Creative Lives in Wale
Evidencing reach and quality
Creative Lives is a registered charity established in champions community and volunteer-led creative a work to improve opportunities for everyone to be c particular, celebrate and promote people expressin creatively with others, recognising the benefits this individuals and communities.
Creative Lives has over 30 years’ experience working in Wales. We have successfully delivered large-scale participatory arts projects, research projects, and national festivals; and work in partnership with arts organisations, charities, community groups, artists and broadcasters.
This report highlights some of our recent achievements in Wales.
Creative projects
Unearthing Creativity
We are currently managing a large-scale collaborative 'Unearthing Creativity', in partnership with artists Mar and Age Cymru, supported by the Arts Council of Wal has reached over 2,000 people throughout South Wal participants have reported that their mood improved creative sessions, with 85% reporting a considerable project has developed and tested 18 new ‘Gateways into creative activity’ - a range of worksheets, audio guides and videos designed to inspire people to try their hand at a new creative activity, or rekindle a dormant creative interest.
My Creative Time
In 2020 we delivered 'My Creative Time - Poetry inspired by voluntary arts', a partnership project with Literature Wales, supported by the Ashley Family Foundation. We partnered 8 professional poets with 8 voluntary creative groups, in a collaborative endeavour to explore the importance of taking part in regular creative activity during the pandemic. The consequent anthology of poetry provides a powerful testimonial to the benefits of participation in creativity during such a difficult time.
Feedback
“They were a wonderful group and truly passionate about what they do. There was alignment in the way they researched people and got into character, just as we then tried out with the poetry. It was so interesting to be taken into their various ways of working and seeing the interaction and support between such a talented and welcoming group of women.” Natalie Holborow, poet paired with Heritage Theatr Cymru
“It was a delight to work with them. I was particularly inspired by the young writers who in a very short space of time created personally powerful, rhythmic and energetic pieces.” Mel Perry, poet paired with Avant Cymru
"Thank you for the opportunity to take part in this project. The group still regularly talks about it and it has inspired us to continue to write poetry, and one member is even writing a short story, so it is definitely a project with a legacy!"
"The booklet looks so good and is an excellent reminder of the good things to come out of a year of lockdown."
Celebrating everyda creativity
Alongside colleagues from across Creative Lives, we that exists in the voluntary and amateur creative sec Creative Lives Awards.
“Thank you so much for inviting me to last night’s ev of humanity and inclusivity told through the lens of creativity.” - Teresa
Bogan, BBC Midlands
“Oasis One World choir is honoured to be receiving a Creative Lives Award. We have been supporting people seeking sanctuary in Cardiff and the wider community since 2015. We get to meet, sing with and learn from the most amazing people from all over the world. We really appreciate Creative Lives for their recognition of Oasis One World Choir.”
Tracy Pallant, Oasis One World Choir (Creative Lives Awards Wales winner 2022)
“The feedback from across South Wales has been heartwarming. To be recognised for the lengths to build community engagement and local business development has been great to hear coming from local people. For as long as local families continue to support us, our shared efforts to make Newport a colourful and exciting place to live will continue.”
www.creative-lives.org/awards
Widening engageme
“There is no template for building trust. Developing meaningful relations demands taking the time to identify what that means to each person –looking at the implicit value in the varied cultural expressions that communities explore and create.”
David Bryan, Chair of Creative Lives
Throughout our work, Creative Lives has a particular f inequality. We work to address inequalities in access promote inclusivity, connect people and communities, and seek to increase awareness of the links between creativity and wellbeing.
Since 2016, Creative Lives has embarked on a programme of work which has moved us to a position where we are more confident that we’re developing a new approach to diversifying our charity and our work. We became the first arts organisation to win the Board Diversity & Inclusivity award at the Charity Governance Awards.
In Wales, our partnership with public libraries has dramatically widened our participant demographic. For example, in Cardiff Central Library, we have delivered creative sessions aimed primarily at refugees, asylum seekers and migrants - sessions in which at least 20 different first languages were spoken. Participants were referred from council advice and support services. We an ethnically diverse range, and have since ons, as part of Cardiff's City of Sanctuary
Creative Lives' Vice-Chair Bobsie Robinson and Wales Director Gareth Coles were invited to speak about our approach to embedding diversity at the Governance Now conference in Birmingham, 8 February 2023
www.creative-lives.org/embedding-diversity-report
Creative workshop in Cardiff Central Library, in partnership with Improving Conversational English support.
Spaces for creativit
One of our strategic priorities is to open up more spaces for creative cultural activity.
Creative Community Boxes
We have worked in partnership with Welsh public libraries since 2018, and are currently delivering a project providing providing arts and crafts materials to existing community groups in libraries and other venues in Cardiff.
Based on suggestions from the groups, we have provided arts and crafts supplies in each venue, along with a selection of creative prompts in Welsh and English. Each box has our contact details and suggestion slips for further materials, prompts and feedback. We regularly replenish the materials and prompts over the course of the project. The project is supported by a grant from National Lottery Awards for All Wales.
Art & Craft Swaps
We know that some people struggle to afford new art supplies, while others may have spare and unused materials at home. So in addition to the Creative Community Boxes, we're piloting two Art & Craft Swaps in Cardiff Libraries, with further exchanges to follow.
“I think this is a brilliant idea, because it’s easier to talk when you’re all making something.”
Advocacy and resea
Creative Lives was re-elected to represent the volunt heritage sector on the Third Sector Partnership Counc meets with Welsh Government Ministers, and represe influence and input into policies and decision-making
We received 450 responses to our Big Conversation 20 participation across the UK and Ireland, 36% of which Wales. The survey found that although a majority of volunteer-led creative groups were struggling with increased costs, around half were also doing something to help their communities with these difficulties, e.g. providing warm spaces, free hot drinks and waiving costs. We also found that despite the increased cost of living and the lingering effects of the pandemic, optimism about the future of voluntary creative activity is now at the highest level since 2017.
Responses to our Stakeholder Survey 2022:
“They're the only organisation I know of that understands what it's like for voluntary arts and creative organisations. They empathise with the producers and help communicate their value to decision makers. No mean feat.”
“Fantastic support, training and guidance in addition to championing volunteers and celebrating their creativity.”
“Validating that everyday creativity is something to be celebrated and encouraged.”
“Focussed, targeted and therefore effective support in terms of practical resources, experienced practitioners and a network of creative contacts.”
Improving public awareness of everyday creativity
Creative Lives was one of the founding partners of the Get Creative campaign and festival, run by a group of cultural organisations to celebrate and support the everyday creativity happening across the UK.
During the first lockdown in 2020, we encouraged people to Get Creative at Home. The Get Creative website was relaunched at the beginning of April 2020 to host listings of online and remote activities for people of all ages and abilities to get creative during lockdown, and by Autumn 2020, there were more than 900 activities live on the website. The campaign was heavily supported by programming from the BBC, which included Life Drawing Live, the BBC Lockdown Orchestra, and Get Creative at Home Masterclasses.
In early 2021, we ran Get Creative and Make a Difference, which sought to target groups most at risk from loneliness and isolation to support and increase wellbeing and connections through creativity.
In the summer of 2021, we supported Get Creative Outdoors, which featured over 300 events and over 50 remote activities, reaching over 61,000 participants. This was delivered in partnership with a broad range of environmental organisations.
Facilitating conversations
With colleagues from across the UK and Ireland, we launched the Creative Network conversations at the start of the pandemic: a series of online get-togethers open to anyone involved in arts, culture and creativity in order to connect and collaborate.
Facilitating these conversations enabled people from across the UK, Ireland and beyond to talk with others, develop ideas and projects, and find sustainable ways forward in changing circumstances. The sessions were an amazing experiment – a creative thinktank for the sector – and a very effective way of building our connections during this challenging period.
The Creative Network sessions have since developed into a series of thematic and geographical online gatherings, including the Creative Network Local Arts Wales, which aims to offer opportunities to share and celebrate the work that takes place across Wales, and to link local arts development with national policy.
To date, 15 sessions of the Creative Network Local Arts Wales have been delivered, with over 240 participants, exploring topics including The Arts in Wales as an Ecosystem, Creativity and Connection in Older Age, Creative Recovery and New Opportunities for Collaboration.
Feedback
“Thank you for arranging the meetings and presentations – a and so interesting."
"Thanks for your creative provocations this morning, it was lo connecting with everyone."
"I have renewed energy now to pursue the project with learni dancers and love the idea of 'Imperfect Continuity'. What a u this morning! I am so glad I was able to join."
"Thanks for a fantastically provocative and interesting discus
“I absolutely love these meetings: they always spark something in me.”
@CreativeLivesCL www.creative-lives.org 02920 395 395 wales@creative-lives.org Creative Lives, Trade Street Desks, Trade Street Lane, Cardiff CF10 5DT Creative Lives Charity Limited is registered in Scotland as Company No. 139147 and Charity No. SC 020345.
