to find or create the right opportunity and how to increase your success rate.

Artists were invited to share their questions, concerns or previous experiences of recent opportunities when booking their ticket.

Heather Peak Morison has established an ambitious collaborative practice over the past fifteen years that transcends the divisions between art, architecture and theatre. She is co-director, with Ivan Morison, of STUDIO MORISON, their artist led creative practice which supports and realizes their ideas and projects. On a societal level STUDIO MORISON is working to re-establish aspects of civic life and on a human level it looks to bring meaning, beauty and purpose into everyday life. They have exhibited internationally including solo projects at Tate Modern, Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, Vancouver Art Gallery, The National Trust, National Theatre Wales and represented Wales at the Venice Biennial. Heather is also employed as an artist strategist for Heart of Glass and working to deliver Bliss Park, a sculptural skateable civic square in St Helens.

Funding and fundraising | Tuesday 12 February 2019
Led by Mark Devereux & Jack WelshThis session highlighted the various funding avenues and options available for socially engaged practitioners, including trusts, foundations, individual giving and sponsorship. Participants also undertook a practical, in-depth workshop on making an application to Arts Council England National Lottery Projects Grants, helping breakdown each question and what is required.

Artists were invited to share their questions, concerns and previous funding and fundraising experiences when booking their ticket.

Working with contracts | Tuesday 12 March 2019
Keith Arrowsmith with Mark Devereux & Jack WelshParticipants addressed key issues that arise for artists working within socially engaged practice when negotiating and submitting project contracts and tenders. When working with various partners across sectors, it is important to ensure artists are working to the correct terms and are able to negotiate a fair agreement. This workshop aimed to increase confidence, understanding, preparation, planning and skills to enable projects to be successful.

Artists were invited to share their questions, concerns and previous experiences with contracts and formal agreements when booking their ticket.

Keith Arrowsmith qualified as a solicitor in 1995, and has worked in law firms in London, Manchester and Sheffield, building up a reputation for providing practical, cost effective legal advice in the arts, heritage, digital and media sectors. He is now head of the legal team at Counterculture, where he provides guidance and assistance on charity law, data protection, governance, intellectual property, business law, contracts, and website law.  He also contributes to workshops, planning days, talks, written reports, and provides other bespoke guidance. Keith is a co-author of the Clore Leadership Programme publication Governance in the arts and museums: a practical guide. He is a member of the Charity Law Association.

Collaboration in the field | Tuesday 9 April 2019
Led by Shaun C Badham with Mark Devereux & Jack Welsh Socially engaged practitioners work with a variety of people, from the public to local authorities, and often require several different ‘voices’. This session looked at the strategies artists can employ to work with a range of diverse stakeholders, communities and partners; including how to navigate bureaucracy.

Artists were invited to share their questions, concerns and previous experiences when booking their ticket.

Shaun C. Badham born and lives in Essex. He received his BA Fine Art from University West of England in Bristol (2012) and MFA Fine Art from Goldsmiths, University of London (2017). Through his long-term projects I’M STAYING and MORNING, Badham has developed extensive of working within the public realm and socially engaged practice. For further information please visit: www.shauncbadham.com

Costs

Individual sessions: £25 per session (£10 concession for students & St Helens based artists) All 6 sessions: £135 (£108 conc.)

Heart of Glass is proud to be based in St Helens and is keen to support the development of artists living and working in the St Helens Borough. All artists with a St Helens postcode are eligible for a concessionary ticket rate.

Further Info

Location:
Heart of Glass, Old Beecham’s Building, Water Street, St Helens, WA10 1PP

Times:
10am – 4pm

For further details about the programme please contact us.

Curated by...

Supported by...