In the news this week...

What a motley crew! Well, at least one of them has scuttled off under a rock for a while. Keep your eyes peeled though, because these things have a habit of either giving you a nip when you least expect it, or else stick to the soles of your feet. Urgh!

CULTURAL VALUES PROJECT
Building on the 70 original pieces of work funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and selectively drawing on other existing evidence, this new report from the Cultural Values Project provides an attempt to bring together what is know about the difference made by arts and culture and to consider what frameworks, approaches and methodologies are most suited to the task of capturing cultural value. (click on the Cultural Tape below for the full report) More specifically, the Report sheds new light on a number of areas where research shows arts and culture to make a difference. These include:

• Personal reflectiveness and empathy, illustrated by case studies of the role of arts and culture in the criminal justice system and their place in supporting professional and informal carers;
• The relationship between arts and culture in producing engaged citizens, more active in voting and volunteering, and more willing to articulate alternatives and fuel a broader political imagination;
• A critical assessment of the widespread use of arts and cultural interventions to help peace-building and healing after armed conflict, including civil conflict such as that in Northern Ireland;
• Whether the role of small-scale arts in generating healthy urban communities might be more important for the health of towns than large-scale culture-led regeneration projects;
• The ways in which arts and culture feeds into the creative industries, supports the innovation system and attracts talent and investment to places;
• The contribution of arts and culture to addressing key health challenges such as mental health, an ageing population and dementia.

SPRING

You may remember that last year this blog put a call out for women who were pregnant to get in touch with the theatre company Quarantine to influence one of a quartet of works that they were developing. The work is being performed at the Old Granada Studios and is selling out VERY fast. Click on the Gavin Parry photograph below, to find out more.

Arts and Social Care Educators

You are being invited to participate in a questionnaire as part of a European wide project examining multi-professional work in Art and Social Work (MOMU). The project aims to define and develop new multi-professional working skills and environments for inclusion within educational/training programmes and curricula. 

The questionnaire will take you approximately 10 minutes to complete.  Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary and you can withdraw at any time without any penalties. You are free to omit any question without prejudice. Please chose the most relevant questionnaire for you:

Arts Educators:

https://mmu.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/momu-survey-1a-arts-english-for-arts-educators

Social Care Educators:

https://mmu.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/momu-survey-1b-sw-english-for-social-care-social-wor 

Sorting the Sock Drawer

An intriguing event at The George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling, University of South Wales which premieres the first public performance of a new piece by Eirwen Malin.
Eirwen has blended a traditional storytelling style with personal commentary to produce an entertaining perspective on a life changing health issue. More details by clicking on the green socks.

Lapidus Day 2016

Lapidus promotes the practice of writing for wellbeing and the benefits it brings. Lapidus supports its members, many of whom are writing for wellbeing practitioners working in education, health, community, voluntary, private and public sectors, by sharing information, holding events and creating networks through its country and regional groups.

The Lapidus Day 2016 is Saturday 14th May. The event is hosted by the University of Chester, in their newest riverside campus. For more details go to: 

http://www.lapidus.org.uk/index.php/lapidus-day-2016/

Loss and Recovery: imagining new ways ahead...

Yet another arts and health project succumbs to the climate of austerity. Here is an account of Creative Alternatives in Sefton from Dr Jessica Bockler. Click on the image above to read Jessica's account.

                                    .