It's my belief that it's the creative impact of the experience we engage in not the amount of experiences we are offered is what makes the real difference.
This is why I push for really exciting arts experiences in the projects I manage. Experiences that enhance the connection with creativity, our peers and the world around us helping us to feel centred, happy and to express ourselves.
My son's attendance is currently considered 'persistent absenteeism' at 81.6%. (Anything under 95% is) and he's never had an 'un-authorised' day off.
Despite this very difficult statistical comparison to the 'national average' the wording in the well meaning email that struck me the most was 'significantly reducing his chances of success'.
Given we are 'allowed' twenty days holiday and a cluster of sick days once we start work at the time of our choosing, it really frustrates me that we are expected to abide by the ebb and flow of the school timetable. What annoys me more is being told off about a statistic that has absolutely no place in measuring how 'successful' L becomes as a human being.
Moving away from a dictated timetable takes incredible bravery and the embodied understanding of the impact of arts. life and social experiences. Luckily, he is in a school that recognise the power of all 3.
A blank space into an explosion of colour
Moving on...
Teetering on the edge of an incredible possibility, I waned to write about an invitation within a project I manage for a museum in Northumberland.
Dear Northumberland Artist is the brain child of London based multi-disciplinary artist Amy Lord.
In Spring 2019, Amy invited 7 teachers and over 300 students to take part in a mass participation project across schools in Northumberland.
Using creative letter writing techniques to craft a personalised letter and envelope, Amy made a video invitation and sent it to teachers.
In the video, Amy explained the concept of Live Art and her motivation behind the project encouraging teachers to work with students to get a set of letters ready to share with the world.
Amy wants children to give a piece of advice, to share something personal with their peers in the hope that the letter and experience connects them and increases their self worth, connection to community and their right to be artists in the world.
Amy said;
"The aim of Letters to an Artist is to tap into our natural curiosity about other people and create moments of surprise and joy through the exchange. The project is about human connection as much as being creative – this is the ‘live art’ part"
Letters to an artist
The exchange will happen at Woodhorn Museum as part of a WHOLE day off school - how brilliant!
As a project manager, one of your biggest hopes with ambitious ideas like this one is that people take part. Putting everything in place so the space at Woodhorn Museum and the hashtag too fills up with beautiful words and colour is filled with anticipation from the outset.
I know if we get the buy in for the project, the children will have an incredibly magical experience and that's why I have sent not one but two follow up emails and rung each teacher to check how it's all going.
Now where do I start with the school system on a bigger scale? And where on earth do I send my letter?
Claire x
PS - follow along with our hashtag #dearnorthumbelrandartist on instagram to see the project unfold between now and the end of June 2019.