College One: Lectures...15th March...

Whitworth Art Gallery

The Whitworth Art Gallery set up in memory of Joseph Whitworth began collecting drawings, prints and textiles pieces and it started from there. It contains Textile pieces from all over the world and one of the largest wallpaper collections. What is particularly good about the Whitworth Gallery is that appointments can be made so that people can view artists work. 

Whitworth wants to extend the gallery by adding a modern extension, areas for projections and an area section that would encourage people to get more involved in and around the park. 

There current collections are: John Piper, Callum Innes (below), Richard Long, Michael Landy, Beryl Korot (above) and Nancy Holt.

The potential brief's are:

• to create a new workshop for either Secondary/post 16 or Higher Education students
• act as a consultant for the gallery from a Higher Education prospective
• develop products to be made from clay from the Whitworth Park that could be sold in the shop
• develop an interpretation for the Themed Collection Boxes (Theme: Identity, industry, animals, people etc there is about 10 themes)
• or develop an interpretation for the Tactile Too Textile Handing Resources.

Even though the themes for the Themed Collection Boxes sounds interesting, I never seen myself getting involved with a gallery in any of the ways above. It was also said that there wouldn't be much space to do the physical side of my project and the work I would do would have to be dry and not wet. I do not think this would be the best option for me to choose.

Z-arts Lecture

Z-arts aim is "to inspire generations of young people from Manchester and beyond to use creativity to reach their potential." Z-arts is mainly for children and families. They provide creative pathways from the ages of (3-6) up until the ages of (18+). They do career shops for Secondary schools, they also do dance and theatre workshops. Z-arts can also be hired out to organisations as a venue, they have gallery and theatre spaces to display work and for performances. There is currently an Anne Frank's Trust Exhibition on in the Z-arts centre. They also offer vocational training, work placements and mentoring. If interested in work placement's contact Saskia on Saskia@z-arts.org. Individual rooms can be hired out for as little as £5 a day.

The are more male customers than females currently. On the 22nd April 2013, there is a story writing opportunity that needs volunteers, they do not have to have experience, just imagination. Working in any part of the Z-arts organisation all Health and Safety regulations must be known. They also do after school clubs and put on activities during the holidays. Risk Assessments are extremely important! We would have to make sure everything is as safe as it can possibly be. 

There key partners are:

• Manchester City Council
• Tenants
• GBM
• Sub stained theatre
• MMU etc...

There Key Funders are: 

• Manchester City Council
• Youth Music
• Children In Need
• Arts Council
• English lottery (Transition + Heritage)
• BBC performing Arts Fund etc...

Other sources of income:

• Box Office
• Room Hires
• Creative commissions
• Bar and cafe

There have been 100 bespoke projects that have been delivered by Z-arts since January 2010. 

The Live Brief is 'What would you do with our building to inspire children and families?' It can be anything from the walls, to the ceiling, to the furniture. It is the aim to inspire creativity and put this into re-imagining the space. The designs ideas the people come up with may be implemented into the building. This opportunity seems very appealing to me, the brief is so open making the possibilities endless. As I was interested in this choice, I wanted to know whether I could get the children who attend Z-arts involved and it was said to be possible which makes this opportunity more appealing. 

Arts for Health

Arts for Health which is situated in the Righton Building is about individually working through health issues. Can creativity cure the sick? No but it can be used as an outlet to improve the quality of life. The project is about humanizing the environment for the benefit of the patient and thinking differently to achieve this. 

'Aesthetic Third' is something that is working between 2 people. There is life beyond illness and Art gives people with illnesses the chance to explore this. There is a curiosity in people to find out who they are as a person, there is a scientification in everything we do. 

There will be an Exhibition called 'Immortality' in the Holden Gallery- find out more information on this.

The live brief is to enter a competition as part of a group and enter either one of the projects below they are:

•    to create posters and leaflets on Dementia that come from pure imagination and have little text and a lot more imagery, the leaflets have to be informative but not dull
• Print and paste- Chester Street Poster- Stroke. Gather creative minds to develop awareness of strokes in younger people, it has to have a connection with the Immortality Exhibition.
• Assets deficits 

Arts for Health isn't about negativeness it is about giving people a voice, a voice that can affect. I think this opportunity would be one of the most reward able ones, I would gain health knowledge which would be beneficial but I would also be able to make others more aware of these conditions. I have looked into Dementia before so I have some knowledge there already. 

Louise Klinck, Creative and Performing Arts, Darwen Aldridge Community Academy

This academy is in a new building in a deprived area where some of the students who attends have horrific backgrounds, the local residents even opposed to it but have now realized it was for the better. There philosophy is too:

• listen
• challenge the norms and fears
• en power
• make em' smile, make em' laugh and make em' cry (in a good way)
• encourage belonging
• allow space to make mistakes
• play devils advocate to challenge the status quo
• share experiences
• guide students in becoming knowledgeable in the world around them.

Creative arts plays a role in lessons. From day one the new academy has encouraged students to understand why there doing what they are doing and what it means, they contextualize their work which I could improve on myself. They aim to be contemporary, there current exams are focused on:

• Covert and Obscure
• Inside Outside and In between

I would be working with Year 12 students who at the minute do not realize their full potential. Louise Klinck shown us some previous students work and I was amazed how talented year 12 students have become, I consider them to be at a level that I do not think I have reached yet. It would be amazing to see what they could teach me. 

The academy will also have an up and running Gallery named 'Dart'. SMSC stands for Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural, another field that teachers will be assessed on. The academy offers a lot of experience and below is some of what we can do:

• track a student
• observe the curriculum at key Stage 3/4/5
• shadow an NQT
• Take part in practical workshops to do with lesson planning, creating schemes of work etc
• Community workshops through the Dart Gallery
• Observe and work with the Art team at DACA
• work shadowing
• working with a smaller group of students

At the moment this opportunity seems perfect for me! I am undecided on what age group to work at so as I would be working with year 12 students, I would also ask to spend a few days with other age ranges to see the differences and try and find what would work better for me. Louise Klinck is also encouraging of this project by saying that she wants us to get out as much of this opportunity as they will of by having us there. She also made clear that we would choose what we want to do there. I could gain experience in areas that would help me gain work experience for applying on to a PGCE course. My only concern is getting there but  a train would drop me off fairly near there.