|
|
|
Voluntary Arts England > news > archived news
Your views sought on the current system and structure of funding - posted 23.8.2010
Mary Lowe, VAE Coordinator is currently preparing evidence on the subject of funding to send to the parliamentary select committee on Arts and Heritage.
She says, 'I’d be interested to hear your views on the current system and structure of funding. I’m arguing that the funding structure should be localised, made more accessible and transparent and that voluntary groups should be given more support, but not necessarily more money.
'Access to good venues, training opportunities and the chance to network can be just as valuable as a grant for £500. What do you think?'
Please email mary@vaengland.org.uk with your ideas
Epic Awards - new website / deadline extended - posted 23.8.2010 
To coincide with the launch of our re-designed epic awards website we are pleased to announce that the deadline for entries to the awards has been extended to 10 October 2010.
The new website makes it even easier to nominate your group for an epic award and also features tips on how you can be even more epic.
So if you would like recognition for the good work that your group does, a package of prizes and an invitation to a winners reception at the House of Lords then get nominating at www.epicawards.co.uk
Community and Participatory Arts Programme - posted 23.8.2010 area: North West
Staffordshire University Creative Communities Unit: Community and Participatory Arts Programme.
• Master’s Degree in Community and Participatory Arts
• Postgraduate Diploma in Community and Participatory Arts
• Postgraduate Certificate in Community and Participatory Arts
• Making it Happen with Community Arts (short course)
CPD opportunities in Arts for Health
Staffordshire University’s Creative Communities Unit offers an exciting range of Postgraduate Awards in Community and Participatory Arts which include an opportunity to develop arts and health work and complete the Artist Professional Development Programme: Developing Arts for Health.
The practically-based courses are for artists, development workers and community workers employed or volunteering in the arts, regeneration, health and community development and applications are welcomed from recent graduates interested in a career in community arts. The courses are taught as full or part time programmes and are delivered in convenient sessions spread out over several weeks so that they can be programmed into a busy work schedule. All of the courses are self-contained and allow you to study at a level suitable for you.
Apply now for September 2010.
To apply or to find out more information about any of the courses, please contact Janet Hetherington:
t: 01782 294540 or e: creativecommunities@staffs.ac.uk
Epic Awards winners reception venue confirmed - House of Lords - posted 23.8.2010 
We are delighted to announce that the venue for the epic awards 2010 winners reception will be the House of Lords. The reception will take place on the 31 January 2011.
If your voluntary / amateur art or craft group is doing excellent work that deserves recognition, a package of prizes and an invitation to the House of Lords then why not nominate them for an epic award?
Categories are:
• Engagement
• Partnerships
• Innovation
• Creativity
The deadline for nominations in 10 September 2010. Full details and nomination forms are available at www.epicawards.co.uk
Only 6 weeks left – nominate your group for an epic award - posted 23.8.2010 
Some great entries have already started making their way to us for the epic awards 2010 – if your art or craft group is doing some excellent work then why not nominate them for an award?
The epic awards is our national award scheme designed to recognise and shine a spotlight on the excellent work taking place within the 50,000+ voluntary and amateur art and craft groups operating throughout the country. The epic awards invite voluntary and amateur art and craft groups to nominate themselves in four categories;
• engagement
• partnerships
• innovation
• creativity
Winners receive a package of benefits including cash, training, equipment and publicity as well as being invited to a winners’ reception at the House of Lords.
Find out more and nominate your own group at www.epicawards.co.uk
Location, location, location! - posted 16.8.2010 deadline: 27 August 2010
Voluntary Arts England represents the interests of the voluntary arts sector. Currently we are exploring issues around venues and meeting spaces prior to looking to improve access for groups to good quality accommodation. To ensure that we’re fully informed, please answer the following questions and email the replies to mary@vaengland.org.uk by 27th August.
1) Tell us about your venue; what are the issues involved in locating and maintaining a good quality venue?
2) Do you have links with venues such as libraries and museums that could be developed with a view to gaining meeting space?
3) Will you be affected by the Government’s proposals to allow local authorities to increase alcohol licences? http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/alcohol-licensing/
4) What improvements would you like to see to enable arts groups to access better meeting spaces?
New arts & health website launched - posted 09.8.2010
There is now an overwhelming body of evidence demonstrating that participation in the arts and access to a range of arts opportunities can dramatically improve health outcomes and increase wellbeing. By supplementing medicine and care, the arts can improve the health of people who experience mental or physical health problems. Engaging in the arts can promote prevention of disease and build wellbeing. The arts can improve healthcare environments and benefit staff retention and professional development.
This new website has been compiled by the London Arts in Health Forum working with other partners in the field of arts in health. These organisations are working together as the National Forum for Arts in Health – an association of organisations looking to develop the role of the arts in improving wellbeing in England.
The website is available at www.cultureandwellbeing.org.uk
To read the Voluntary Arts England publication Restoring the Balance: the effect of arts participation on wellbeing and health visit the Publications section of our website.
Culture and Sport Evidence programme reports published - posted 09.8.2010 
The Culture and Sport Evidence programme (CASE) have published their first set of research publications, databases and toolkits. This is the culmination of two years of ground-breaking interdisciplinary research sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in collaboration with Arts Council England, English Heritage, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and Sport England.
The research published by CASE can help us to further understand and demonstrate (among other things) what factors drive engagement in the arts and the impacts that engagement with the arts can have on the lives of people in England. After two years of work the CASE programme has been able to demonstrate the following headlines:
• Childhood experience, education, age and socio-economic status are all important in predicting arts attendance and media consumption has a positive effect on arts attendance
• Older people from Black and minority ethnic groups are less likely to attend arts events but ethnicity has no effect on attendance by young people
• There are direct learning impacts for young people who participate in structured arts programmes including positive increases in attainment (1-2 per cent ), cognitive skills (16-19 per cent) and transferable skills (10-17 per cent)
• There is emerging evidence of a relationship between arts attendance and wellbeing, with people’s life satisfaction increasing the more they engage with the arts.
• The most effective way to increase engagement is to increase public education and promotion rather than reducing ticket prices or increasing the supply of arts programs
Further information and all the publications to date are available on the CASE website: www.culture.gov.uk/case.
Funding Central - New Online Tools - posted 09.8.2010 
Funding Central has launched three new interactive tools, focusing on income, grant applications and income streams.
• The Income Spectrum tool can be used to explore current income, indentify level of risk and discover how to investigate opportunities across the income spectrum. www.fundingcentral.org.uk/page.aspx?sp=6201
• The Making Better Grant Applications tool can be used to improve your chances of receiving grants and gives practical tips about how to develop current skills and expertise. www.fundingcentral.org.uk/page.aspx?sp=6304
• The Potential Income Streams tool can be used to consider the impact a potential income stream would have on an organisation, resources, beneficiaries/stakeholders and activities. www.fundingcentral.org.uk/page.aspx?sp=6347
EAC’s Over 60s Art Awards now open - posted 09.8.2010 
Amateur artists over 60 are invited to enter works in the EAC’s Over 60s Art Awards , in any medium and on any subject matter. Artists may submit more than one entry (maximum five entries per person) and group works are also accepted.
This year, the entry fee is held at £9 per work and multiple entries are open to special offer – five works for the price of four (£36), and four works for the price of three (£27).
There will be prizes of at least £250 in each of the following categories:
• Landscape/seascape;
• Still life;
• Watercolour;
• Drawing;
• Oil;
• Photography;
• Portrait (any medium);
• 3D work;
• EAC People’s Choice Award Prize.
Two additional £500 prizes will be awarded in memory of the founder of EAC, Angela Farnell. These prizes will be for the best entries from artists living in sheltered/retirement housing or a care home, or who entered through a day centre. These prizes are divided between the artist and their sheltered scheme, care home or day centre.
For more details and to download an entry form, visit http://eacartawards.org.uk
|
|
