Delight recently participated in the Surrey Artists Networking Event hosted by Surrey Hills Arts, where we engaged in an exciting exchange of ideas and experiences with other arts providers.
Delight is passionate about arts-based learning and we had the opportunity to share with a room full of artists how they could build meaningful connections with teachers and schools and why working in arts education is so important. Jono Retallick delved into the realms of arts and well-being and I Speak Music explored the fusion of arts and community.
In this blog, we offer a few simple quick tips on how to connect teachers with external artists so you can bring the power of the arts to your school.
How to find a local artist
Local resources: Here are a few local organisations that list cultural organisations Surrey Arts, Croydon Music & Arts, Creative UK, Connecting with Culture by Artswork, Culture Box Surrey, and This is Croydon.
Attend local cultural events: This provides the perfect opportunity to meet artists in person or see the kind of actors/dancers the company uses. You also get a chance to see if they are someone you’d enjoy working alongside.
Expand Your Creative Horizons
Working with an artist in school can take on many forms and it is important to choose the right option for the outcome you are seeking.
Linked work: A creative workshop can be a great springboard to link to a new topic, a class text or even into literacy. Arts-based learning can be a gateway for deeper learning across the curriculum.Â
One-off workshop: This could be working with a visual artist, an actor, or a dancer in a half-day or full-day workshop format. This can be a great hook to kick off a topic and create excitement.
Series of workshops: For deeper engagement, you might look at doing a series of workshops over several weeks. At the end, you might want to think about sharing the work with parents. Â
Artist in residence: For a truly integrated option that puts creativity at the heart of your school ethos, working with an artist in residence can give you long-term impact and align with curriculum work.
How Delight can help
Delight programmes provide children and teachers with the chance to work in partnership with professional artists, actors, and dancers; providing teachers with opportunities to develop their confidence and skills through creative training days away from school, opportunities to work alongside artists in the classroom and opportunities to use our suite of high quality physical and digital resources to develop artist confidence independently.Â
Children benefit from high-quality cultural and creative opportunities that develop their emotional well-being, and engagement with learning and creative skills. If you would like to bring Delight into your school, get in touch at info@delightcharity.org.uk we’d love to hear from you.
Delight is a leading arts-based learning charity dedicated to providing transformative educational experiences to children who experience disadvantage.
For enquiries related to this blog, please contact Ella Breen at ella@delightcharity.org.uk.