High Peak Community Arts is looking for freelance artists to send in project ideas for Project eARTh, its programme for adults experiencing mental distress.
Please click here for details:
High Peak Community Arts is looking for freelance artists to send in project ideas for Project eARTh, its programme for adults experiencing mental distress.
Please click here for details:
Explore your creative ambitions!
We are pleased to announce that our youth music and creative arts sessions are returning for another season in Fairfield and Gamesley. Anyone aged 8+ is welcome to come along and try playing in a band, writing and performing songs and making art, animations and stories.
These sessions are a lovely way to meet new young people who might not yet know where their creative passions lie – People can try a wide range of things and if they enjoy it, they can sign up for our Summer School. Sessions start with toast and squash, and activities are run by professional artists and musicians who specialise in collaborating with young people to create new original work from the ideas the group bring.
Sessions run from 3.30 – 5.30 on Mondays in Fairfield Community Centre (St.Nick’s) and Wednesdays at Gamesley Community Centre, from Monday 9th May through to the end of term (see our Calendar!). The Summer School will be in the first two weeks of August (dates tbc) when young people from both areas will work together to produce a public performance to share. Not everyone wants to be centre stage, so again there are lots of options, from being in the band, to making the costumes and props and helping backstage.
For more information contact Sophie on 01663 744516 or sophie@highpeakarts.org.
Leaf Release.
On the 26th April, 2022, we had a lovely morning at Whitfield House in Glossop, for the celebration of Project eARTh’s artwork, ‘Leaf Release’ – made by participants, with artist Kay Stowell.
Yes the rumours are true, we have moved out of High Lee Hall which has been our home for the last 33 years+. Alison has sat at the same desk since 1990, so please think of her as she adjusts to new GPS coordinates!
Our newsletters are currently featuring articles by each of our three Kickstart workers, who started working with HPCA in July, August and September. Kickstart is a government scheme set up by the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) to create 6 month work placements for young people age 18-24 who were struggling to find work and get experience on their CV. We first heard about it back in the middle of 2020 when we got a mailshot from The Mighty Creatives (East Midlands Bridge Organisation for arts and education), asking for expressions of interest to take on a worker. We were instantly interested both in having extra capacity in the charity to help deliver our work, but also in doing what we can to help young people who are in a very difficult work climate, made worse by Covid.
The Mighty Creatives launched as an umbrella organisation with the DWP and towards the end of 2020 they guided us through the process of writing job descriptions, and getting approval as an employer. Initially we designed a Trainee Project Manager job as someone who could shadow mine and Alison’s work. Then, thinking about young people with more practical creative skills we added a Trainee Workshop Leader job role.
I can write more about the recruitment process later – but for now I’ll fast forward to introducing you to the first two newsletter pieces. One from Luke Woohead, who joined the team at the end of July as Trainee Workshop Leader. He is actually a long-term member of our Film Cuts Club, so has chosen to write about what it’s like to participate over a long period. The second is from Elinor Coakley, our other Trainee Workshop Leader, who writes about her project which launched on 17th December. The final contribution for now will be in February, when you will hear from Georgia Tyler, our Trainee Project Manager.
Sophie
Luke
I first started at Film Cuts Club close to six years ago, most likely around the age of fourteen. At the time I was quite nervous around people I didn’t know and as a result, I had trouble socialising and making new friends….
…I think that’s one of the reasons why my mother brought me to the local youth centre, where film club were doing pilot sessions. At first I was quiet however I remember quickly acclimatising to the new environment, as I felt welcome and safe. I quickly became friends with another boy called Josh James, due to our shared interest in Doctor Who. I then met Andy as we were both in charge of editing other people’s films and we gradually became friends as a result. Then I met Matthew, Josh James’ younger brother and we both have a love for Warhammer 40K. From going to film club, I’ve been able to grow as a person and work on improving my self-confidence and overcoming my nervousness. The fact that I was in a group of likewise minded people who were welcoming and kind was a lot of help, and I always looked forward to the next film club session. This helped a lot with my mental health, as I was able to talk to other people about things we both shared interests in. Most of the time I used to stay at home and not interact much with other people, and now I feel far more confident going out and about and interacting with new people I meet. There are times when my nervousness affects me and can interfere with my everyday life. It can feel absolutely debilitating at times. Recently it’s been affecting me quite badly however I’m taking the steps to better myself, namely talking about it with people around me and seeking help. The best thing you can do is talk about how you feel with someone, even doing something like that will help you feel better.
On the technical side of things, film club increased my skills in writing, such as script writing. I also learnt how to use basic editing techniques, like cross-dissolves and key frame animation in Premier Pro (Other software is available…and likely cheaper…). These skills have helped me later in life as they came in handy at college, where I studied Creative Media and then Animation and Game design. Most of my time at film club was spent editing other people’s films. (I only ever made one film myself.) Editing and script writing was an invaluable experience, because it showed me that I couldn’t always just accept my own way as the only way. Instead it showed to me that other people’s opinions matter, occasionally more than my own. Examples: Scenes needing to be cut, ideas which were no good. This skill also improved over the course of film club, especially as I started to do more script writing and working with more people, helping them with their ideas.
Becoming a Kickstart worker for High Peak Community Arts, I have gained a different insight into everything that goes into planning a session of film club and other sessions, such as Project eARTh. I’m not going to lie; it can be stressful in the planning stage but it is worth it in the end. My time with high peak is split between Project eARTh, the office and Film Cuts Club. For the most part it’s been a lot of fun. (Occasionally my Asperger’s can become a problem.) Most of the times it’s when something unpleasant happens, which triggers my nervousness/Asperger’s and I can end up entering a ‘shut-down’ phase, where I withdraw into myself and have trouble coming out of that phase. Sophie and the other workers and volunteers at High Peak Community Arts have been extremely supportive, helping me out when I have a shut-down or episode. There is a benefit of this however, that is due to my experiences of mental health growing up, I’m more likely to notice it in others than some around me. At least on one occasion at the summer school, I had to help a young boy who appeared to be entering a shut-down like episode, similar to the ones I had. Other times I’ve called out to colleagues to warn them whether I think someone is in need of help. Overall I have enjoyed my time working with High Peak Community Arts however I don’t think it’s something that I would want to continue in future (I’ll still volunteer at film club and any summer schools)…
…Instead I think I want to go back to finding a job in retail, preferably somewhere involving books as that’s where my passion lies. I am glad I did Kickstart with High Peak Community Arts, as it helped me work out what job is right for me.
Elinor
Elinor started with us on the first day of the Tall Tales Summer School in August 2021, so she was really thrown in at the deep end. She proved to be a fantastic addition to the team with a unique view point on the way that culture is experienced by a new generation.
Here is what she has to say about job-hunting and next month she will write more about what her placement has been like.
My name is Elinor, I’m 24, and I have ASD. ASD means that I’m on the Autism Spectrum, which is a disability that affects my ability to socialise, organise myself and cope with the world around me. I have been working a job at High Peak Community Arts for 6 months, as part of the Kickstart Scheme.
My job is Trainee Workshop Leader, so I have been working on various projects outside the office, as well as planning sessions and writing up journals to document them.
Before I got my job, I already had a keen interest in disability rights, and community building. I completed a Politics degree with a 2:1, and did a lot of volunteering. My degree was something I was passionate about, it was my ‘special interest’, something that an autistic person becomes very interested in. For me, this was an example of a positive of being autistic. As part of my studies, I did presentations about Autism and women, as well as the effect of loneliness on mental health. This gave me a lot of knowledge informing my later work with High Peak Arts, and spurred me on by realising how much building community improves people’s lives, especially those with a disability like autism.
I also became involved with our university Debate Society, of which I was Equal Opportunities Officer, as I felt it was important for everyone to have their voice heard.This gave me great experience managing groups and conflict management. I realised group sessions need structure, flexibility, empathy and openness.
After university, I volunteered with various different charities. In Spring 2021, I helped out at Project eARTh, a project with High Peak Community Arts. I learnt a lot about different examples of workplaces in the volunteer and charity worked socially and structurally.
Although I enjoyed volunteering, I wanted a full-time job, but faced obstacles in my work search that I had to overcome. It felt like a momentous task to get a job in the midst of the pandemic, especially with a disability.
The biggest things I faced were anxiety, and the ‘unspoken rules’ while applying for jobs. Both were because I’m autistic; I sometimes struggle to understand expectations that are not directly put forward, and I worry that there are things I’m doing wrong on my applications without realising. This sometimes made it hard to stay motivated. In interviews, interviewers would often ask broad questions, and I would answer the best I could but not always know what they really wanted me to say.
Some chain businesses, like fast food restaurants, now require quizzes as part of the application process about what you would do in certain social situations, and how you would manage conflict. There is only ever one ‘correct’ answer to them, and if you fail this you can’t apply for the job. I found this incredibly draining, anxiety provoking, and discriminatory. I couldn’t apply for a lot of jobs because of application systems like this.
In order to overcome these difficulties, I signed up for Universal Credit and attended a lot of zoom and over-the phone workshops and one-to-one sessions for getting into work. They explained step-by step what to put in a job application. CAP Job club and Shane at Buxton Jobcentre were especially helpful, because they showed me exactly what to include and leave out.
When I finally got to the interview at High Peak Community Arts, whilst initially nervous, I really felt like I was somewhere that would understand the talent I had to offer, and they would judge me on my merits. I felt as though they took a holistic approach and that it was a safe place to grow and develop my career. I was so happy when I got the call that I had the job. I finally felt like I could live the life I wanted to, and plan my future.
Our Film Cuts Club have been up to their old tricks again, making something Christmassy to celebrate the end of the year! We premiered ‘The Man Who Bought Christmas’ on 21st December at 6pm. Visit our YouTube channel, or here, where it is be available for the rest of the festive season and beyond!
Merry Christmas from everyone at High Peak Community Arts!
High Peak Community Arts, Project eARTh at home:
This project is split into four weeks, two weeks creating a sampler to learn some different weaving techniques and two weeks to make your own design, using Blue John as a colour theme. (The two-week Easter break is ‘extra’ to this, so in reality you have more time). The aim is for the weaving to look like the cross-section of a Blue John mine.
We are weaving on cards for this project, as they are easier to post than looms! The vertical threads on a loom are called the warp and the horizontal threads are called the weft. The warp is wrapped around the cards and secured at the back with two pieces of tape.
We are making a sampler to practise techniques, then designing and making a final piece inspired by Blue John. Try to use roughly half of your wool yarn for each project. You can always use more of a colour in your sampler if you are not planning to use very much of it in your final piece (e.g. maybe you will use less yellow in your final piece, so can use more of it in the sampler.) Feel free to use some of your own yarn for your practise sampler. If you do not have any at home, it is available cheaply online or from Aldi. Please be sure to only use the yarns supplied in your High Peak Community Arts kit for the final woven Blue John piece, as everyone’s work must be made from the same wool and colour palette.
For the sampler, we are trying two new techniques each week, to be interspersed with plain weave, so you can practice your plain weave each week, too.
Please fill in the weekly evaluation forms as you go – it helps us with our monitoring and our planning – and do give us a call if you need any help.
Week by week instructions can be viewed on the pdf sheet here – Blue John weaving instructions
As you probably know, we at High Peak Community Arts have been celebrating our 40th Anniversary(!), and over the past year we’ve been sorting and cataloguing our archives so that they can be preserved at Derbyshire Record Office. We thought it would be good to share some of the things we’ve uncovered to give an insight to the range of activities that have taken place over the years. We are sharing them over on Facebook, and we hope you enjoy this glimpse into our past!
We’ve selected images from 1980 to 2010 that cover the years we’ve been archiving, and you may well remember some of them – perhaps you took part in some of the activities. If so, please share your memories, as we would like to put together an exhibition and it would be great to hear from people who were there at the time!
Here is our gallery as we compile it! Alternatively click here to go to our Facebook page!
Here are some tips to have a little creative fun over half term and later.
If you are doing an Arts Award at Bronze, Silver or Gold go to an event or performance and it will go towards your award – I’ve labelled these ARTS AWARD. Try to get into a quiet space where you can hear and see properly. Maybe use headphones. Popcorn? Maybe not.
I’ve also divided everything into age group interests.
Young families (early years)
Z-Arts in Manchester have a busy half term programme of children’s theatre & activities:
https://www.z-arts.org/see-whats-on/?category=childrens-shows&dm_i=4V00,GKDT,10ISZL,1YIHE,1#whats-on
Unicorn Theatre, London for online show (‘digital theatre’):
https://www.unicorntheatre.com/whatson
Children / young teens (or young at heart)
When ANYTIME (50 mins long)
Cost FREE
Who London Symphony Orchestra
Title Space! But not as we know it
Description ARTS AWARD
Billed as age 7 – 12 (but I think it sounds good, and I’m 45)
Find out what happens when an orchestra has to keep its distance!
Rachel Leach explores the separation of sounds, how music travels around an orchestra and what you can hear between the notes.
Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=814XZU32bRo&list=RD814XZU32bRo&start_radio=1&t=0
When ANYTIME
Cost FREE
Who Home Mcr / Oldham Coliseum
Title Poetry Health Service
Description ARTS AWARD
It’s a web app, asks you questions and then prescribes you a poem to hear and keep and you can write a haiku in response. Lovely.
Link
When Friday 19th February 12.30pm (45 mins)
Cost FREE
Who London Symphony Orchestra
Title Friday Lunchtime Concert
Description ARTS AWARD
Orchestral music – live-streamed
Link
https://lso.co.uk/whats-on/icalrepeat.detail/2021/02/19/1901/-/free-friday-lunchtime-concert.html
When Thursday 18th Feb, 10.30am
Cost FREE (booking required)
Who Buxton Opera House
Title Intro to puppet making and puppetry
Description
Introduction to puppetry and puppet making, a hands-on session starting by looking at a variety of basic paper puppetry techniques and styles. It’s a practical workshop, so you will need to prep some basic materials beforehand.
Link
https://buxtonoperahouse.org.uk/event/sam-wilde-workshop
When From 12th – 21st Feb – Various events, mostly evenings
Cost FREE
Who Northumberland National Park
Title Dark Sky Festival
Description
Various events including Astrophotography for beginners, Stories of the Skies, Escape Velocity (about using a mobile phone to photograph the night sky)
Link
https://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/whats-on/
When ANYTIME
Cost FREE
Who Chester Zoo
Title Virtual Zoo Days
Description
Meet the animals!
Link
https://www.chesterzoo.org/virtual-zoo-2/
When ANYTIME, various
Cost FREE
Who Zooniverse
Title Citizen Science projects
Description
The Zooniverse enables everyone to take part in real cutting edge research in many fields across the sciences, humanities, and more. The Zooniverse creates opportunities for you to unlock answers and contribute to real discoveries.
Link
When ANYTIME
Cost FREE
Who Explore Buxton
Title Capturing a Moment
Description
Do your own stories and drawings to contribute to a outdoor projection show. Deadline 28th February.
Link
When ANYTIME until 21st February
Cost £2.50 or pay what you feel
Who Cambridge Junction
Title The Snow Queen
Description ARTS AWARD
Drama performance – brand new family adventure straight into your living room!
Join Gerda on her quest to save her best friend Kaj from the Snow Queen in the frozen north.
From the makers of Snow White and Beauty & the Beast, a special online adventure featuring music, storytelling, action and animation.
Featuring a broken mirror, wild woods, a Mongolian yurt, helpful crows and a reindeer or two!
Get involved and play along with the film using the accompanying downloadable activity pack.
Suitable for ages: 5+
Link
https://www.junction.co.uk/the-snow-queen
When ANYTIME
Cost FREE, suggested donation £2
Who Little Angel Theatre, London
Title The Girl and The Raven
Description ARTS AWARD
Age 6+. A short adaptation of the Icelandic folk legend of The Girl and The Raven. The story is based on events surrounding a huge landslide in Vatnsdalur, Iceland in 1545, laying waste to the farm of Skíðastaðir. Thirteen people died, but tradition says that one girl survived in an extraordinary manner…
Link
https://littleangeltheatre.com/online-shows-and-activities/watch/the-girl-and-the-raven/
When Monday 15th, Wednesday 17th, Friday 19th February, 11am, 1 hour
Cost FREE
Who Kindred Drama
Title Introduction to singing.
Description
Workshops with warm-ups and exercises. Free.
Link
When Thursday 18th Feb 2pm
Cost FREE (booking required)
Who Showtown: Russ Brown
Title Magic Workshop
Description
Suitable for age 5+. Award winning magician Russ Brown is your host as he teaches you step by step how to make things transport, vanish and even float on a card’s edge!
Link
When Friday 19th Feb 11am.
Cost FREE (booking required)
Who Stamford Arts Centre
Title Children’s Creative Writing Workshop
Description
Release your imagination and find your voice, confidence and enjoyment throughout the process.
Link
In fact there is a lot of stuff on Fantastic for Families – organisations all over the country post their events and activities there.
For events (ARTS AWARD) to watch:
https://fantasticforfamilies.com/online-events
For activities to do:
https://fantasticforfamilies.com/home-activities
Also much recommended this Youtube Art Club, from Olaf Falafel (is that his real name??)
https://www.youtube.com/user/OlafFalafel
Older teen / young adult:
When ANYTIME
Cost Various, pay as you feel, (if you are doing silver or gold Arts Award, HPCA can pay for tickets)
Who Home, Manchester
Title Homemakers Festival
Description ARTS AWARD
Homemakers is series of new commissions inviting artists to create new works at home, for an audience who are also at home. Various topics and genres, including 2 featuring sign language.
Link
https://homemcr.org/event/homemakers/
When Feb 25th (and for 7 days after, on demand)
Cost £7.50 (if you are doing silver or gold Arts Award, HPCA can pay for tickets)
Who South Bank Centre, London
Title Raven Leilani in conversation
Description ARTS AWARD
The debut novel from Raven Leilani has won plaudits across the board – hear from the author in a broadcast conversation with novelist Diana Evans.
Link
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/literature-poetry/raven-leilani-luster?eventId=864144
When March 4th (and for 7 days after, on demand)
Cost £7.50 (if you are doing silver or gold Arts Award, HPCA can pay for tickets)
Who South Bank Centre, London
Title Skin in conversation
Description ARTS AWARD
‘You’ve got to keep moving forward, keep striving for everything you want to be.’ Skin
The lead singer of rock band Skunk Anansie, solo artist, LGBTQI+ activist and all-around trailblazer launches her memoir in a broadcast event.
I’m going to this – Skin was my total hero in the 1990s.
Link
When March 19th, 7.30pm
Cost £10 (if you are doing silver or gold Arts Award, HPCA can pay for tickets)
Who South Bank Centre, London
Title London Contemporary Orchestra
Description ARTS AWARD
The innovative ensemble presents orchestral versions of new electronic masterpieces and a UK premiere.
Link
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/gigs/london-contemporary-orchestra?eventId=864197
When Various 28th March – 4th April, generally 7.30pm
Cost £7.50 (if you are doing silver or gold Arts Award, HPCA can pay for tickets)
Who South Bank Centre, London
Title Out Spoken Festival
Description ARTS AWARD
Bringing the cream of UK writing talent to you, our resident poetry and music night goes online for the very first time.
Link
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/literature-poetry/out-spoken?eventId=863518
When 1st – 7th March, anytime (35 mins long)
Cost From £7.50 (if you are doing silver or gold Arts Award, HPCA can pay for tickets)
Who Oldham Coliseum / Thickskin
Title Petrichor
Description ARTS AWARD Immersive Theatre in VR.
Welcome to Petrichor.
Thousands applied and you have been selected.
This is a new beginning, a clean slate, a second chance.
You are an important part of this machine,
And that’s all you need to think about.
Step into a new world.
“PETRICHOR is a 360-degree experience with action happening all around you. The experience can be viewed on smartphones and tablets, with or without a VR headset and you can move your device to follow the action around the space, for this reason we do not recommend you watch on a computer, laptop or smart TV. We also recommend wearing headphones as PETRICHOR uses sound to direct you where to look. This means it’s best to watch individually rather than as a group.”
Link