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!Application!Pack!!
Dagenham(Artist(in(Residence(2015(!!
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!!!!!! Hello Thank you for your interest in applying to be the Dagenham Artist in Residence for 2015 as part of the Creative Barking & Dagenham (CBD) programme. This pack provides information to help you understand more about the CBD programme, the aims and objectives of the Dagenham Artist in Residence project and practicalities about timings, eligibility and how to apply. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch via email with any questions and we can arrange a time to meet or have a phone chat: [email protected] All good wishes Miriam & Helen Co-Directors Creative Barking and Dagenham Connect on Twitter: @CreativeBandD #creativebd Like us on Facebook Instagram: #creativebd *Image on front from Make:Good Collective’s artist residency on Scrattons Farm
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1. What is Creative Barking & Dagenham (CBD)? CBD is part of the Art Council England’s Creative People and Places programme. Creative People and Places is a national action research programme to get more people involved in the arts in places where evidence shows people are much less likely than average to take part in arts activity. CBD supports people who live in Barking and Dagenham to experience and be inspired by the arts. Our programme is designed to test out new approaches to involving local people in creative things to do and see. We aim to inspire a lasting passion for arts and culture and a recognition of Barking and Dagenham as a creative place.
Image by Matthew Andrews: Sadia Ur Rehman’s artist residency on Marks Gate CBD is funded by the Arts Council England and Barking and Dagenham Council and is managed by a consortium made up of Studio 3 Arts, Arc Theatre, A New Direction, Collective Voice and Barking and Dagenham Council. We are also working in partnership with Barking and Dagenham CVS and Barking and Dagenham College. There are currently two part-time staff managing the programme: Miriam Nelken as Programme Director and Helen Ball as Engagement Director, supported by Liza Vallance, Artistic Director at Studio 3 Arts as CBD Programme Lead.
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2. What are the aims of CBD?
1. To achieve a long-term increase in levels of arts engagement in Barking & Dagenham. This means more than 10,000 people saying they’d like to be involved with an arts or cultural activity or performance at least 3 times per year.
2. To increase the types of decisions that residents can make regarding creative activities happening in their borough, and involve them in direct decision making for the project.
3. To bring more funding into the area for creative projects.
4. To leave a stronger local arts infrastructure and cultural offer after 2016.
5. To have a positive effect on community cohesion and wellbeing.
6. To develop the reputation of Barking and Dagenham as a cultural destination where you can see and take part in a wide range of creative events and activities.
3. What does CBD involve?
• An Artistic Programme of projects and events in landmarks, neighbourhoods and open spaces across Barking & Dagenham, commissioned by and created with local residents working with arts professionals.
• The ‘People Going Places’ Fund: a fund for people who
live and work in Barking and Dagenham, designed to strengthen the local arts sector and expand the range of creative activities available in the borough.
• The ‘Cultural Connectors’ Network; local adults sharing
their expertise with the CBD project and developing their own creative ideas. There are currently 50 Cultural Connectors and this number will grow to over 100 during the programme.
• An Audience Development Programme which will
promote borough-based arts activities and organisations, work with local venues to attract new touring product in and arrange ticket deals and audience offers for local residents to take part in great arts experiences across London and Essex
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4. Dagenham Artist in Residence aims The Dagenham artist in residence opportunity is part of our Neighbourhoods strand of work, which provides funding for 4 six-month artist residencies in areas of the borough where little arts provision exists. We funded 3 artist residencies in 3 estates across the borough in 2014 – in Scrattons Farm, Marks Gate and Thames View – and have funding left for one more residency in 2015. We’re currently researching estates and potential hosts/partners for artists in Dagenham and will confirm locations shortly. The CBD artist residencies aim to support the growth of creativity and ambition in local communities. We want to give people the chance to try out different arts activities in their local areas, develop skills, share ideas and help to make the places they live more creative. The aspiration for excellence is central to our aims for the residency - both in excellence of art as well as excellence of the process of engaging communities
Image by Cultural Connector Joseph Okechukwu O'jay Obasi of Harald Smykla’s artist stall on Barking Market
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Two new resident-led voluntary arts groups have formed as a result of our previous artist residencies – the Creative Farm and the Marks Gate Arts Collective - both of which have been successful in applying for funding to keep the groups running. The residencies have also been a really effective way of signposting people to follow-on arts and cultural opportunities across the CBD programme and of recruiting new Cultural Connectors. 5 residents involved in previous artists in residence projects are now Cultural Connectors helping us to make decisions in all areas of the CBD programme. We’re also supporting two of the previous Artists in Residence to apply for external funding to work on new projects as a development from their residencies; a newspaper club and creative skills swap-shop based in an empty shop in Barking.
Image from Make:Good Collective’s artist residency on Scrattons Farm 2014
A key aim going forward is to share what we’re learning along the way with the wider cultural sector via articles and case studies in print, online and through a major conference planned for 2016. We have a critical friend supporting our learning and reflection and the Audience Agency is our evaluation partner.
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We are keen through this to provide a public platform for artists we work with, framing their interventions amongst critical debates around socially-engaged arts projects and contributing towards a greater understanding of what works in increasing arts engagement and establishing sustainable arts and cultural opportunities. 5. Expected Outputs and Outcomes The focus of CBD is on adult (17+) audiences and participants. CBD is about reaching new audiences for the first time and offering routes for people to continue enjoying and accessing the arts. The artist residency projects are required to work with approximately 500+ people during a 6-month residency. It is likely therefore that you will need to be able to host some larger public events as well as workshops and small group activity. It’s important to us that artists approach residencies with a commitment to sustainability, considering from the beginning what will be left once the residency is over. The CBD team is committed to supporting ideas for new activities, events and groups coming out of residencies.
Zoe Palmer and Sam Glazer– artists in residence on Thames View 2014
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The overall aim of the CBD programme is to enable people to experience and be inspired by the arts, and we are looking for clear evidence that this has happened as a result of this artist in residence opportunity. The types of outcomes we are looking for are:
1. Evidence that people who haven’t engaged with the arts in the last 12 months are now trying out arts experiences.
2. Evidence that people are benefiting from new experiences and
relationships generated through your work. 3. Evidence that your project has had a transformative impact on
some individuals – for example, this could include: • Someone going on to apply for funding to set up arts
activities for the first time. • Someone being prompted to save up for some new
creative equipment as a result of being inspired by you. • Someone signing up as a Cultural Connector. • Someone visiting a new arts venue or project as a direct
result of your project, or as an indirect result of you introducing them to others.
4. Evidence that people see value in the experiences you are
facilitating.
Image from Sadia Ur Rehman’s artist residency on Marks Gate
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6. El igibi l i ty Criteria We are keen to work with artists who are interested in testing out new approaches to arts engagement and in finding meaningful new ways for people to get involved with the arts. We are open to applications from artists across all art forms. Applicants for the Dagenham Artist in Residence can be either individual artists, artist collectives or arts organisations who can demonstrate that they meet the following eligibility criteria:
• At least 3 years experience of delivering high quality art ist led engagement projects in the public realm, including working with a wide range of partners and managing projects to t ime and budget.
• Experience of working with diverse communities and a demonstrable understanding of the issues around barriers to participation in the arts and how to overcome these
You will need to be available to spend a minimum of two days per week (on average) on an estate in Dagenham from April to Sep 2015.
Image from Make:Good Collective’s artist residency on Scrattons Farm
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7. Application Process and Deadlines To make an expression of interest, please submit the following information to [email protected] by no later than 5pm, Thurs 20th November 2014:
• CV (including contact details of two referees). If you are applying as an organisation or group of artists, please include CVs for everyone you would plan to involve in managing the commission, as well as an indication of roles and responsibilities.
• A covering letter which gives info about your relevant
experience and how you meet the eligibility criteria. Please also outline how you’d approach the residency, why you are interested in this opportunity, and what the residency would mean in terms of your own artistic practice.
A panel consisting of three local residents (part of our team of Cultural Connectors), our artistic adviser and a local strategic partner in the housing/development sector will then select 3 applicants whose expressions of interest most closely match the eligibility criteria and ethos of the residency. Applicants will be informed by the 6th January 2015. The 3 chosen applicants will be awarded bursaries of £500 each to research and develop their approaches to the commissions during January 2015 in consultation with people living and working on 3 estates in Dagenham, with support from the Creative Barking & Dagenham team. They will then be expected to present the results of their research and their approach to the commissions at an interview with the panel on 29th Jan 2014. From these interviews, one applicant will be selected to be resident on an estate in Dagenham during April – September 2015 with an inclusive budget of £20,000. All successful applicants will be expected to take responsibility for measuring and articulating the success of their projects using our monitoring and evaluation templates. Support will be given with managing this.
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8. Any questions?
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch via email and we will arrange a time to meet or talk on the phone about your ideas: [email protected]
We are holding a briefing event on Thurs 6th November, 230pm to 430pm at Studio 3 Arts in Barking for anyone interested in applying to be the Dagenham Artist in Residence for 2015. You’ll have the chance to meet the CBD team and ask any questions. To get your free ticket for this event please register on the following link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cbd-artist-in-residence-info-event-tickets-13564805699!!
Thanks very much for your interest in the Dagenham Artist in Residence opportunity and we look forward to hearing from you.
