brinnington arts festival evaluation report
DESCRIPTION
Compiled by ARC, the managing organasiton of BAF, in partnership with Stockport Council, neighbourhood management team and See it Say it Do it Project.TRANSCRIPT
Festival Report
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Foreword
The Brinnington Arts Festival was the first ever arts festival of its kind in Brinnington, where Arc acted as a catalyst to bring together artists, groups and residents in a celebration of all that is great about their community.
The purpose of the festival was to engage local people in quality arts and cultural experiences -‐ encouraging and supporting local arts groups and engaging new participants in a range of dynamic and exciting arts opportunities. It offered the chance to learn what others in the community were doing, to be creative, try out different things, celebrate local talent and be part of an inspired and enthusiastic community.
As part of the week long programme of activity, groups took part in the festival to showcase their creative work and achievements. It built on the huge success of events that already exist locally such as the annual Lantern Parade and other arts projects such as the Craft Club, Brinnington Arts and Music and the Brinnington Open Art Exhibition.
The Arts Festival was led by Arc and delivered as a partnership project with the local community in Brinnington, Lets Go Global and Neighbourhood Management, Stockport Council. All events and exhibition took place between 25th and 30th March 2013.
We hope that everyone who took part in the festival felt proud of their contribution to a successful event that really demonstrated the vibrant and positive community in Brinnington, and that we will see the legacy of the festival go forward with more creative opportunities and collaborations into the future.
Michael Anderson, Chief Executive, Arc Jacqui Wood, Artistic Director, Arc Diane Pagan, Project Manager, Brinnington Arts Festival Steph MacKenzie, Festival Artist, Brinnington Arts Festival Arts for Recovery in the Community
The Brinnington Arts Festival delivered
23 events, performances and exhibitions
over
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Context
The Brinnington Arts Festival was funded by Arc, the Arts Council England and AGMA (the ten Greater Manchester local authorities), through the Greater Manchester Strategic Arts Fund (GMSAF) as part of the See it! Say it! Do it! project hosted by Lets Go Global, an arts organisation based in Trafford. The GMSAF is a partnership between Arts Council North West and AGMA. Some of the events and activities had funding from other sources, such as Stockport
Arc has a strong track record in being able to deliver community based arts and other creative projects in Stockport, often working in partnership with other agencies. Arc already had a presence and positive relationships in Brinnington and was keen to build on its vision of a socially cohesive society, creativity and well being going hand in hand, with the arts being available to all.
Brinnington experiences high levels of socio-‐ Neighbourhood Management partners are committed to working with land activity, quality housing and green space, volunteering and community safety.
Through making the connection between the potential of the arts and the development of strong, inclusive communities, the festival aimed to leave a legacy of opportunities and connections, and enhance a positive image of the area.
The Brinnington Arts Festival was
delivered by 14 local community groups
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Objectives of the festival
The objectives for Brinnington Arts Festival are vision of a healthy society, where people get to create together, make their own choices, share support and take responsibility, regain their confidence and find reason to hope for a brighter future. The objectives are embedded within the common evaluation framework of the Greater Manchester Arts Vision, which seeks to strengthen the contribution of art within the four key priority outcome areas of: prosperity, people, place and partnerships. The objectives have been co-‐produced by the participants themselves, as they contributed at the registration stage with their hopes and aspirations for the festival and these were used to determine the project specific outcomes.
Ensure that the community of Brinnington has the opportunity to experience and enjoy a range of arts activities
Build on the work and skills of existing groups using different creative mediums to showcase their talents to a wider audience, increasing awareness and encouraging more people to participate
To raise the profile of Brinnington as an area where there is a vibrant and
creative arts and crafts community and promote the range of quality arts experiences available there
bringing communities together
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Methodology
The framework that has been used to undertake this evaluation has been drawn from an Evaluation Toolkit, developed by the Institute of Cultural Practices at the University of Manchester, piloted by Lets Go Global. The Evaluation Toolkit consists of documents designed to capture data from participants at different stages of the project.
These included an enrolment form, two pre-‐festival forms to capture information about the groups and their motivations for participating in the festival, mid-‐project interviews, workshop logs and post-‐festival questionnaires. Findings were drawn from the returned forms, which comprised as follows:
Enrolment Form 14 respondents Feedback Form 1: about your group 14 respondents Feedback Form 2: about the festival 14 respondents Mid-‐project interview 6 completed interviews Workshop Log 11 completed All about the festival 12 respondents The evaluation methods have ensured that all groups who participated in the festival have contributed. The variety of methods used creates confidence in the findings of this report. The questions that this evaluation aims to answer are:
Who took part in the festival? What were their motivations for taking part, and were
their hopes achieved? How far did the festival meet its headline objectives? What was the impact of the festival?
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Brinnington in Bloom First House Cafe Installation
Artists: Pure Studio Artists
Participants: Twenty seven artists worked on the Brinnington in Bloom installation. Each artist dedicated time to this project over approximately 58 days. At least four artists a day spent three hours of their time creating the pieces that made up the artwork. This means that approximately 696 hours were spent on producing the installation, supported by three volunteers and two artists / support workers.
Pure Studio is a studio facility for artists with learning disabilities. People can work collaboratively or independently in the studio and can learn new creative skills there. By coming together and sharing the studio, the artists have become a supportive collective, friendships have formed, ideas have been shared and achievements celebrated.
The Brinnington in Bloom installation was inspired both by nature and by the existing wall art in the cafe. The wire bound butterflies suspended from the impressive wreath of colourful twigs brought a spring-‐like joy to the cafe and there was always something delightful to discover in the Bloom-‐themed table decorations, menus and tray covers.
Brinnington Arts Festival. It gave us an opportunity to show case our art work in a different way. We attended workshops and saw artwork created by our fellow local artists. All in all an enjoyable experience. We really felt like
Abigail Betton, Pure Innovations
7 Animal Heads
First House Library exhibition
Artists: Pearl, Brinnington, supported by Charlotte Brown (Arc)
Participants: 7
The Pearl group was set up to provide a creative outlet for mums in Brinnington who are suffering or are at risk of suffering from post-‐natal depression. Women have the chance to find time for themselves and meet others who may be feeling the same. Pearl uses arts to help people gain confidence and skills, health and wellbeing.
The exhibition of paper animal heads was created by seven women from Pearl. Each animal was designed with a child in mind, and the idea of bringing to life a favourite character or recognisable smile for each face. The animal sculptures themselves were made completely from paper -‐ graph paper, wrapping paper, wallpaper and magazines are just some of the recycled materials that were used to make the features, fur and characteristics.
The group commented:
The artist Charlotte Brown said: activittoo for the community .
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Natural Forms First House Library exhibition
Artists: Spectrum Art Group
Participants: 8
Spectrum is an art group that meets every week at the Crescent Road Day Centre in Brinnington. It is open to anyone who wants to paint or try other crafts. The group is run entirely by volunteers and while there are no tutors there are always plenty of people there to offer help, and they often have demonstrations and workshops.
The art group took part in the exhibition at First House and exhibited using the The group meets
because all of the members have a passion for art, and they have exhibited their work previously at the Open Exhibition in Brinnington in 2012, and elsewhere.
d the exhibition at First House, which included paintings by some of the members of Spectrum. The exhibition alongside the cafe installation was open for the duration of the festival, apart from Easter Friday when First House was closed for the Bank Holiday.
Spectrum were hoping to recruit some new members for their group, but as yet they are not sure that their hopes have been achieved.
The work of our group has been promoted Pat Mundy, Spectrum Art Group
9 Brushstrokes
First House Library exhibition
Artists: Brushstrokes Art Group
Participants: 10
Brushstrokes was founded in 1991 as it was recognised that creative activity in a social setting would be therapeutic to those who had suffered a stroke. The legacy of a stroke can be isolation, depression, frustration and diminished self-‐esteem as well as physical and neurological problems.
There are currently around 16 people (including volunteer helpers) who attend the group. The group mainly consists of retired people who have had a stroke some members have been partially paralysed whilst others have communication problems. All benefit however from meeting socially as a group and having the opportunity to develop painting and craft skills. The picture is of Keith, a member of Brushstrokes, with his cross-‐stitched picture of the Sydney Opera House which he produced despite only having the use of one hand.
The art group meets at the Crescent Road Day Centre every week and took part in the exhibition at First House, putting forward a selection of their pictures which had been created using a variety of media. Brushstrokes were hoping to increase local awareness of their group, raise awareness of the arts and give people an insight into what is happening locally.
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Watercolour exhibition First House Library exhibition
Artists: Arc Art Group, supported by Sue Diskin (Arc)
Participants: 8
The Arc Art Group provides an opportunity to be creative, learn new skills and spend time with other people in a relaxed atmosphere. The group have explored a range of artforms and techniques from watercolour painting to printing.
The group took part in the exhibition at First House, choosing their watercolours to put on show. For most of the group, it was the first time any of their artwork had been on show and this was a great feeling for them. A few of the watercolours were chosen to be made up as prints and were on sale as greetings cards at the Arc festival stall at the market.
Vicky, a member of the group, said
The group were hoping to increase self-‐confidence by taking part in the festival, allowing members to be proud of their creativity. They were also hoping to encourage some new members and show that something positive was happening in Brinnington.
11 Samba drumming
Artists: Brinnington Arts and Music (BAM!) led by Anthony Ward
Duration: Four half hour sessions over two days
Participants: 10
Audience: 80
BAM! Is a drumming group for ages 7 and over. The aim of the drumming classes is to meet new people, have lots of fun, gain confidence and learn new skills.
BAM! braved the cold and blizzards to bring their outdoor drumming workshop to both the opening day of the festival, and the weekly market outside First House in Brinnington. Both days brought harsh winter wind and snow but despite the weather, the samba drummers soon drew a large crowd to the market on Wednesday 27th March and a few people stopped to have a go on the drums.
The energetic drumming lifted the atmosphere of a bitterly cold market and brightened the day it ended with the sun shining and a happy festival vibe.
BAM! were hoping to increase local awareness of their activity and show that there are talented people in the community with a lot to offer. After the festival, Anthony Ward from BAM! said that they received lots of positive feedback about their performance at the market.
12 Lantern Making Workshop
Artists: Brinnington Lantern Team, led by Mary Dutton
Duration: Two six hour sessions over two days
Participants: 47
The Lantern Parade first flourished 15 years ago and has been an important annual event in the community calendar in Brinnington ever since. In addition to the two lantern making workshops that were advertised as part of the Brinnington Arts Festival, volunteers had been busy visiting schools and local community groups like the Rainbows, Brownies and Scouts to make sure that everyone got a chance to make a lantern in preparation for the Lantern Parade.
Both workshops were very busy with the session on Wednesday opening hours earlier than it was scheduled to, due to people turning up wanting to make their lantern for
lantern parade and many people were excited about the event.
Mary Dutton who led the lantern making workshops said that her hopes for the festival had been achieved: individual art projects and then be part of the whole project. Informing people i.e. community and funders that we can work well as a team and informing individuals just what is available in Brinnington. It brought the community together as a whole.
13 Easter Bonnet Making
Artists: Jo Hall and Steph MacKenzie (Arc)
Duration: Two x two hour sessions over two days
Participants: 45
As the festival was held in the week leading up to Easter, two Easter bonnet making workshops were held, one in the library at First House and one upstairs in the Art Room. A variety of plain hats were available with various materials to decorate them with.
There was a lot of interest in the workshops and everybody seemed to have a great time there was some fantastic feedback at the end of the sessions. All of the children engaged really well and it was an opportunity for parents and carers to get involved as well. Each person created their own unique hat and many of them were looking forward to wearing them at the Lantern Parade.
These are quotes from some of the participants:
14 Craft Workshop
Artists: Brinnington Craft Club, led by Sue Clare
Duration: Two hours
Participants: 27
Jewellery making and card making are two of the regular activities that take place at the Brinnington Craft Club, held every week at the Brinnington Community Centre. The workshop aimed to give more people the opportunity to have a go at these craft activities, and to make something that they could take home.
The workshop was very busy and some of the Craft Club regulars were there showing people of all ages how to make cards and earrings. Normally it is adults who attend the craft club as it is held during school hours, but as it was the Easter holidays lots of children came along with their parents. Some of the parents commented that it would be good to have more art and craft activities for children to take part in in Brinnington.
There was a great atmosphere in the Community Centre as everyone got stuck into being creative.
This workshop provided people with an opportunity to try out an artform and create something.
15 Art Display
Artists: Artistic Moves
Duration: Three hours
Participants: 11
Audience: 13
Artistic Moves is an art group and is for people who have a long term health condition. All members of the group worked really hard to contribute to the exhibition. They hung a display of their artwork around the walls of the Crescent Road Day Centre, where they meet every week.
The exhibition included a variety of media -‐ acrylics, oils, mixed media and knitted and crocheted items. The group were pleased when people arrived to see the exhibition as the weather was exceptionally cold outside!
Artistic Moves were hoping to encourage more local people to join the group in the words of Paul Egerton who supports the group Paul said after the festival that their hopes for the festival had been achieved
16 Photography exhibition
Artists: Midweek Group
Duration: Two and a half hours
Participants: 12
Midweek is a peer support group for people with mental health / social isolation issues. There are up to 20 members of the group who attend weekly for friendship, support, learning opportunities and a three course meal.
The exhibition was a series of photographs of a project which Midweek had enjoyed last year. The group worked with an artist to create individualised composite mixed media artworks which were then photographed.
A volunteer at Midweek said ate a vibrant art and craft community in Brinnington raising the status of the area and
When asked whether his hopes for the festival had been achieved, Andy Jones who supports the Midweek Group said there are many more! A very good beginning. Hope it will get better year by
Members of the Midweek Group also held a market stall during the festival. Five members of the group volunteered to staff the market stall and many more members put the hours in at home, knitting teddy bears and Easter chicks which were for sale on the day of the exhibition.
17 Arc Pop-‐up Gallery
Artists: Arc
Duration: Six hours
Participants: 3
Arc put on a market stall at the weekly Brinnington market that takes place outside First House. The market stall was full of artwork and crafts for sale. Some of this was created by Arc participants but the main purpose of holding the stall was to put some art and craft produce on sale that was created by people from Brinnington.
A festival brand was created and people from the Brinnington Craft Club provided jewellery and cards that they had produced, to be sold under this brand. The Arc Art Group also printed up some of their watercolours into greeting cards and these were also on sale. Many of the items sold despite it being a very cold and snowy day!
Lucie Fitzpatrick who ran the market stall on behalf of Arc said day have been achieved a good amount w
18 Your Brinnington
Meet the Team event Artists: Brinnington Media Group, supported by Annette Naor (Arc)
Duration: Two x two hour sessions
Participants: 55
sessions aimed to increase awareness of what the Media Group does and several of the community volunteers from the group were on hand throughout the day to talk to residents, give demonstrations of the website and give away goodie packs with copies of the special festival edition newsletter.
There was a steady flow of people visiting the team throughout the day. Many people were interested in finding out more about the Media Group and several were keen to join the team and get involved in what they do. The children who visited the team all enjoyed the special colouring sheets and everyone took away a goodie pack.
Malcolm from the Media Group said used to be stuck at home, isolated and depressed. Since joining the group, I have
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Watercolour workshop Artists: Arc Art Group, supported by Sue Diskin (Arc)
Duration: Two hours
Participants: 11
The watercolour workshop was aimed at giving people the opportunity to experiment with different watercolour techniques and create paintings using various effects.
The workshop went very well with all participants engaging positively with the artform. Some of the participants were regulars from the Arc Art Group, but the workshop was open to all and a few new faces attended, including two older children and one of the members of the Brushstrokes art group. They created various watercolour sample pictures using materials such as latex and salt to give different effects.
This workshop encouraged people to learn about art and have a quality arts experience.
20 Generation Collaboration
Artists: Brinnington Residents and Tenants Association (BRTA)
Duration: 3 hours
Participants: 25 young people aged 10 16 (two projects)
Generation Collaboration was a photography exhibition put together by the Brinnington Residents and Tenants Association. It documented two projects that had taken place in 2012 a Young Environmental Champions project and a young photographers project where a group of young people took photos of their area and compared it to other areas.
The projects provided the young people with the opportunity to learn aspects of photography, and also engaged them in challenging negative stereotypes about Brinnington, seeing their area in a different light when compared to other areas of social housing in Stockport and encouraging them to capture positive aspects of life in the area.
The exhibition was held at St Lukes Parish Hall and 20 people visited it over the course of three hours. Everyone who visited the exhibition thought it was really positive.
Rebecca Horton from Stockport Homes who supports BRTA said: I heard very positive comments from the members of the tenants group about activities they had been involved in and the exhibitions they saw. I think the festival provided a great opportunity to showcase the vibrant and varied work and activities that are happening in the area and the achievements of volunteers. The group have made contact with a couple of new residents who have expressed an interest in getting more involved as a result of their exhibition which has been a positive outcome .
21 Just a few quid
Artists: NK Theatre Arts
Duration: 1 hour
Participants: 7
Audience: 45
Arts who worked with young people from Brinnington, Stockport Council and the National Illegal Money Lending Team. The topic of the play was the danger of loan sharks and many of the participants engaged with theatre for the first time to rehearse this emotional performance. The play told the story of a young woman who borrowed money from a loan shark and her struggle to pay the loan back the Credit Union was promoted at the beginning and end of the performance to highlight a real alternative to the problem of illegal money lending experienced in the area.
It was a brilliant performance by seven young actresses five of whom were from Brinnington. There was a great response from the audience and the young women showed amazing talent and potential, saying at the end that this experience had been a real confidence boost for them. The performance was filmed and will be turned into a dvd, potentially providing a resource for other communities and schools.Our hopes in terms of our input into the project were to engage young people of Brinnington in the performing arts as well as producing a piece of work that promoted the credit union, I feel we achieved this well and hope that the message within the project was received loud and clear although that is not something you can measure straight away . Dawn Wrigley, NK Theatre Arts The young people grew in confidence and developed their performance skills. They exceeded their own expectations and it was wonderful to see their pride in their own hard work . Emma Ramsden, NK Theatre Arts
22 Art-‐ppreciation
Artists: Rising Stars NW
Duration: Four hours
Participants: 50
Rising Stars NW is an arts, music, media and events community organisation working with young people under 25 to inspire, educate and promote their talent. RSNW worked with a group of young people aged 13-‐16 at Brinnington Youth Centre on a
young people worked with rising stars Stripez, Blizzard and Sasha who assisted with vocal coaching, lyrics writing, beat making and rapping.
The young people wrote and recorded five tracks which they performed at the event on 29th March at Brinnington Youth Centre. Before the festival, Rising Stars said that
music forms, encouraging the audience to participate in the creation and enjoyment of music.
Solomon Onaolapo from Rising Stars said that his hopes for the Brinnington Arts Festival had been achieved because hold a music event showcasing various talents from the young people of
23 Lantern Parade
Artists: Brinnington Lantern Team
Duration: One hour
Participants: 250
Audience: 150
When the first Lantern Parade took place fifteen years ago there were about 30 40 people in total who took the parade around the streets of Brinnington. It has grown and grown over the years and this year, the lantern parade attracted hundreds of people out onto the streets. All the work that goes into the parade is led by volunteers from the local community and local volunteer Mary Dutton has been central to its organisation from the very start.
Pay funding to employ two artists, Fiona Smith and Jo Foley, to design and help them to create some magnificent giant spring flowers to lead the parade. Countless smaller lanterns followed, being held proudly aloft by children and adults alike. BAM! were there with their energetic samba drumming and dancers, and a giant teddy bear charmed the children.
The festival ended with this glorious celebration, which brought together weeks and weeks of hard-‐working preparation by the local community.
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Publicity
The strength of participation in the festival reflected the efforts that went into publicising the events by all partners. The groups involved, Arc, the Neighbourhood Management Team and Lets Go Global all used a range of media to reach as many people as possible.
Tradition methods of publicity were used with posters being put up around the area and further afield in Stockport, and a festival brochure was produced with full listings distributed to all groups participating, all public venues in the area and to all households in Brinnington.
The radio station Imagine FM, Granada Reports and the Stockport Express all ran publicity stories about the festival and the Lantern Parade.
Two main websites were used, the Arc website and the Your Brinnington website, run by the Media Group at First House and
produced a special, newsletter, which contained features about all the groups participating.
The festival also had a presence on social media, with Facebook and Twitter being used by Arc, Your Brinnington and Lets Go Global to reach a wider audience.
Although this was not measured, many of the people attending the exhibitions and performances were the family and friends of those who were participating, who wanted to celebrate their achievements with them.
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How far did the festival meet its headline objectives?
In line with the Greater Manchester Arts Vision, the overall aims of the festival were for more people to experience and participate in the arts in Brinnington, and to help to develop strong and inclusive communities.
Brinnington has had a Lantern Parade every year for fifteen years and the first art exhibition was held in First House in the summer of 2012, so although the area has had arts experiences on offer it has never held anything on the scale of the arts festival before. There are also a number of active community groups in Brinnington who are engaged in arts and crafts activity. Arc was successful in acting as the catalyst that brought all of these factors together.
to identify existing community groups and organisations who might be interested in participating in the festival. Overwhelmingly, the response was positive and the majority of groups who were approached were enthusiastic about participating, with only two being unable to contribute due to prior commitments.
The crucial factor in determining the success of the festival was that many events were put on by the community. The groups were all interested in different aspects of the arts, which meant that it was relatively straightforward to put together a varied programme of exhibitions and activities. The festival had strong project management from Arc from the start and their success in matching a suitable artist to work with the groups meant that a supportive relationship was established in the preparatory period.
Numbers Number of community groups taking part -‐ 14
Total number of exhibitions / performances / workshops -‐ 23
Number of participants -‐ 585
Audience numbers (live) -‐ 626
Number of young people (0-‐18) -‐ 183
Number of young people (19-‐24) -‐ 37
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In the lead-‐in period it was soon discovered that there was a great deal of skill, talent and experience amongst the groups and that the additional input from Arc would involve co-‐ordinating everything to happen at the same time. Many of the groups already had a surplus of work that they would be ready and willing to exhibit, and for others it provided a purpose and a focus for the artistic activity that they were currently engaged in.
This readiness to engage ensured that over the course of one week, the wider community of Brinnington had the opportunity to experience and enjoy a range of arts activities. Many different creative mediums were used, and because of the level of publicity many new participants were encouraged.
Overall feedback from respondents was very positive with the majority either very satisfied (66%) or fairly satisfied (25%) with the festival. This figure is strengthened by mainly positive comments from the groups who participating in the festival.
Overall, 91% of the groups participating were either very or fairly satisfied with the Brinnington Arts Festival
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Social Impact
Alongside the numbers of people participating in the festival and experiencing the arts, it was clear from the start of the project that what was important to the community groups involved was the social impact. The following two social outcomes were identified from the feedback on the enrolment forms, that the festival should:
Raise the profile of Brinnington as an area where there is a vibrant and creative arts and crafts community and promote the range of quality arts experiences available there; and
Celebrate the talent i .
-‐up questionnaire which was sent to all of the groups that participated in the festival:
Three-‐quarters of the groups participating thought the festival had raised the profile of Brinnington in a positive way
Half of the groups participating thought the festival had helped to create a vibrant arts and crafts community in Brinnington
All of the groups participating felt that the work of their group had been promoted
Ten out of twelve of the groups participating thought that the festival celebrated and showcased local talent
Seven out of twelve of the groups participating said that taking part in the festival had improved their confidence
Three-‐quarters of the groups participating thought that the festival had encouraged community inclusion
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Volunteering and employment impact
The success of the Brinnington Arts Festival reflects the strength of the community within the area, and this section attempts to capture the impact that the festival has had, particularly in terms of volunteering.
From the information collected from groups participating at the festival and from Arc itself, it is estimated that the number of volunteers who supported the festival in some way was 80. In the run up to the festival and throughout the duration of the festival itself, the number of hours that these volunteers worked amounted to approximately 1473 hours.
Using the figure of £12.48 as a measure of gross hourly pay (NCVO figure of gross hourly pay within the voluntary sector in 2010 / 11), the wage replacement value of the hours that these volunteers worked was £18,383. By far the most substantial voluntary contribution was from the Lantern Team, who put in a collective 917 hours of time in support of this event. The wage replacement value of the hours that these volunteers worked was £11,444.
This demonstrates the vibrancy of the voluntary and community sector in Brinnington and the immense value that the sector brings in terms of the economic significance of volunteers. This is a vital contribution made by local groups and individuals and which underpinned the festival.
£18,383 = the estimated wage replacement value of the volunteers at the Brinnington Arts Festival
A number of artists were also employed in connection with the Brinnington Arts Festival. Some of these artists were employed directly using the funding from Lets Go Global and Arc and carried out a number of functions project managing the festival itself, producing the festival programme and publicity, supporting the community groups and volunteers and evaluating the project. Others were employed in a variety of ways, for example, directly commissioned by community groups using sources of funding such as You Say We Pay, and via other organisations such as Pure Innovations and Stockport Homes.
Numbers Number of volunteers -‐ 80
Number of volunteer hours -‐ 1473
Number of artists employed -‐ 16
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What happens next?
All of the groups who participated were asked what they would like to see happen with arts and crafts in Brinnington after the festival. These are some of their thoughts and ideas for future projects: We would like to be involved in future art festivals, perhaps in different locations as well as Brinnington. We're based in the Reddish area of Stockport (though our artists have spent time in various areas of the town) and would be interested in taking part in projects that celebrate the areas rich history. We would also be interested in contributing to group exhibitions . Pure Studio Maybe it would be better to have some of the festival in the centre of Stockport? It felt like there was too much going on in the library at First House, too much competition maybe it would be better just to have an exhibition
way over the Easter holidays . Spectrum Art Group Please keep in touch with all the groups and let them be aware of what is going on. Maybe make the festival an annual / bi-‐annual event working together we can make the festival an even bigger / better event. How about a small music festival of just local artists? We have plenty of green areas where this could happen . Mary Dutton, Brinnington Lanterns More art / craft displays in community buildings in Brinnington . Andy Jones, Midweek Group We would like to develop an inter-‐generational project with new and existing groups in the community around skills swapping e.g. older people teaching younger people knitting, baking, dancing, DIY etc and younger people showing older people how to use computers, smartphones, modern dance etc. This could be a great way of bringing older and younger people together, and for people to learn and develop skills and hobbies . Rebecca Horton, Stockport Homes, on behalf of Brinnington Tenants and Residents Association I think in terms of our input it would be great to see some further performing arts work in the community whether that be provided by ourselves or by company within the Brinnington estate. I know that all the girls who participated were keen to do more and I feel that the more that is provided the greater
it is not just drama that would
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be worthwhile I also think that something popular such as street dance would be excellent. Above all else, performing arts teach life skills and help improve on things such as confidence and self belief in a positive way . Dawn Wrigley, NK Theatre Arts The young people involved need something new to work towards. They really enjoyed the process and sense of achievement. They were asking what the next project would be. It may be worth looking at putting on another performance of the show also be good to consider a new drama project for them to work on . Emma Ramsden, NK Theatre Arts
event / workshop. All the groups could talk about their experiences
would definitely like to take part Solomon Onaolapo, Rising Stars
ike to see existing groups increase their membership and capacity to become more inclusive and confident. ike to see Thursday ARC sessions increase membership and for the space in First House to be used more by local groups for creative activities. ike to repeat the festival next year with the community taking a greater role in organising it . Dave Stokoe, Neighbourhood Manager
e for future projects and would like to be kept informed of all things happening. A little more advertising next time . Paul Egerton, Artistic Moves It would be good to be able to exhibit the work we have created somewhere else in the community perhaps or be part of a show at ARC. It would also be great to use the positive work that came out of the Arts Festival as an example for future work such as Pearl. Pearl is a vital part of the local community, utilis getting women together who feel the same. Let s hope that the work here continues as a result of some of the positive promotion that came about through the Arts Festival . Charlotte Brown, Pearl
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Conclusions The questions that this evaluation aimed to answer were: Who took part in the festival? What were their motivations for taking part, and were their hopes achieved? How far did the festival meet its headline objectives? What was the impact of the festival?
Over the course of one week, the Brinnington Arts Festival inspired 14 community groups, 80 volunteers and 585 participants of all ages to engage in a range of quality arts and cultural experiences, in an area that experiences some of the highest levels of socio-‐economic deprivation in Greater Manchester. Arc was instrumental in making this happen.
It encouraged and supported local arts groups and engaged new participants in a range of dynamic and exciting arts opportunities. A significant number of the groups participating were active in a range of art forms before the festival Arc built the festival upon a solid foundation, and it was important to the groups that their work was promoted and celebrated.
A significant number of the groups and individuals participating had long-‐term health problems or disabilities and the festival was a chance to celebrate their creativity and achievements. It was also important in improving self-‐confidence.
It offered the chance to learn what others in the community were doing, to be creative, to try out different things, celebrate local talent and be part of an inspired and enthusiastic community. It made an important social impact in terms of raising the profile of Brinnington in a positive way and encouraging community inclusion by bringing groups together.
The festival involved a significant number of volunteering hours and it is important to acknowledge the value of this contribution, as without the volunteers the festival would not have happened on the same scale or been the success that it was.
The festival met its headline objectives, which were firmly based within the outcomes framework of the Greater Manchester Arts Vision.
In summary, in delivering the festival a strong partnership has been forged between Arc, the local community, the artists, Neighbourhood management and Lets Go Global. This will help to build the confidence and capacity to move forward with further collaborative projects in the future.
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Recommendations The key strengths behind the success of the Brinnington Arts Festival were the partnership working, the valuable contribution of the community and the pivotal role that Arc played in project managing and supporting the festival. With any project it is important to acknowledge the lessons that can be learned, and that is why significant effort was put in to ensuring open channels for feedback right from the beginning of the festival organisation, so that we can use the knowledge gained to improve future work. The following recommendations are put forward as ideas for the legacy of the first Brinnington Arts Festival. They are drawn from the feedback and will require further work to decide how they are taken forward.
1. It is clear that there is enthusiasm for another festival. On the whole, groups were energised and galvanised by the opportunities offered by the festival, and this was most evident where there was a feeling of local ownership and people felt part of the organisation of something important to their community. If another festival is held, this model of local ownership and organisation should be central.
2. There were lots of ideas for how the festival could evolve in Brinnington for example, making the festival bigger, making use of more community buildings, the greenspace, having more of a music focus. Some of the groups were also interested in working in other locations and there was a suggestion that some of the festival could be held in the centre of Stockport. Consideration should be given to expanding the model to other areas, or covering a larger geographical area to encourage more exposure.
3. Greater networking between groups should be one key output of the
festival, with consideration given to the further role of Arc as a resource for groups. Having a big networking event / workshop for all of the groups to come together was suggested by one participant, and is something already being planned by Arc. This would encourage closer working between groups, sharing experiences, contacts, skills, perhaps even providing some peer mentoring and support. It would also provide a basis for planning future festivals, and could be a way of facilitating a greater role for the community in organising festivals and events in the future.
4. It was evident from participants that one of the most important outcomes of the festival should be to raise the profile of Brinnington in a positive way. One way of furthering this could be to stage an exhibition of the festival (photographs, key pieces) later on in the year in other locations around Stockport. The Arc Community Gallery would be an obvious choice and consideration should be given to other venues in a more central Stockport location. The Arc Community Gallery could also offer an opportunity for some of the groups to exhibit their work in a more focused way.
5. There were a few quality arts projects that were undertaken in Brinnington in 2012 which the exhibitions did not really do justice to, probably due to the fact that the exhibition material was gathered in retrospect. If it was known to the community groups that there was going to be another festival, this would give a greater lead-‐in time to plan their contribution, and more specifically, to plan in advance about how they could communicate about their arts projects.
6. A key resource which needs further utilisation is the dedicated art space at First House. This is a shared space and needs some clear leadership, and policies and procedures in place that include a schedule for use, storage, security and charging. The facility can then be promoted for more groups to use for creative activities. The opportunities for animating the other public parts of First House (particularly the cafe) should also be explored with Neighbourhood Management, including any potential for enterprise.
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7. The performing arts could be a really powerful way of engaging more young people in Brinnington. It would be good to capture the momentum of the NK Theatre involvement and explore how this could be continued in the area.
8. hy project was also very successful in engaging young people in Brinnington and it would also be good to
to use the art room at First House.
9. market stall and the further potential of this enterprise opportunity should be explored. This could include working with Stockport College arts students to work up a permanent brand that could be used by all
wider appeal, and what the physical and online opportunities for retail are.
10. Another possibility for exploring the usage of space at First House could be a partnering arrangement with Stockport Homes. They are likely to develop an inter-‐generational project this year with new and existing groups in the community around skills swapping, and where these are art / craft based there are links that could be made with the participants of the festival.
11. The Lantern Parade was the pivotal event of the festival and although it has been running for fifteen years, serious consideration has to be given to its sustainability. Community burn-‐out is a very significant risk attached to this event, and as the festival was so well supported by volunteers, its success cannot be guaranteed if key volunteers are over-‐burdened.
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12. It was difficult to monitor the numbers of people who actually visited the library with the intention of visiting the festival exhibition, and some of the
location to have an exhibition. Given the location of Brinnington itself, if this exhibition is repeated in future it might be beneficial to look at transport to the site from other areas. Partnering with other voluntary organisations who could offer free or cheap transport and targeting publicity and dedicated trips out to groups from other areas of Stockport could be key to increasing audience attendance.