High Peak Community Arts

Youth and Community Arts for the High Peak

Memories from the Archives!

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!

Things to do Feb Half Term onwards

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                

www.poetryhealthservice.com

 

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/

e.g. https://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/events/escape-velocity-with-kielder-observatory/event-4082/)

 

 

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                

https://www.zooniverse.org/

 

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                

https://explorebuxton.co.uk/ms-building-in-buxton-to-feature-dramatic-video-illumination/?fbclid=IwAR362xup6BPeTLYWg6V8DIfDgNv2oR4Z-vdmFNeJe_Nj__OVKMYCjGsTj8c

or babblingvagabonds.co.uk

 

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                

https://fantasticforfamilies.com/online-events/13846/introduction-to-singing?StartDate=2021-02-15-1100&EndDate=2021-02-15-1200

 

 

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                

https://fantasticforfamilies.com/online-events/13860/showtown-presents-russ-brown-s-magic-workshop?StartDate=2021-02-18-1400&EndDate=2021-02-18-1445

 

 

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                

https://fantasticforfamilies.com/online-events/13823/children-s-creative-writing-workshop?StartDate=2021-02-19-1100&EndDate=2021-02-19-1200

 

 

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                

https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/literature-poetry/skin-it-takes-blood-and-guts?eventId=863521

 

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                

https://www.coliseum.org.uk/shows/petrichor-online-3401ar/?utm_campaign=269281_Petrichor%20online%20-%20Feb%202021%20announcement&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Oldham%20Coliseum%20Theatre&dm_i=6M6V,5RS1,1HOMP1,O52R,1

 

Ticket to Hope

Watch and listen to the beautiful short poetry film, ‘Ticket to Hope’ by poet Helen Mort ( and spot Project eARTh’s collages , too …)
Ticket to Hope is a community poem compiled in autumn 2020 by Helen Mort from the words of people who live, work or study in Derbyshire. They were asked to respond to the question ‘what does hope mean to you?’. Helen has curated these words into a new poem and short film which has incorporated as many people’s ideas as possible. Even words which didn’t directly make it into the poem have influenced the tone and mood of the piece and the images chosen for the film. Thank you to everyone who participated. This project was supported by Derbyshire County Council and Arts Derbyshire.
 

Coasters for World Kindness Day Fri 13th November!

World Artists for World Kindness Day:

With artist Amanda Whewell, we had activities inspired by a different artist each week, for seven weeks. Participants received a hand delivered Art Bag of activity sheets, sketch book and all the materials needed for the project. The colourful sheets had artwork and information about the artist, with two activities inspired by their work – and a third offered for those who were keen, and wanted to do more. Amanda also made a short film to demonstrate each week’s workshop for those who have internet – and still available of course, to anyone outside the project who would like to get creative for a few hours. At the end of the project, we chose artwork from each sketchbook to print onto coasters/(cardboard beermat style) for us to give away on World Kindness Day ( Friday 13th November). 

The 500 sets of 12 coasters are being given to participants to give to friends and family, to HPCA ‘Friends’ and to local foodbanks and voluntary groups to give to families in the High Peak. 

For more info see here!

Annual General Meeting 2020

 
Tuesday November 24th at 7.30pm!
This year’s Annual General Meeting will be held online via Zoom & broadcast on Youtube & Facebook Live.
We are excited to announce that celebrated poet, Helen Mort, will be joining us to read some poems and chat about our year.
 
Anyone can attend the Zoom session to ask questions about our work. Members of the organisation (which is project participants, Friends of HPCA, volunteers and anyone who has signed up for membership) will be able to vote on the annual items for the agenda.
Non-members can still join the zoom and will be able to ask questions, but not vote. But why not sign up and become a member? Register for the meeting below and we will send you a membership form.
 
To join the zoom session please register here:
 
 
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
 
 
Download our membership form here, which can be sent back by email to:
susie@highpeakarts.org
 
 

Tall Tales 2020

Thankyou, well done and congratulations to everyone who took part in the Tall Tales project this year.  Here are some pics to remember everything we did…

And here are the three episodes, in case you missed any of them:

 

 

 
From 24th – 28th September artwork featuring in the films were installed in New Mills Festival – for the Light Up New Mills weekend.  Here are the two soundscapes that went with the artwork:

DYSTOPIA: Imagine the worst version of 2070:

 
UTOPIA: Imagine the best version of 2070

 

Click here if you are a member of the project looking for information and instructions.  UPDATE 3rd August:  Kris shows us how to collect sounds to use later.

Click here if you are interested in joining the project, or making things to send us.

Click here for the Risk Assessment for face-to-face workshops – things you need to know.

If you are a member of the project you will get a text message telling you when there is new info on here.
If you would like to join the project you should email sophie@highpeakarts.org and she will get in touch.  Click here for sign up info.

First up here is a mindfulness exercise from Frances Walker, which is designed to go with her Tree of Life exercise, but can equally be useful on it’s own. Feeling stressed? Wound up? Mind racing? Listen to Frances…

Sticking together!

Re-launching our youth programme through the COVID-19 emergency of 2020.

 

Welcome to High Peak Community Arts’ youth programme.

This is a complete re-design of how we work with young people – so we can keep connecting and supporting young people who take part in our work.

 

 

 

We hope this new way of connecting will be a voyage of discovery into new tools and new skills – we all need some fun right now, and there are ideas waiting to get made… by US!

 

Our priority is to provide for our current participants, but we are working on ways for new people to join in.

If you are new to our programmes please get in touch with Sophie directly by email: sophie@highpeakarts.org, or get someone else to email her with your contact details and she will get in touch.

 

 

Current participants click here to find out how to sign up.

Workers, Volunteers & Over 18s click here for guidelines.

EXCITING JOB OPPORTUNITY!

Fundraising /Development Post – One day per week, starting June 1st 2020

An exciting new three year role at High Peak Community Arts, the successful applicant will be responsible for raising the match funding needed for Project eARTh (arts and health programme) and revenue funding for High Peak Community Arts. The role will also include exploration of local / regional developments in arts and health and social prescribing.

Job Description Fundraising and Development

Application Form Fundraising and Development

For full details, email susie@highpeakarts.org or look on our website home page, www.highpeakarts.org

Deadline for applicants: 9am Monday 23rd March. Interviews: Tues 31st March

Project eARTh gets new Lottery funding!

We are delighted to announce that Project eARTh has been granted continuation funding of £170,615 over three years by the Reaching Communities Fund of the National Lottery Community Fund ! This will start on June 1st 2020, when our current funding finishes.  We have also been granted £6,000 from High Peak Locality Public Health , and have raised a further £6,000 from other sources, meaning that we have all our funding in place for  June 2020 – May 2021.

This exciting news means that we can continue to run our arts and health programme in New Mills and Buxton, for adults experiencing mental distress or other long term conditions.  Now in its 10th year, Project eARTh is based on collective working on projects to make art for community – and with over 50 projects completed you may well have seen our artwork somewhere near you! Currently our art can be seen across the High Peak in GP surgeries, railway stations, parks, woodland trails, care homes , churches, church halls, art centres and more….And if you know of a spot that needs enlivening (or calming) with art, indoors or out, please let us know.

And if you feel you would benefit from joining in, or know someone who might, give us a call on 01663 744516 or email alison@highpeakarts.org.

It is free to attend, and we provide free transport for anyone who needs it, including a mini bus from Glossop to the New Mills group.  Each workshop is led by a professional artist and supported by mental health workers and volunteers to create a safe and welcoming environment. It enables people to get out, meet others, make friends, be creative, learn new skills and have fun. In the process we make lovely art works for our communities, so it is win win all round!

The grant also includes funds for a new one day per week post for a fundraiser / development worker to help us raise the match funding required to run the project. (Details available February).