Action Planning Session: New Work Network and MAC are running an artist-led initiative, who would like to get involved…

Convenor:

Hannah Crosson

Attendees:

Not sure

Description:

New Work Network and MAC are running an artist-led initiative, who would like to get involved and what could this initiative focus on?

Brief background:

NWN’s past Activator projects have been means to support artists, who facilitate other artists, to generate an artistic community that exchanges support. NWN ran a year-long professional development programme that piloted the ‘Activator’ format (made possible by the Cultural Leadership Office) and went on to run 3 regional Activator programmes (in the East, South East and North West), in partnership with a Higher Education Institutes and venues in the area, to support a regional Activator to facilitate artist-led, peer activity in their region. The Regional Activator projects were selected from an open call out, and artists responded with ways in which they thought would best generate activity and an artistic community. The outcome of the programmes were: research in to, and a paper discussing, needs of mid-career artists; a facilitated critical feedback session (The Sunday Lunch Club) that runs once a month and tours the North West; a Live Art platform, weekend retreat and peers showings in the East; and workshops exploring networking across time in the South East. NWN are looking into run a similar programme in partnership with MAC for West Midlands artists…  For more information: http://www.newworknetwork.org.uk/modules/about/viewabout.php?aid=69

MAC will soon reopen and wants to create a space for artists to come together as a community. MAC are interested in collaboration and have producers who will enable ‘multiple voices’ in MAC’s programme. MAC are interested to invite people in to feed in to the activity that takes place in and around the venue. MAC are interested to support an Activator facilitating activity in and around MAC.

The people present suggested some ideas as to what the focus of the scheme could be:

• China Plate offer a support scheme for emerging artist, the needs of mid career artists seemed appropriate to some people present.
• The use of space and how people respond to spaces
• A focus on making work in a concentrated period of time (taking influence from the model of 1448 – 14 plays in 48 hours, and the Old Vic’s model of 24 hours to make new work produces good energy and develops connection between people as they work together)
• Methods of working that challenge skills of making and aren’t focused on final ‘finished’ pieces.
• Using MAC over a weekend to run workshops for artists – an intense weekend in the space – getting to know each other
• Multi disciplinary approach, pushing boundaries between art/music/theatre – (the quote that “Theatre is the place where art forms meet”)
• Looking at how to engage audiences with Theatre , how artists can develop their audiences and share them…
• How to develop better relationships with families, so children grow up accustomed to being involved in theatre
• How artists can infiltrate other ‘scenes’ and promote their work across sectors
• A shared workshoping weekend where people from a variety of artistic backgrounds work together

Other ideas that emerged:

To use MAC as a shared base, where research can take place from and have a space to develop activity in to.

Exchanging knowledge and skills between artists

Working with interdisciplinary courses in possible higher education institutes such as Wolverhampton, Worcester and Coventry..

To engage final year students in opportunities and networks in the region so they see pathways after college and ways in which they can continue working in the West Midlands.

To develop a multidisciplinary focused project, working with the variety of spaces in MAC and bringing together artists and audiences from a variety of practices and backgrounds.