voluntary arts week
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How to get involved in Voluntary Arts Week
Briefing 157 / December 2012
157
Briefing 157 / December 2012
Voluntary Arts Week shines a light on all thewonderful amateur arts and crafts activity
taking place across the UK and theRepublic of Ireland and encouragesothers to join in.
Its an annual celebration of the impact voluntary arts
groups have on their communities, and the diverse
work they produce. This Briefing tells you all about
Voluntary Arts Week, how you can get involved and
the benefits it could bring to you and others.
How it all began
The first Voluntary Arts Week took place in Scotland in
May 2011 but, like most good ideas, we borrowed it
from someone else. Since 2007, thousands of people
across Belgium have been enjoying the annual Week
of Amateur Arts (or WAK as its known there) and we
thought a similar event would work well here. The
Netherlands also got onboard in 2011, and their
annual WAK is proving increasingly popular.
In 2012 Voluntary Arts Week was rolled out acrossEngland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of
Ireland, so now encompasses the whole of the UK and
Ireland. Hopes are high that it will continue to thrive
and grow into the future, just like WAK.
Why get involved in VoluntaryArts Week?
There are many reasons to get involved in Voluntary
Arts Week:
To grow your group if youre looking to attract
new members, Voluntary Arts Week is the perfect
opportunity. See overleaf for ways to show people
what you do and encourage them to join in.
To raise your profile the extra exposure brought
about by this special week can help raise your
groups profile in the local media, potentially boosting
participant and audience numbers.
To celebrate your achievements groups work
hard all year round, both behind the scenes and infront, and this is a chance to come together and
celebrate all that youve achieved.
To feel part of something knowing that youre part
of a nationwide event celebrating the arts and crafts
reminds us all that were part of something bigger. A
warm feeling inside is distinctly possible.
To help boost the voluntary arts nationwide
the more groups and individuals who take part in
Voluntary Arts Week, the bigger message it sends to
local and national decision-makers about the
importance of arts and crafts activity. So lets make it
a big one!
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What could you do duringVoluntary Arts Week?
Performing arts
Open rehearsal if your drama group, choir,
orchestra, dance troupe or band meets for a weeklyrehearsal, why not open your doors during Voluntary
Arts Week and invite people in? An open rehearsal is
a relaxed, unpressured way for people to see what
you do, and perhaps be inspired to join in.
Special performance during Voluntary Arts Week,
you could maximise on the extra publicity the week
could bring by putting on a special one-off show,
perhaps to raise money for charity.
Taster session sometimes its not until you try
something that you know how much fun it is. Give
people a chance to share your enjoyment by runninga taster session, giving them a gentle introduction to
your activity.
Public performance whether its an unexpected
flashmob, or a pre-announced performance, taking
your talent out into the public arena is a great way to
get noticed. Bus or train stations, shopping centres,
bandstands, parks, town centres there are lots of
places to show your skills to a whole new audience
(but make sure you get permission first!).
Visual arts and craft Whats In Your Window? one of the most exciting
aspects of Voluntary Arts Week is the Whats In Your
Window? campaign. During the week, were asking
people to showcase their creativity by placing
paintings, photographs, knitting, quilts, or anything
else theyve produced, in their window alongside a
Voluntary Arts Week banner. Why not take this
opportunity to create a group display to show more
people what you do? See opposite for ideas on
which windows to use.
Run a workshop if your visual art or craft group
has amassed a set of skills be it oil painting or
flower arranging dont keep it to yourself. Run a
special themed workshop during Voluntary Arts Week
to share your abilities with others.
Hold a come and try session less formal than a
workshop, come and try sessions are a great way to
offer people hands-on fun in a relaxed environment.
Exhibit your work celebrate your groups
achievements with a special Voluntary Arts Week
exhibition, perhaps featuring some of your favourite
pieces from the previous year.
All voluntary arts groups
If youre already holding an event during this years
Voluntary Arts Week, simply badge it as a Voluntary
Arts Week event. You can list it on the Voluntary Arts
Week website to benefit from the additional publicity,and download marketing material (including the
Voluntary Arts Week logo) to help advertise your event.
Get together with others
Voluntary Arts Week is a great opportunity to get
together with other groups, organisations and venues.
It could lead to a relationship that lasts year-round. If
you fancy trying something different, why not:
Step outside your art or craft form get in touch
with other local groups in your area and see how you
could work together. For example, a youth orchestra
and young dance group could team up for a show. Or
a photography group could capture some
yarnbombing done by local knitters.
Reach out to other groups if there are groups in
your area who do the same thing as you, why not
see if you could collaborate on a special project for
Voluntary Arts Week? Two choirs are louder than one
when it comes to flashmobs!
Work with nearby venues see if venues in your
area can provide a home for your Voluntary Arts
Week event perhaps one youve never used
before? Council offices, theatres and libraries are
especially good for the Whats In Your Window
campaign. Imagine how amazing it would look, if
public buildings across the British Isles had their
windows filled with beautiful art and crafts!
If you work for a local authority/council or other public
organisation, could you provide a performance space
or window for a local arts or crafts group? Better yet,
could you run, facilitate or support a performance in
your town centre during Voluntary Arts Week?
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Voluntary Arts is currently hatching its own plans to get
knitters, sewers, quilters and other craftspeople
together for an exciting nationwide project so if youd
like to get involved, email [email protected]
and let us know.
Publicising yourVoluntary Arts Week event
Due to the special nature of Voluntary Arts Week, its
worth flagging up your event to all the usual channels
then pushing the boat out even further. Local
newspapers, radio stations, online forums, community
magazines and libraries are a great place to start. Plus
social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter
(your own, and the Voluntary Arts Week ones). If
youre mentioning your event on Twitter, be sure to
use the #voluntaryartsweek hashtag.
If youre putting up a poster or sending out flyers,
make sure you download the free resources from the
Voluntary Arts Week website, to badge your event with
the special logo.
You can also list your event for free on the Voluntary
Arts Week website, and well spread the word far and
wide, through both traditional media and the Voluntary
Arts Week Facebook page and Twitter feeds. Well be
directing lots of people to the Voluntary Arts Week
website so make sure youre on it!
How other groups got involved inVoluntary Arts Week
A wide range of groups have joined in previous Voluntary
Arts Week celebrations. Here are just some of them:
Ponteland Library near Newcastle teamed up with a
local floral art group and photographic society. They
hosted a week-long programme of events including
exhibitions, drop-in taster sessions and craft
demonstrations.
The Scots Music Group (pictured below) held an
open rehearsal and public performance, allowing
newcomers and traditional music lovers to see them
in action and find out more about the range of
classes and workshops they offer.
Milton Keynes Council held their annual Arts &
Heritage Open Places during Voluntary Arts Week,
and used our website to link to their programme of
over 50 events, including workshops, tours, talks,
exhibitions, demonstrations and open studios at
venues across Milton Keynes.
Granny Greens Big Night Out, a weekly gatheringof crafters and creatives based in Edinburgh, held an
exhibition of members work in the window of a
disused shop as part of the Whats In Your Window?
campaign. This generated a lot of interest and gave
them an opportunity to tell people about the groups
upcoming programme.
Voluntary Arts Week is a great way to get the word
out there if youre part of a voluntary arts organisation,
or a great way to try something new if youre not.
Myself and my volunteers thoroughly enjoyedourselves. - P.I.E. Arts Group
Help Voluntary Arts Week grow
We expect Voluntary Arts Week to grow year-on-year,
but we cant do it without your help.
As well as taking part in the week, and letting us know
about your event, we need people to upload their
photographs onto the Voluntary Arts Week website.Were especially keen to see your Whats In Your
Window snaps.
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You can also help spread the word about this exciting
annual celebration, by liking the Voluntary Arts Week
Facebook page, tweeting about it if you have a Twitter
account (using the #voluntaryartsweek hashtag) and
by good old word of mouth.
Further Resources
Voluntary Arts Week website Here youll find
empty belly posters (for you to write in your own
event), a press release template, Whats In Your
Window banners, information on how to add your
event and much more.
Visit www.voluntaryartsweek.org or contact us on
Facebook and Twitter Keep up to date on latestdevelopments with the Voluntary Arts Week Facebook
page - www.facebook.com/voluntaryartsweek and by
following us on Twitter @voluntaryartsweek.
Voluntary Arts Briefings - If youre looking for
information and advice on how to run your event, the
extensive catalogue of Voluntary Arts Briefings could
come in very handy. Theyre all located on Running
Your Group, Voluntary Arts one-stop-shop for all
voluntary groups. There youll find Briefings on
everything from risk assessment to writing a press
release, applying for funding to creating a Facebook
presence. If you havent already signed up for our
FREE Level 1, go to www.runningyourgroup.org.
Your local nation office If youd like to speak to a
member of the Voluntary Arts team about your
involvement in Voluntary Arts Week, then please
contact your local office:
Voluntary Arts England
Tel: 0191 230 4464. Email: [email protected]
Voluntary Arts Ireland
Tel: 028 7127 2501 (from UK) or 048 7127 2501
(from RoI). Email: [email protected]
Voluntary Arts Scotland
Tel: 0131 225 7355. Email: [email protected]
Voluntary Arts WalesTel: 07971 789727. Email: [email protected]
Voluntary Arts Week was initially funded by Legacy Trust UK as
an official part of the cultural celebrations of London 2012, with
the aim of leaving a lasting legacy from the Games. The project
was part of People Making Waves: Make a Splash! which also
received funding support from the National Lottery through
Creative Scotland.
Briefing 157 / December 2012
Voluntary Arts Briefing aRunning Your Grouppublication
Do you need this publication in an alternative format?Contact T: 029 20 395 395 E: [email protected]
Information contained here may go out of date and you are therefore advised to check its currency.
Updated information may be available on the Voluntary Arts website www.voluntaryarts.org.
Disclaimer: Reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the information in this document is accurate. However, it is not
intended to be legally comprehensive; it is designed to provide guidance in good faith at the stated date but without accepting liability.
We therefore recommend you take appropriate professional advice before taking action on any of the matters covered herein.
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We also require that you acknowledge Voluntary Arts wherever such material is used.
Voluntary Arts is the UK and Ireland development agency for voluntary and amateur arts and crafts.
Visit www.voluntaryarts.org/runningyourgroup for more VA Briefings and other interactive learning materials.
Voluntary Arts, 121 Cathedral Road, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9PHT: 029 20 395 395 E: [email protected] W: www.voluntaryarts.org
The Voluntary Arts Network is registered in Scotland as Company No.139147 and Charity No. SC 020345.Voluntary Arts acknowledges funding from the Arts Council of England, Northern Ireland and Wales, the Big Lottery Fund, National Lottery throughCreative Scotland, Legacy Trust UK, Binks Trust and the Austin & Hope Pilkington Trust. Registered office: 54 Manor Place, Edinburgh EH3 7EH.