Project Archive
Each year, the Arts Development Team develop and facilitate delivery of a wide range of projects across the city. Here are some examples of past projects to give you a flavour of our work. We have grouped these according to our menu of options for supporting arts in school.
Arts Portfolio
A variety of arts opportunities designed to support key priorities and new initiatives in schools.
Cultural Routes
The Cultural Routes project took place over the summer of 2009. A creative arts project exploring cultural diversity and community cohesion in primary schools, it was a partnership between ArtForms and the Equality and Entitlement Team within Education Leeds. The project was conceived to use different artforms to promote recent developments in the identity and cultural diversity curriculum and the duty for schools to promote good citizenship and community cohesion.
Six primary schools each worked with one of three artists - author Trish Cooke, puppeteer and writer Mary Walker and drama practitioner Abi Horsfield - over three days per school to explore creative approaches to embedding cultural diversity throughout the schools. The work that emerged from the project is currently being drawn together to create a resource pack for primary schools.
Impact
'Impact' was a design project developed in partnership with Leeds College of Art and Design and the Royal Armouries. In the Autumn of 2008, KS4 and KS5 visual arts pupils from participating schools worked with photographer Lizzie Coombes and writer Peter Spafford to co-design a set of high quality educational resources for schools, exploring issues raised by the Weapons Awareness programme. An exhibition of the pupils' work was exhibited in the IMPACT Gallery at the Royal Armouries.
Arts Extend
Working with Extended Services to increase the range of arts activities available to young people out of school.
Leeds Young People's Film Festival 2009
ArtForms worked alongside the Open XS and Inner NW Extended Services Clusters to promote the festival and engage young people and their families. A free screening on the last day of term preceded by special preview family assemblies for local primary schools meant some children had their very first experience of watching a film in a cinema and many continued to attend over the course of the festival.
The 10th Leeds Young People’s Film Festival was the most successful in its history, attracting more young people than ever before and more than doubling the box office from 2008. The festival was presented entirely by MediaFish, the Young People's film club now based in its brand new Film Academy facility in the Town Hall. Over 100 films were screened over 9 days in the Hyde Park Picture House. Over 1000 young people attended workshops, master classes and special events to learn more about the film and moving image industry.
" I can’t believe we’ve lived in Leeds for 6 years and never known about the Film Festival before – it’s been amazing. We’ll definitely be back next year and the year after.” – Ruth, 36, Mum
“Thanks for showing the positive side of young people” – Danny, 15, Dreams 2012 film workshop
Arts Professional
Our Continuing Professional Development work with teachers and artists.
Active Learning Drawing
Active Learning Drawing was a professional development programme for primary teachers and visual artists. The programme was delivered by Eileen Adams, a national art consultant and Director of 'Power Drawing', the National Campaign for Drawing’s professional development programme.
The aims of the project were: to raise the quality of drawing within the primary curriculum; to explore how drawing can support learning and creativity and to build a network of experienced teachers and visual artists to work closely with ArtForms to promote and develop the use of drawing in the primary curriculum in Leeds.
Three full training days took place over the Spring term of 2009. Each teacher was paired with an artist and these partner pairs were supported to develop the use of drawing in the classroom in between training sessions.
ArtForms and the National Campaign for Drawing are currently in the process of creating a resource pack, which will be launched in October 2009 at Leeds City Art Gallery.
"The project has provided me with a bank of inspirational ideas and a different view of how I can plan a unit of work that will address national curriculum requirement but will be creative and exciting!" Teacher from Cross Gates Primary School
Artist Carousel
The 'Artist Carousel 'was a professional development prgoramme aimed at practising contemporary artists who were interested in working in education and was supported by East Street Arts. Nine secondary schools in Leeds participated and each artist worked with the art department in a host school. The teacher supported the artist to develop their understanding of schools, students and the curriculum, and worked with them to design and deliver a workshop to students. The artists then reflected upon and refined the workshops before delivering to other participating schools. An educational resource pack has been produced as a result of the project.
"I would not hesitate from using an artist who has taken part in this scheme" Secondary School Art Teacher
The schools involved were: Priesthorpe, Horsforth, Brigshaw, Benton Park, Roundhay, City of Leeds, Allerton High, Intake High and Temple Moor.
The participating artists were: Juliana Bellante, Rebecca Strain, Peter Cashon, Amelia Crouch, Lynne Snowden, David Lindsay, Jamie Williams, Rukshana Afia and Jo Lee.
The Bigger Picture
Our work to promote national arts initiatives.
National Storytelling Week 2009
ArtForms delivered, promoted and subsidised a range of storytelling opportunities for schools, many of which included INSET sessions for teachers. Local storyteller Heather Sharpe told folk tales, myths and legends in 'Tricks, Wishes and Wonders'. Armley Mills Museum hosted 'Spinning a Yarn', where classes travelled back in time into the setting of a weaver's cottage to hear traditional tales from a mill worker. Puppeteer and storyteller Chris Hoy presented 'Shadow Magic' ,encouraging children to share stories using shadow puppetry and Cusan Theatre Productions delighted audiences with their witty and imaginative visual storytelling, drawing inspiration from Latin American Culture.
Dreams 2012
In the Spring of 2009, ArtForms and Find Your Talent worked with Leeds Bridge, a local media company to deliver ‘DREAMS 2012’. As part of the national Cultural Olympiad project - Film Nation -pupils aged 11-19 across Leeds were given the opportunity to produce professional quality documentaries capturing their dreams and aspirations. With the help of professional filmmakers, short documentaries were made and uploaded to the specially commissioned Dreams 2012 website. Pupils from Benton Park, Corpus Christi, David Young, Green Meadows and West Leeds received 9 hours of professional support to create high quality 3 minute films. Visit the Dreams 2012 website to see an array of ideas, hopes and dreams including the athletes, forensic scientists and photographers of the future! There will also be an opportunity to see the final films on the big screen at the Leeds Young Peoples Film Festival 2010.
