Big Arts Week is an exciting nationwide initiative that recruits
and connects volunteer artists to primary and secondary schools
to develop arts projects which reinforce a shared sense of local
identity and creativity. Since it began 3 years ago, over 8,500
schools and 4,600 creative professionals have taken part, resulting
in an impact on over 150,000 young people nationwide.
Objectives
- To provide a programme that invites the creative industries
to help schools celebrate and value the diversity of their creative
capacity by connecting them in an empowering way.
- To offer:
- teachers an increased variety of ways in which they can
integrate creative programmes into their schools
- creative professionals the opportunity to share their skills
and enthusiasm for art with young people within their community
- artists the connections to develop relationships within
their local education system
- young people a space to think creatively and become engaged
and interested in creative processes and arts in general,
particularly within areas of disadvantage, excluded communities
or low creative provision.
- Enabling social exchange and enterprise between creative industries
and schools.
Volunteers from every creative discipline share time with schools
and young people during the summer term, enabling and inspiring
them to explore and develop their creative skills. The number of
participants each year is a testament to the practical value Big
Arts Week brings not only to teachers and pupils, but also to the
artists own personal experience and sense of wider community well
being.
Big Arts Week is supported by patrons such Antony Gormley, Julian
Lloyd Webber, Anish Kapoor, Frederick Forsyth, Wayne Hemingway,
Marc Quinn and Helena Bonham Carter who all share a belief that
creativity should be an integral part of the way that young people
learn about themselves and explore their creative landscape. Many
of them have taken part in projects in their own local schools or
invited school visits to their studios.
“Art is what we do to figure
out who we are.” Antony Gormley
Over the last 3 years Big Arts Week has been able to secure a substantial
amount of media coverage with features in national, regional and
local press as well as a prime time BBC television programme hosted
by Harry Enfield. Radio and Internet coverage has also been widespread
and instrumental in the recruitment of artists and in celebrating
the achievements of partnerships. Media coverage generated for 2003
was valued at £456,000.
Audience
Annually over 85,000 individuals are involved in Big Arts Week
either as participants or information providers to their networks.
The Big Arts Week marketplace includes at its heart thousands of
young people but also reaches educators, creative professionals
(visual artists, writers, performers, musicians, filmmakers, designers
and architects etc) and their households.
Big Arts Week offers pupils the opportunity to explore creative
processes with people that practice their art. We want to help more
young people broaden their horizons and realise the wealth of possibilities
at their fingertips. Creative skills can be unlocked and developed,
increasing confidence and self-esteem, possibly leading to greater
teamwork, better communication skills and ultimately, increased
opportunities. Every industry thrives on the creative influences
that shapes and facilitate its growth and these are the industry
leaders of the future.
Benefits of Partnership
Big Arts Week is a young and dynamic initiative with a strong track
record and an eagerness to sustain and improve its activities. The
scope for corporate partnership is wide and varied and open to suggestion
for mutual benefit. It’s an exciting prospect that proactively
channels the creative sentiment that is currently high on the agenda
of educators, creative industries and government alike.
The most stimulating thing about Big Arts Week is that there are
a number of ways that your company can make its mark. Getting involved
with a project that proactively draws on the good will of society
to address a creative need within the local community that is consistently
reiterated by schools.
Big Arts Week Champions
We take a very professional approach to understanding what’s
important to your company to mutual advantage. Our partnership aspirations
look to cultivate ways that your staff become an integral part of
the programme as well as developing a partnership that compliments
and strengthens your companies key objectives.
The Champion programme is very much focussed on the strength of
your organisation; your people.
We see the logic in utilising the skills and passions within your
workforce and propose the following suggestions as possibilities
of their involvement or springboards for other ideas.
As a national campaign we are able to focus on areas that are important
to your company . In these areas a Big Arts Week Committee could
be convened, made up of interested volunteers.
Their duties could include the following:
- Fundraisers – a raft of fun filled activities could be
planned to raise funds for the schools that are taking part in
Big Arts Week in the target area. These funds would be used for
materials.
- Project Co-ordinators – A team of volunteers could be
responsible for helping schools and artists deliver and publicise
their projects.
- Liaison Officers – Corporate expertise could be used to
identify local companies that would be interested in supporting
schools activities
- Trainers – A need has been established among some volunteer
artists for training. As part of the volunteering/working with
school training that we would provide with Volunteer Arts Network,
we feel the artists may also benefit from some general business
guidance.
- Exhibition Co-ordination – The Committee may decide that
they would like to help their group of schools exhibit their work
or screen their films etc.
These are simply some suggestions that would need more personal
consideration and tailoring, but should give an indication of the
range of activities that Champions could undertake.
Branding
In addition to the 85,000 participants that see our material annually
we have a presence on dozens of other creative websites, publications
and newsletters. We communicate with over 30,000 companies and over
1,000 educational and arts organisations each year. The co-branding
potential is huge. Creativity is at the heart of all that we do
from the materials we produce, the technology we use and the way
we communicate.
The following highlights some of the branding
potential.
- Poster Campaign – posters are produced and distributed
across the country to schools, arts organisations and community
groups
- Direct Mail Campaign – registration leaflets are distributed
to schools, artists and arts organisations.
- Web Campaign –- http://www.bigartsweek.com is used by
numerous school, artists and organisations nationwide. A Viral
web campaigns has been developed. Interactive web activities are
in the pipeline.
- Information Packs - packs are sent to all registrants
- Advertising - We advertise in trade press as well as arts specific
publications
- Mementos – i.e. certificates and art pads for children,
art materials for schools etc.
Other Options
In addition there are other Big Arts Week features such as the
24 Hour Film Challenge and Big Pic of the Week competition that
could prove viable sponsorship investments. We also try to film
some of the activities that take place and hold exhibitions of achievements
if possible. These are a bonus to the campaign and strengthen the
brand therefore we are interested in making these more sustainable
aspects.
Big Arts Week does not consider sponsorship valuable simply on
a monetary level, but wants to develop partnerships that have the
scope to diversify and develop on a long-term basis.
The enthusiasm and energy of the young participants and volunteers
spur us on to continually provide better services and we hope this
attitude will stimulate your involvement.
To discuss this further please contact Constance
Agyeman:
Big Arts Week
2 Downstream Building
1 London Bridge
London
SE1 9BGNQ
Tel: 020 7785 6372
E-mail: c.agyeman@timebank.org.uk
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