High Peak Arts Development Officer
 High Peak CVS has a full-time Arts Development Officer for the High Peak Arts Development Partnership. The post is funded through the partnership between High Peak CVS and High Peak Borough Council with further funding coming from Arts Council England, Derbyshire Dales Economic Partnership and the Learning and Skills Council.
A Personal Message from Richard
After 2 years as your Arts Development Officer I am moving to a new job and although I’m excited about this new opportunity, I’ll be sad to leave as it’s been a really exciting two years. I’ve had a chance to work with some smashing people and been involved in some excellent arts development projects.
My work with High Peak Borough Council and High Peak Youth Services has been really rewarding – it’s been hard work but we’ve managed to engage over 2000 young people around the Borough in the arts – many of them taking up their new found interests. I’ve also been lucky enough to work with around 60 voluntary arts groups, many of them Festival groups and assisted them in raising around £100,000 for arts events and projects all over High Peak.
I’ve had an interesting time assisting people in Creative Businesses too. I’ve helped with various projects around the Borough to develop much needed studio and workspace for artists and craftworkers as well as helping Derbyshire Arts Partnership to develop and publicise the very popular Artsderbyshire website.
Festivals Forum
High Peak’s growing reputation as a hotbed of creative talent has been reinforced by the success of one of its latest arts-based initiatives – the Festivals Forum.
Since the Forum was set up earlier this year, no less than 80 organisers and promoters of the Borough’s Festivals and events have flocked to take advantage of the networking and training opportunities on offer.
“Whatever their size, scope or budget, festivals tend to face similar issues and problems, so it made sense to set up a forum where organisers could meet regularly and share information as well as their skills and expertise,” said Arts Development Officer Richard Johnson.
“My work is based on the aims of the High Peak Arts Strategy, which, among other things, highlights the need to support and help the many festivals in the borough – from the major, professionally run Festival to the smallest village event” he added.
“The Forum is an ideal way to do that, because it brings both professionals and volunteers together under one roof, enabling them to pool their knowledge and experiences, both good and bad, as well as exchanging ideas that will help them in the future.
“We also set up regular training sessions to address issues that organisers face, such as marketing and promotion, health and safety, project management and the new licensing laws.”
As it grows, it is hoped the Forum will give organisers and promoters a platform to influence wider issues such as the future of arts funding and promoting festivals as cultural tourism.
Membership of the Forum is
free and open to anyone
involved in Festivals or Event
organisation. To find out more
contact Richard Johnson on
01663 736428 or email:
richard@highpeakcvs.org.uk
|
High Peak Arts Development Partnership is a unique type of partnership between High Peak Borough Council and High Peak CVS, to deliver the key recommendations within the High Peak Arts Strategy (Appendix 1 is a summary of the key outcomes for the post), aimed at enhancing local creative industries. The Arts Development Worker will provide advice to local voluntary and arts-based groups with a particular focus on festivals.
The High Peak Arts Strategy was produced in 2003 with direct funding support from Arts Council East Midlands. The document reviews the achievements and impact of the previous strategy and recommends short, medium and long-term actions, which focus on meeting gaps in provision and developing local infrastructure. An Arts Development post was seen as essential in the delivery of the recommendations within the strategy.
The Borough Council has been leading and supporting the development of the arts for a number of years and until 2002 had an officer in post. Since then the Councils Cultural Services Manager assumed the strategic development of the arts, which includes administering grants directly to regularly funded organisations (RFO’s) by the Arts Council. These include the Buxton Opera House, Buxton Festival and High Peak Community Arts. Other areas of work include support to the education sector to help establish specialist arts status schools, and the development of strategy at a County level, which has lead to a strong County network.
Key partners are the Derbyshire Arts Officers Partnership, who take a strategic planning and commissioning role for arts in Derbyshire and the Derbyshire Arts Development group, which represents voluntary sector arts organisations. Numerous projects have resulted including: Rural Touring, Dance, Street Theatre, Film.
Arts in the High Peak has an extremely high profile and underpins many areas of the local economy by promoting tourism and regeneration with nationally and internationally recognised festivals, an abundance of local cultural events and activities and as a base for many professional artists who both live and practice in the area.
The High Peak CVS has a key role in developing and supporting the voluntary sector. By working in partnership with High Peak Borough Council this role will be enhanced and the following benefits will be realised:
- Unique opportunity to share resources and increase the strategic capacity for arts
- There will be greater access to external funding
- Within the spirit of the Voluntary Compact
- It will lead to new partnerships
- Strengthen arts networks and support sustainable structures
This project is one of three strands developed by a Peak District wide Creative Industries Consortium which is co-ordinated by Derbyshire Chamber and Business Link. The Arts in The Peak will provide access to information, advice and training for creative businesses and practitioners through a dedicated website and networking events. It will also produce ‘A Night Out in the Peak’ to market arts programming and events throughout the Peak District.
The third stand, ‘Focusing Creativity’ - mediated through Derbyshire County County, is a uniquely tailored programme of workshops and mentor support for creative businesses and practitioners to help them realise their business as well as creative potential. |
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