Arts 23
Task and Finish Group on Participation in the Arts
Response from Theatr Felinfach
Thank you for the opportunity to respond on behalf of Theatre
Felinfach to the Communities, Equality and Local Government
Committee’s Inquiry into Participation in the
Arts.
Who we are? A short background:
Theatr Felinfach uses the arts to promote:
• the development of creative individuals and groups
• the development of skills and proficiency in the arts
• social inclusion
• personal development
• linguistic and cultural integration
• participation in the arts
• celebration of cultural expression
Theatr Felinfach operates according to the following definitions from the document pARTicipation by Voluntary Arts Wales:
Participation
Participation in the arts refers to people participating
actively; making, forming and creating. Participation in the
arts:
• is an empowering process linking the whole nation;
• promotes a healthier, wealthier Wales, which is better educated and more integrated;
• is
primarily a voluntary activity, motivated by personal curiosity
rather than policy or profit
Voluntary
Arts
This can be described as artistic practice by people who work and learn together regularly, and who also (but not necessarily) perform / display locally. The voluntary arts consist of amateur arts, youth arts, traditional arts and cultural, religious and local arts activity group. Opportunities to participate in the arts also are offered by a wide range of organizations and private individuals, including private dance schools, music tutors, etc.
There is also a wealth and variety of participatory arts
activities, which are an inherent part of people's lives, and which
have not, in the past, been included in formal strategic planning,
eg Women's Institute, Merched y Wawr, Young Farmers, Youth Clubs;
many of these offer a unique Welsh perspective on the arts.
Community Arts
Community arts include professional
community arts workers who create opportunities within communities
for people to develop skills and explore and develop ideas through
active participation in the arts. Community arts are often targeted
towards disadvantaged communities. By its nature, it should be
transformative, and can be an important cultural tool in terms of
supporting long term community regeneration objectives.
Arts education and outreach
activities
Young people are possibly the largest sector in the community who are involved in arts activities, as participation in dance, music and the visual arts is compulsory for primary school age pupils. Many schools offer additional activities for pupils outside school hours, which include the arts, and many pupils will have been involved at some time in activities associated with "an artist in the school" project.
A number of arts venues and production companies are committed to
supporting practical activities to promote participation in the
arts which are often described as educational or outreach
activities, and associated with a specific touring
company.
Inquiry Questions:
1
Theatr Felinfach serves the county of Ceredigion, which is one of
nine areas in Wales which are completely rural and this presents
real challenges in terms of service provision and also in terms of
addressing social, health and welfare needs of the county’s
residents. The national index of deprivation, WIMD,
shows that access to services and housing are the main factors
which lead to deprivation in Ceredigion. In relation to access to
services, Theatr Felin-fach serves the most rural areas in
Ceredigion and so the projects and programmes developed by the
theatre reflects and responds to the context of the rural
population and the countryside communities.
We work with residents of rural Ceredigion, aged from 0 to 85 +. Our participatory arts programmes include activities such as:
• Drama and theatre
• Dance
• Film
• Combined Arts
Some examples
of projects:
Tic-Toc, singing, dancing and story
sessions for young children aged 0-3 and their parents
Network of Drama Clubs for 7-11 year olds
2 Youth Theatres for 11-18 year olds
2 Youth dance companies for 7-11 and 11-18 year olds
Achieving our aims
Brasgam - A programme of ‘popular’ dance sessions
eg series of Zumba, Street Dancing sessions
a Dance Company for the 50 +
A school and drama project: Community Project, Foundation Stage,
Reception, KS1 and 2
Welsh Actors Company
English Actors Company
Radio drama project
Fun and Recreation Society for the 60 +
Informal training programmes
Various workshops
Theater productions by different groups from the above list and
others
New Writing Schemes.
During 2010-11, Theatr Felinfach provided: 43,922 arts
opportunities to the residents of Ceredigion, with over 30,000 of
those being opportunities to participate.
2a / b In Ceredigion there is a wide range of opportunities in the
arts, be that as a member of an audience at professional shows or
as a participant in a creative activity, as part of a drama company
or competing in an eisteddfod. Within our county, following the CCC
20010 portfolio review, there has not been a significant decrease
in participatory arts activities. However, there is continual
concern in the sector that the current recession will lead to cuts
in the arts. The arts are an important driver in the field of
welfare of the Welsh people. The benefits of participation in arts
activity is enormous in terms of developing skills,
self-confidence, celebrating identity and culture and it enables
assimilation and linguistic and cultural integration. Although
Ceredigion has not suffered severe cuts in expenditure on the arts,
we can see how a very rural area like Powys has suffered from the
loss of investment in the arts. Rural isolation is a major
deprivation factor in the countryside and we firmly believe that
networks of participation opportunities is key to the viability of
rural areas, the Welsh language and the welfare of our
people.
3 Yes, very rural areas eg one of Ceredigion’s Communities
First areas, Tregaron and the uplands - although many
organizations in Ceredigion operate in parts of that area, the
areas outside the villages are difficult to reach and, more
specifically, it is difficult for young people to travel to centres
which provide participatory programmes. Our organization provides
outreach programmes in some of these areas, but we need more hands
to enable us to organize more regular activities. Fuel poverty and
the lack of public transport are also very real factors in
rural areas, and we find that providing free participatory
activities can include people who might not otherwise take
part if they had to pay for the activity as well as the cost of
travelling to the centre.
4 There are other means of taking
part in arts activities eg the Lottery, Esmee Fairbairn, various
trusts, but the emphasis is often on creating something "new and
different", whereas funding is sometimes needed to develop
something which is already a success. The Arts Council of Wales
provides good guidance and advice to organizations, groups or
individuals on relevant financial sources. The VAW has a valuable
role in acting as a "signpost" for organizations wishing to develop
an idea. The WCVA plays an important role in terms of the
voluntary sector as well and holds networking and information
sharing events which are useful to the participatory arts
sector.
There is no doubt that organizations and arts bodies have seen a
significant decrease in lottery funding because of the Olympics,
and there is a feeling that the sector is "holding its breath" to
see what happens in terms of the Games’ legacy.
5 The so-called "voluntary arts sector" is perhaps a misleading
term. If one was asked to list what is included in the "sector",
that list would probably include dance schools, community and
‘amateur’ drama companies and individuals who are
known as art practitioners. Activities such as local (as well
as national) Eisteddfodau or arts organizations with a
participatory element, eg Yr Urdd, YFC, are rarely referred to as
drivers in the participatory arts and yet, these organizations have
a proven track-record in encouraging participation in the arts.
Such organizations use the arts as a form of expression of Welsh
and bilingual culture, but they are part of the voluntary arts
provision and yet tend to be "invisible" in the context of arts
discussions. The role of the voluntary arts sector is key in
relation to promoting participation in the arts.
6 I believe that the strategic relationship between the Welsh
Government and the bodies that distribute money to arts is fairly
good. For the bodies falling within the Arts Council portfolio,
such as client revenue, the strategic issues are aired through the
Annual Review meetings. The Annual Review process is very valuable
and dialogue between organizations and the Arts Council is
constructive in terms of discussing issues concerning the sector.
We believe that there is scope to strengthen the Government’s
strategic leadership in setting priorities for the Arts Council and
the organizations. For example, Child Poverty is an extremely
important theme that organizations should be tackling, and while
participatory arts programmes address some elements of that theme
through the nature of participatory art work - the
Government’s leadership could be strengthened in terms of
what is expected of those organizations which provide participatory
opportunities in the arts or in terms of offering guidance on which
type of indicators are possible and appropriate in this sensitive
area.
Thank you again for the opportunity to submit our comments.
Theatre Felinfach
Ceredigion
March 2012