Aims to deepen our understanding of the social impact that creative work can have - and inspire us to make it happen.  Run by KWMC and Creativity Works, the programme is designed to support and develop the work of socially engaged artists, creative practitioners and organisations.  

May - July course details:

coCREATE Launch
Monday 14th May, 1.30-2.30pm (FREE)
Facilitators: Carolyn Hassan & Penny Evans (KWMC), Lesley Featherstone (Creativity Works)
Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC) and Creativity Works will launch this series of forums designed to support and develop the work of socially engaged artists, creative practitioners and organizations. They hope that this programme of discussions and workshops will inspire and enable further understanding of the social impact of creative work – and the particular requirements that socially engaged practice places on working with communities.
This event will highlight the ethos and work of KWMC and Creativity Works, and their forthcoming opportunities.

What is transformative about socially engaged arts and how does it happen?
Monday 14th May, 2.30-5pm (£25)
Facilitator: Prof. Lynn Froggett
If you’re an artist or creative, or you use creativity in your work or practice, this forum will illuminate how and why creativity can be so engaging and profound. Prof. Lynn Froggett has led a number of studies into different forms of socially engaged arts practice including recently released research on ‘New Model Arts Institutions and Public Engagement’. Her aim is to better understand how the nature and process of the socially engaged arts leads to transformation. Professor Froggett's work can help you communicate why working creatively with people can have such remarkable, unexpected and positive results. To download a copy of Prof. Froggett’s report please follow the link: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/schools/school_of_social_work/research/pru/files/wzw_nmi_report.pdf

Creativity: Making it work for you
Wednesday 30th May, 10am-12.30pm (£25)
Facilitator: Gill Nicol It’s tough out there, but difficult times can also be an opportunity to take stock and really look at who you are. This practical workshop will support artists and creatives to reflect on their own practice and creative goals. Experienced creative coach Gill Nicol will help you identify new ways of working individually and in wider community settings, and offer practical advice for staying motivated and positive when the going gets tough.

How to move your practice towards true social engagement
Friday 22nd June, 10am-12.30pm (£25)
Facilitators: Helen Davies (SWARMS programme), Philippa Forsey (Creativity Works) Helen Davies from engage and Philippa Forsey from the socially engaged specialist charity Creativity Works will host a forum to discuss and illustrate best practice in socially engaged arts. Presenting case studies that illuminate social outcomes and artist responsibilities, this workshop has been structured to move your practice towards quality in community social engagement. Engage, the National Association of Gallery Education, is working in partnership with Turning Point South West to develop the South West Artist Regional Mentoring Scheme (SWARMS), a structured regional programme of knowledge exchange for artists interested in developing their work in socially engaged practice and audience development.

Understanding the benefits of social media Friday 29th June, 10am-1pm (£25)
Facilitators: Dr Roz Hall, Constance Fleuriot
Twitter, Facebook, texting, blogs: the expanding range of social media tools available to us can leave people feeling daunted. This hands-on, person-friendly forum will offer practical advice and support for artists, creatives and anyone wishing to update their social media awareness and develop their skills. Authors of "Keeping in Touch: A Handbook for Digital Inclusion Through Socially Engaged Practice", Dr Roz Hall and Constance Fleuriot will reveal the potential of using digital media for artists.

Drawing Across: a forum on art, social engagement and dialogue
Friday 29th June, 2-5pm (£25)
FaciFacilitators: François Matarasso, with Deborah Aguirre Jones During Spring 2012, women in residential and day services held conversations with international women artists through drawing: images were exchanged digitally between Bristol and countries across the world. Artist-in-residence Deborah Aguirre Jones facilitated this dialoguein art for Creativity Works. Images and experiences, connections and questions have all come out of these
virtual encounters. The results can be seen in an online gallery of unfolding relationships. The initiative also raises some intriguing questions. How does communication change when it happens only through images? How do we make choices about personal interactions without meeting face to face? And what happens to cultural
and social hierarchies, and people’s relationships, when they interact online? These and other issues emerging from the experience of ‘Drawing Across’ will be explored by Deborah and the writer François Matarasso, inconversation with forum participants.

Pecha Kucha networking session
Monday 2nd July, 2-4.30pm (FREE)
Facilitators: Carolyn Hassan & Penny Evans (KWMC), Lesley Featherstone (Creativity Works) Join Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC), Creativity Works and a host of artists, creative practitioners and commissioners for a Pecha Kucha-style session of networking, presentation and conversation. Pecha Kucha was devised in Japan and has a simple but effective format: each speaker shows 20 slides or images for a maximum of 20 seconds each. This is a great opportunity to share your work and hear what others are up to. There are 10 presentation slots available in the Pecha Kucha session. To apply, e- mail your name and a summary of what you’d like to present - no longer than
140 characters, the maximum length of a Twitter update - to enquiries@kwmc.org.uk

All courses will be held at KWMC, Leinster Avenue, Bristol, BS4 1NL
Tel: 0117 9030444

For detailed information on individual courses and to  
book online contact:  
www.knowlewestmedia.eventbrite.com

Sessions £25 unless specified.  Free bursary placements available for the first
10 BANES Building Bridges project participants to apply to:
mags.maxwell@creativityworksforeveryone.co.uk

So hope you can attend
The Creativity Works Team in partnership with Knowle West Media Centre.