The newsletter for arts organisations working in criminal justice.
In this month's issue...
- National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance News
- Events and training
- Arts and criminal justice news and publications
- Resources and opportunities
We’re hiring a Development Officer
Could you help ensure people in the criminal justice system get access to arts and culture as a springboard to positive change? Are you passionate about using arts to transform lives, unlock untapped talent and challenge stereotypes? Join our team to inspire and develop best practice and capacity across arts and criminal justice. This is an exciting and challenging time for the right candidate to join our team and be an integral part of this innovative area of work. We’re looking for a dynamic individual with excellent relationship building skills to develop and strengthen our network in all regions of the UK, with particular focus on the West Midlands and the North West. If this sounds like you, we look forward to receiving your application by 9am on 9th November. Find out more and apply here
The Anne Peaker Lecture 2020 with guest speaker Lemn Sissay
Beyond Survival: Creativity in Confinement
17th November 16:00-18:00 | online | free
We're delighted to invite you to join us at our 2020 Anne Peaker lecture with keynote speaker Lemn Sissay, author, poet, and broadcaster. Lemn’s critically acclaimed 2019 autobiography, My Name Is Why, reflects on his childhood, self-expression and Britishness, and explores the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home. Lemn will join us to talk about the role creativity can play for people at risk of being institutionalised and how people use creativity to exercise agency and shape their own destiny. The event will also include performances, a Q&A and networking. Full programme details to follow. Book your place here
Report: Scoping arts in criminal justice across Buckinghamshire
In October 2019, the NCJAA embarked on a year-long local practice development project to scope arts in criminal justice settings in Buckinghamshire. Funded by the Rothschild Foundation, the project’s long-term aim is to inform sustainable models of delivery for quality arts in criminal justice settings across Buckinghamshire. Our findings, insights and recommendations are captured in a new report that draws evidence from the NCJAA Evidence Library and national arts datasets, together with insights from nine months of Buckinghamshire-specific research and stakeholder engagement activity, including focus groups, interviews and surveys involving prison staff, prison residents and arts organisations across the region. Read the report here
Blog: Learning from the impact of Covid-19 on arts in the criminal justice system
Despite the limitations placed on prison activities due to Covid-19 restrictions, we’ve seen arts organisations adapting and innovating. In a blog for think tank Common Vision, the NCJAA’s Rebecca Hammond writes about what we can learn from the impact of Covid-19 on arts in the criminal justice system. She discusses what the experiences of the criminal justice sector during the pandemic tell us about the broader importance of the arts and why digital inclusion and community-based cultural work are key. Read the blog here
NCJAA and arts in prisons discussed in the House of Lords
In a discussion on prisons and remand in the House of Lords earlier this month, former Minister for Culture Ed Vaizey brought the NCJAA to the attention of the House, highlighting the important role of creative activity and arts organisations working in criminal justice settings during the pandemic. Calling on the government to further support arts in prisons, Mr Vaizey suggested that arts organisations, many of whom are struggling due to the pandemic, could be “engaged further to make an impact on some of the issues… such as education and mental health” and commented that “the pandemic is actually an opportunity for the government to engage further with the Arts Alliance”. We welcome Mr Vaizey’s comments and will continue to advocate for high quality arts provision throughout the criminal justice system, working with the government through the Arts Forum to identify the barriers to the wider routine use of arts provision in criminal justice settings and take action to address them. This is particularly important given the current challenges organisations are facing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Read the full discussion here
Want to include something in the next newsletter?
We will be sending our next newsletter on Thursday 26th November. Please email info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk with any news, research, events, opportunities or blog proposals by Tuesday 17th November.
Women Theatre Justice panel: arts organisations on their social role
11th November | online | free
Join Clean Break Theatre Company and Slung Low for a discussion about the civic and social work of arts organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic and the ways in which cultural organisations are pivoting their activities beyond arts practice. Anna Herrmann, Joint Artistic Director of Clean Break, and Alan Lane, Artistic Director of Slung Low will share their respective organisations’ responses to the pandemic, speak to how this work can be understood as artistic practice, and address the relationship between civic and creative practices. Their talks will be followed by a response from Dr J Shah from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and Dr Kara McKechnie from the University of Leeds and a Q&A. Register for the event here
‘No Lockdown in the Imagination’: Koestler Arts installation
12th November – 13th December | Southbank Centre
No Lockdown in the Imagination is an outdoor installation taking place across the windows of London’s Southbank Centre, and online on the Koestler Arts website. On show will be a selection of audio, visual and written works selected from the 2020 Koestler Awards. During the pandemic, many prisoners have been under 23-hour lockdown. Using limited materials, people across the criminal justice system have kept themselves going with the power of their imagination. No Lockdown in the Imagination aims to celebrate this achievement and to share their work with the general public. Many of the artworks in the installation will also be for sale via the Koestler Arts website. Find out more here
An evening of live music from Changing Tunes
14th November | online | free
Changing Tunes is hosting its autumn concert online this year, featuring live performances from participants and musicians-in-residence alongside each other. Performers will also share their experiences of making music with Changing Tunes and its impact on their lives. For the first time ever, performances will be broadcast live from different locations across the country and will highlight Changing Tunes’ post-release work. The event will be held via a YouTube live stream, so there is no need to register. Find out more here
Irene Taylor Trust: celebrating 25 years of Music in Prisons
November | online | free
Join Irene Taylor Trust (ITT) for a series of webinars sharing learning from its 25 years’ experience running music activities in prisons. The Reflections webinar series will explore different aspects of ITT’s creative programme and will be a chance to hear a range of perspectives, including from special guest contributors and those who have taken part in ITT projects. Topics include ‘Why create music in prisons’, ‘Training former participants to lead’, ‘Moving projects online’ and ‘Collaboration: How and Why?’. The anniversary will also be celebrated with podcasts from former participants, short films, and a live performance. Find out more here
REstART Festival: The art of justice, solidarity and repair
1st-5th December | online | free
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the European Forum for Restorative Justice is holding a series of art-related events, bringing together artists working in the field of restorative justice in criminal and social justice settings. The festival includes film screenings, virtual photo exhibitions, workshops and live talks, with contributors from Belgium, UK, Spain, Ireland, Italy, USA, Australia and beyond. Registrations will open in early November and close a week before the event. Find out more and sign up here
Report: Impact of Covid-19 on those working in arts and health
The Arts & Health Hub, a network for artists interested in or working in the arts and health sector, has produced a report on the pandemic’s impact on the sector. Drawing on survey data, the report highlights key issues in the field such as lack of diversity, pandemic-related loss of income and the impact of Covid-19 on mental health. Despite these challenges, the survey also found that during the pandemic, artists had felt positively about discovering new technologies, and finding out about new networks and organisations. Read the full report here
Evidence summary: The role of arts in improving health and wellbeing
In response to the 2019 World Health Organisation report entitled What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and wellbeing?, the Department for Media, Culture and Sport commissioned this evidence summary to draw together literature on the role of arts in improving health and wellbeing. The report focuses on how arts engagement can impact on social outcomes, youth development and the prevention of mental and physical illness. It also considers how social prescribing programmes that have used arts interventions can affect these outcomes. Please note that while the report was published in September, it was completed prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Read the report here
Resource for employers: hiring people with convictions
The Exceptionals, an organisation that supports businesses to hire people with convictions, has produced a new resource pack designed to help employers understand how and why to hire someone with a criminal record. The resource aims to support businesses to employ people with experience of the criminal justice system by connecting them with relevant organisations who provide training, recruitment and ongoing support. Included in the pack is guidance on the business case for hiring people with convictions, step by step information on what employers can do, a risk and disclosure guide, and tips on how you could make the case to management within your organisation. Download the guide here
Report: Creativity, Culture and Connection during Covid-19 and beyond
Think tank Common Vision’s latest report looks at how arts and culture organisations have responded to the crisis with creative improvisation, reimagining and strengthening their civic role. How have arts organisations formed part of communities' social infrastructure during Covid-19? The pandemic has meant that organisations have not only had to navigate immediate challenges, but also longer-term pressures of uncertainty. Using interviews and focus groups involving over 100 cultural practitioners around the UK, the report maps the factors that have made for successful cultural responses to the pandemic, and re-imagines a post-Covid-19 future for the arts. NCJAA Director Rebecca Hammond responded to the report in a recent blog for Common Vision, linked above. Read the report here
ACE opens ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ Fund
Apply by 5th November
Arts Council England (ACE) has opened applications for the ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ Fund to help individual practitioners focus on their creative development through training, events, research, travel, mentoring, or time to develop ideas. This year, the fund is open to a wider range of practitioners and only requires one year's experience outside of a formal educational setting. Grants range from £2000 to £10000 and will be distributed over four rounds between October 2020 to October 2021, the first round of which closes on 5th November. For more information on how to apply, including easy-read application guidelines and case studies of previous successful applications, visit the ACE website here
Arts Council Wales announces new ‘Connect and Flourish’ grants
Apply by 4th November
‘Connect and Flourish’ is a National Lottery supported fund from Arts Council Wales designed to encourage collaborative proposals between organisations, individuals, and creative professionals in Wales. Connect and Flourish grants will range from £500 and £150,000 and will place a strong emphasis on projects and relationships between individual artists and non-arts groups and organisations, and filling gaps in the arts infrastructure that the current pandemic has exposed. The first round of applications closes on 4th November. Find out more and apply here
Jerwood Arts £20,000 grants for adapting live work
Apply by 16th November
This new fund will support individual applicants over 12 months with awards of £20,000 to adapt their approach to making and sharing live work. Aimed at artists, creatives and producers with no more than ten years’ experience whose practice pre-Covid-19 relied on live performance, it will provide support throughout 2021 to enable recipients to take the time to think ambitiously about how they can adapt their creative practice and make a vital contribution to the future of their artistic community. Awardees will also be able to call upon Jerwood Arts expert staff for advice and introductions, and established mentors and other experts will be available to support career development, answer discipline-specific questions and signpost opportunities. Find out more and apply here
Charities Aid Foundation Resilience Fund for responses to Covid-19
Apply by 10th November
The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) Resilience Fund exists to help charitable organisations in England that support the people hardest hit by Covid-19. Through hundreds of targeted grants ranging from £10,000 to £100,000, this fund will support those working with vulnerable and disadvantaged groups to deliver rapid relief from the impact of Covid-19. Both registered and unregistered charitable organisations, including community interest companies and social enterprises, can apply for the CAF Resilience Fund. Charities applying must be based in the UK and deliver their services in England, and must be able to spend the grant money before 31st March 2021. Applications close on 10th November. Find out more and apply here
Open call for actors with experience of homelessness
Apply by 6th November
Cardboard Citizens makes theatre with and for people with experience of homelessness, in contexts from hostels and prisons to large scale co-productions with partners including the English National Opera and the Royal Shakespeare Company. It is looking for UK theatre professionals across all disciplines who have some experience of homelessness or housing instability in order to create an informal network. For those interested, Cardboard Citizens hopes to introduce performing arts professionals to its members, in the form of creative masterclasses, mentoring, and professional development opportunities. Find out more here
Call-out for organisations to deliver post-release support sessions in Leeds
Imagine If Theatre is looking for organisations who can deliver practical support sessions for an audience of people with convictions on specific issues, such as housing, debt, or addressing addiction, from January as part of its new Phoenix programme. Phoenix is a post-release support programme for prison leavers in and around Leeds which uses the arts to develop key employment and life skills. Created by Imagine If Theatre in consultation with prison leavers, Phoenix works in a holistic manner with people who have convictions, providing practical support and arts opportunities, including individual artistic development activities and paid work on theatre and film projects. Weekly workshops start on 11th November in Leeds. Find out more and apply
Jobs
Development Officer, NCJAA
Development Manager, Synergy Theatre
Freelance Project Leads, Finding Rhythms
Production Assistant, Inside Job
Individual Giving Manager, Clean Break
Volunteering
Volunteer Fundraiser, Sing Inside
Trustees, Imagine If Theatre
Want to include your organisation’s opportunity in the next newsletter?
If you’d like us to feature your job or volunteer post in our newsletter, please get in touch with us on info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk and post your vacancy to the Clinks jobs board here.
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This newsletter is written monthly. Email info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk if you wish to submit any news.
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