Creative collaboration the story of a partnership

between

Tony Jones – participatory photographer and

Burslem School of Art, CEO Cath Ralph

Top down or organic?

This case study examines evidence from the support given by Burslem School of Art to developing individual & participatory artists

Burslem School of Art (BSofA)•Arts promotion•Focus on community•Mutual benefit •Viable projects

ProcessValue driven – social objectives -

• Power-sharing• Collaboration• Egalitarian• Respectful

partnerships• Transparent• Enabling

Initiatives•Skills share – as mentor & co-mentee•Community pARTnerships•Photographers Collective N Staffs•Seminars – art biz and participatory arts

Benefits for BSofA•User involvement•Improves sustainability•Self-managed, self-regulated activities•Transferred responsibility•Cost-effective / income generating intervention•Develops bonding & bridging social capital•Creates goodwill / develops relationships •Places BSofA within a network of support•Developing collaboration & ‘culture’ in N Staffs•Develops an audience for art

Tony Jones•“Retired,” disabling illness – 2006•Photographer since 1960s•MA Participatory Arts •Developed practice as participatory artist – work with NSCHT, Brighter Futures, Staffs CC, Letting in the Light, UHNS, BSofA, Staffs Uni, Stoke CC, B Arts, Photographers Collective N Staffs

Benefits for artists•Support for activity•Skills share•Income whilst training•Other resources•Training•Professional development•Generates work / develops markets•Networking•Exposure to public•Creative inspiration•Encourages participatory, collaborative activity

Problems•Capacity•Relevance?•Some “partners” expect something for nothing•Short term funding•Lot of time to plan and bid for sustainablity•Culture clash? –supporting creative activity versus good working environment for tenants / good business practice

Lessons

•It’s worth doing - Institutions should invest / Artists should get involved & come forward with ideas / Academics - become even more actively involved / Funders – be bold•Quick and dirty is good, but need to balance with slow and clean •Be collaborative•Be creative

An Organic approach supported by enabling policy context has worked

well in this case

references

•Putnam, Robert D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0304-6

•Clements, N. (2004) The Pioneers: Murals, Mosaics, Madness and Myths, Ceredigion: Sound Of Heart

•Webster, M. and Buglass, G. (ed) (2005) Finding Voices Making Choices: Creativity for Social Change (Nottingham: Educational Heretics Press)

web links

•Burslem School of Art - www.schoolofart.com •atypical photography - www.atypical.me.uk•Letting in the Light – www.lettinginthelight.org.uk

•Tony Jones - Arts CV www.blueshawk.info/CV.htm

Photographs from Tony Jones’s series ‘Loving Gloom’