Big Arts Week is an exciting initiative inviting professional artists to volunteer their time and share their skills to inspire local children in primary and secondary schools throughout the country during the week of 19 - 23 June 2006. Anything between one hour and one week will make a huge difference.

We need all kinds of artists, from musicians to make up artists, painters to performers and composers to clothing designers. In fact, any professional working in the creative industries, who has a passion for the arts, is welcome to register.

The campaign was launched in 2002 and the response from the teachers, children, artists and parents and local communities was very enthusiastic.

“It’s taken the children out of their normal environment to somewhere
completely different and stimulated their imaginations.”
Head teacher

A recent survey showed that despite creative industries being worth more than £67 billion a year to our national economy, 80 per cent of UK teachers are hard-pushed to find time for the arts. This means thousands of schoolchildren receive only a rudimentary introduction to the creative world.

Which is where Big Arts Week comes in. We can’t think of a better way to stimulate the talent of tomorrow than by introducing them to the talent of today.

What is the aim of the Big Arts Week?
To bring the nation's most inspiring art and artists into classrooms across the country. We're asking artists from every creative discipline to visit their local schools to work with the pupils on a creative project. We want to see young people fired up about the arts.

When is Big Arts Week 2006?
From Monday 19 to Friday 23 June 2006.

What's the definition of an artist?
We want the definition to be as wide, varied and current as possible, from writers to dancers, architects to painters, sculptors to musicians. In fact, any professional working in the creative industries who has a passion for the arts is welcome to register.

How do I register?
Click on signup and fill out the appropriate registration form. It’s that simple.

How are schools and artists matched?
Each artist is matched to a school according to postcode. We will then mail the matching details, along with an information pack containing a vital action checklist, to both artists and teachers.

School and artist then contact each other and work out how they will work together. We recommend you meet and discuss the project as soon as possible. You can check out what other schools and artists are doing in News or tap into the Ideas Bank. Don’t forget to contact us and tell us about your project too.

How much time is an artist expected to give?
This depends entirely on how much time is available to the artist and the school. Of course the more time an artist can give the better, but even as little as an hour can be inspirational and get the project off the ground. Exact timings are negotiated between each school and artist.

If you feel you need any more information when you’ve looked through this site, contact us. We’ll be happy to help.

SCHOOLS ASK …
Do I need to do any preparation before the artist's visit?
Ideally, you and your appointed artist will work together to plan the project. When we match you, you'll both receive an information pack with a checklist of vital action. To see what projects happened last year, look at the Ideas Bank.

Do I need to pay anything to get an artist in my school?
No. Each artist gives his or her time voluntarily.
By matching the artist to your school by postcode, we keep travel expenses to a minimum, so that the artist shouldn't feel it necessary to pass them on. The only cost should be any materials that you and your artist agree to use.

Is a school guaranteed to get an artist ?
Unfortunately not. We will try our best but, if for any reason we can't match your school with a volunteer artist, you can still take part. You’ll get an information pack which includes some suggestions on how to find your own artist, and how to celebrate the week without one.

We are already having an arts week, but it's not at the same time as The Big Arts Week. Can you help us to find an artist?
Although we'd really love to help, we want to keep our focus on the national event, so unfortunately the answer is "No".

How can we find out ways for the children to continue with certain arts if we do not have the facilities in school?
You can talk to the Arts Adviser at your Local Education Authority and your Regional Arts Council can provide support too.

ARTISTS ASK…
Where can I get guidance on how to structure my visit?
You'll find a checklist of vital action on this site and in the information pack we mail in April. The Ideas Bank is also a good source of inspiration. There are also organisations that can help. For instance, Engage has a professional development officer and can help with training for visual artists. You can contact them by emailing info@engage.org.

Should I show the children examples of my work?
Absolutely. Just telling them how a piece of your art came into being could be the seed of a great project. Ideally, your appointed school will have already introduced the children to your art before you arrive – we recommend this in our guidelines.

Can I specify which school I visit?
We will be matching school and artist by postcode, but if you feel that you would like to work with a particular school, please contact us and let us know.

I would like to take part in Big Arts Week, but am unavailable that week. Is there any other way that I can be involved?
You can always sign up to receive information about the following year's initiative. Contact us now and we’ll put you on the list for 2007.

Will I get paid for taking part in The Big Arts Week?
No. TimeBank, which manages Big Arts Week, promotes volunteering. We are particularly keen to get into schools where arts isn't high on their list of priorities, perhaps because of lack of arts funding and the increasing emphasis put on numeracy and literacy. We believe that we can raise the profile of the arts in schools through this initiative, forging long-term partnerships between schools and local artists. It may also convince some schools that don't normally employ artists to do so in the future.

GENERAL QUESTIONS
Who funds The Big Arts Week?
We have relied on the help of many different organisations to give us gifts in kind and spread the word. You can see a list of these on the Supporters page.

How long has it been running?
The Big Arts Week was launched in 2002. We hope it will become a regular fixture in the school calendar, enriching the lives of pupils and artists alike.

How can I hear about other schools’ projects?
You'll find details of last year’s projects in the Ideas Bank. Keep in touch with this year’s developments on the News pages. And you can contact us with details of your activity so that we can post the details for others to read....