Voluntary Arts

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Voluntary Arts

Headquarters	Cardiff, Edinburgh
Location	United Kingdom, Ireland
Key people	Beeban Kidron, President; Robin Simpson, Chief Executive; David Bryan, Chair
Website	www.voluntaryarts.org

Voluntary Arts was established in 1991 to support, celebrate and promote creative cultural activity. In June 2021 the organisation was renamed Creative Lives and continues to run activities and networks to promote and celebrate everyday creativity. Its Strategic Framework document published in 2019 states that 'it promotes active participation in creative and cultural activities across the UK and Republic of Ireland'.^[1] The organisation is supported by funders including the UK Arts Councils and the Irish Arts Council and charitable trusts to encourage all types of non-professional arts and cultural activity.

Through a devolved structure across the UK and Ireland, the organisation provides information and training, works with policy makers, funders and politicians with a goal of improving the environment for everyday creativity, promoting existing activity and encouraging newcomers to get involved. ^[2]

Voluntary Arts is registered in Scotland as Voluntary Arts Network Company No. 139147 and Charity No. SC 020345.

What are the voluntary arts?[]

Creative Lives (formerly Voluntary Arts) promotes creative cultural activities that people undertake for self-improvement, social networking, mental well-being, leisure and fun - but not primarily for payment. The range of art forms includes 'traditional amateur arts and crafts (singing, dancing, drama, quilting, painting, writing etc), to digital arts and creative cookery and gardening - from knitting a jumper to playing the guitar, making a short film to arranging flowers...'.^[3] There have been a number of studies and reports exploring the value of participation in the non-professional arts including for the Department for Culture Media and Sport in 2008 ^[4] and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.^[5]

Structure[]

Creative Lives (Voluntary Arts) has offices in Cardiff and Edinburgh,^[6] as well as project workers in different locations across the UK and in Dublin.

Projects[]

Creative Networks[]

In March 2020, Creative Lives (formerly known as Voluntary Arts) launched #CreativeNetwork - a series of online get-togethers open to anyone involved in arts, culture and creativity in order to connect and collaborate in unusual times. Facilitating these conversations has enabled people from across the UK and Ireland to talk with others, develop ideas and projects, and find sustainable ways forward in changing circumstances. ^[7]

Creative Lives on Air[]

Creative Lives On Air is a partnership between Creative Lives and BBC Local Radio stations. It promotes everyday creativity through local radio, boosting wellbeing and reducing isolation. Creative Lives On Air began with BBC Radio Merseyside as a legacy project following the 2008 EU City of Culture in Liverpool. ^[8]

Voluntary Arts Week[]

Beginning in Scotland in 2011 and extended across the UK and Ireland the following year, Voluntary Arts organised Voluntary Arts Week. This followed similar models in other European countries including the Week van de Amateurkunsten|Week of Amateur Arts in Flanders. Taking place for one week in May, across the UK and Ireland, the aim of Voluntary Arts Week is two-fold:

• to celebrates the wide range of amateur arts and crafts participation which is carried out throughout the year
• to encourage newcomers to get involved

Amateur art and craft groups are encouraged to do something special for Voluntary Arts Week, such as run an open rehearsal, hold a workshop/taster session, put on a special performance or exhibition – anything which shines a light on their activity, and encourages others to join in. Events are then listed on its website.

The 2013 Voluntary Arts Week featured the first ever national 'CraftBomb'. This involved crafters of all kinds taking their creations out into the public domain, leading to a burst of colour in parks, gardens, on railings and outside buildings.

In 2017, the ten-day event was renamed Voluntary Arts Festival.

Get Creative campaign[]

Voluntary Arts was one of the founding partners in the Get Creative campaign in 2015 as an initial year-long programme.^[9] The campaign has evolved and has produced an annual celebration of creativity each spring, beginning in 2016. Get Creative Weekend took place from 7–9 April 2017 and included over 650 events across the whole of the United Kingdom.^[10]

The chief executive of Voluntary Arts chairs the steering committee for Get Creative which also includes representatives from BBC, Arts Council England, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales, Creative Scotland, Crafts Council, Creative People & Places, Fun Palaces and 64 Million Artists.

From 2018, the Get Creative Weekend and Voluntary Arts Festival are merged to become the Get Creative Festival. The dates for the 2018 Get Creative Festival are 17–25 March 2018.^[11]

Creative Lives Awards[]

The Creative Lives Awards - formerly the Epic Awards - are an annual celebration of the achievements of voluntary and community-led creativity. The Awards have been running in England since 2010,^[12] and from 2011 have included Awards for projects in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The Awards are open to any amateur arts or crafts group that is run by volunteers for no financial gain. They can be based anywhere in the UK or Ireland, practise any kind of art or craft form and work with any age group. Nominated projects can be long or short-term, as long as some or all of it took place in the twelve months prior to the Award deadline. Entries might include:

• Groups who have teamed up with other partners
• Projects that reach out to their local community or beyond
• Special celebratory performances or exhibitions
• Activity that sets out to educate, engage or increase participation
• Groups who use new technology in innovative ways

One winner and one runner-up is usually chosen from each of the five nations, voted for by a panel comprising Voluntary Arts staff and board members, and representatives from local arts councils. In addition to this, there is a ‘People’s Choice Award’, voted for online by members of the public, and the ‘Peer Award’, voted for by the shortlisted nominees. An Award ceremony takes place each year, attended by the main winner from each nation.

Previous winners have been as diverse as the amateur arts sector itself, and have included a breakdance crew, all-male choir, drumming group and photography project.

The Epic Awards winners' reception has previously taken place in London, Derry, Glasgow, Salford, Cardiff and Gateshead. In October 2020, the tenth anniversay of the awards, the annual awards ceremony took place online in accordance with Coronavirus restrictions.^[13]

References[]

External links[]

• Voluntary Arts
• Creative Lives