Thrive: Skills Workshops for Emerging and Professional Creatives
As part our programme for community arts practitioners, we are excited to share 4 upcoming skills based workshops that are open for all to attend. These sessions are specifically designed for artists who have a professional practice, who are also looking to develop a community focussed practice.
These workshops will cover: community teaching practice, marketing, business set-up and safeguarding. By the end of this workshop series you will have the skills necessary to set up, market, safeguard and deliver your community arts sessions.
We recognise the challenges that face freelance artists, and aim for these workshops to up-skill and empower creative practitioners in our community. These workshops will run from 10am-4pm and will also be a great opportunity to network with other local creatives.
If the cost is a barrier to you, please get in touch with imogen@themiddlefloor.com in order to access one of our free, subsidised spaces. These are self selecting and are offered on a first come first served basis.
The workshops can be booked together or separately.
Marketing for Artists with Josephine Sillars
Monday 17th December
10am - 4pm
Josephine Sillars is an arts marketer and fundraiser with experience across dance, theatre, music and film.
This workshop will cover marketing tools and campaign management strategies to understand how to best market yourself and your work. By the end of the workshop, you will have a clear understanding of how to best present yourself and your work to a wide variety of audiences, and how to make marketing tools work for you.
The ‘Workshop Ecology’, Best Practice in Community-Based Participatory Arts (social practice)
with Dr Anni Raw
Tuesday 18th December
10am - 4pm
Dr Anni Raw has been active in community and participatory arts for 35 years. Using the ‘Workshop Ecology’ this workshop will explore an internationally researched and tested model for expert socially applied arts practice.
The workshop will introduce and work with the six key elements of expert pedagogical practice in arts workshops in community settings. These elements were universally identified amongst 40 expert practitioners in the UK and Mexico across the spectrum of arts disciplines, and have been recognised and ratified by numerous practitioners internationally.
Safeguarding Session: Establishing Safe Practices in Community Arts Overview with Tracy Witney
Wednesday 19th December
10am - 4pm
Tracy Witney is the Head of Learning and Participants at NSCD. She serves as the Designated Safeguarding & Prevent Lead, bringing an extensive background in dance education and student welfare.
This session is designed to equip emerging community artists with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to understand safeguarding and their role in creating safe, inclusive environments for their work. Through a blend of discussion, role-playing, hands-on practice, and practical exercises, participants will develop the ability to design effective safeguarding procedures and risk assessments tailored to their community arts practice.
Creative Business Start-Up with Callum Holt
Thursday 20th December
10am - 4pm
Callum Holt is an experienced arts administrator and producer based in Leeds, working nationally across the UK. He predominantly works in dance though is passionate about all live performance, and specialises in supporting artists in developing and delivering their projects.
In this workshop he will talk you through everything you need to consider, from business and finance to legal, before delivering classes as a creative practitioner.