Arts Development

Staffordshire Arts and Museum Service are responsible for the development and delivery of the County Council's arts and museum policy. Areas of work that it undertakes include: collections management, display and exhibition work, touring exhibitions, arts development work, arts grants, public art, education and outreach services and advisory work. It works in partnership with key agencies throughout the county and the West Midlands to promote a sustainable service and invest in the locally based arts infrastructure. The arts development team undertake projects encompassing a multitude of art forms from visual arts, crafts, creative writing, and poetry to performing arts, dance, music, djing and hip hop!

We work in numerous partnerships with other councils, organisations and creative industries to develop and deliver ambitious projects based on the following 5 key service aims;  Stimulating and supporting learning for people of all ages and abilities Promoting access and encouraging inclusion Ensuring sustainability whilst recognising opportunity Maximising impact through partnership working Encouraging innovation and striving for best practice

Present and past projects have included partnership work with Make Some Noise, Punch, Staffordshire University, Craftspace, Rhubarb-Rhubarb, Staffordshire Local Authorities, internal partners (Stafford Performing Arts, etc.) and funding partners such as Arts Council West Midlands, Arts & Business, etc. 

Staffordshire Arts and Museum Service are committed to providing access to quality arts experiences to stimulate and increase audiences for the arts, creating more and better opportunities for learning and participation for all.

We also run an annual Arts Grants Scheme which consists of two funds; Community Arts Fund and the Development Fund. The scheme helps fund arts activities which benefit the community and helps to make arts accessible to everyone.

As well as addressing issue based projects, we provide development opportunities for artists and graduates through projects such as Making Moves and more recently, Partners in Participatory Arts  - an artist development programme for Stoke and Staffordshire specifically targeting organisations and individuals with an interest in participatory practice, and the Artist Professional Development Programme - an accredited programme run by Staffordshire University to help support artists to gain practical experience in arts and health work.

For more information on specific projects, please search through our projects section in the menu on the left hand side.

A Date with the Culture Minister Staffordshire County Council's Arts and Museum Service has been acknowledged by the Culture Minister, David Lammy for its innovative partnership work which tackles some of the most complex issues such as youth offending and crime prevention Sonic dB Former Head of Staffordshire Arts and Museum Service, Nigel Singh met with the Culture Minister David Lammy and other music leaders across the West Midlands who work specifically with young people in deprived communities using urban, rap and hip hop music. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss issues facing organisations working within this sector, to share experiences and offer suggestions of how the Government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport can offer more support. County Councillor, Robert Simpson, Cabinet Member for Children and Lifelong Learning Directorate said: "A great deal of good work is carried out in Staffordshire to encourage people's participation in the arts using new and innovative ways.  I am delighted to hear that this work has been recognised".

Contact our Arts Development Team:

Owen Hurcome, County Arts Officer
Tel: 01785 278339
Email: owen.hurcombe@staffordshire.gov.uk 

Tracie Meredith, Arts & Project Liaison Officer
Tel: 01785 278571
Email tracie.meredith@staffordshire.gov.uk

County and District Arts Development

Every district in Staffordshire has a commitment to arts development. The district arts development officers are interested in nurturing and supporting artistic activity in their geographic areas. A list of the county's arts development officers can be found on our contacts page.

 

Last Modified: 05/08/2008 09:49:31
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