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MK welcomes new culture sector apprentices

Alongside Milton Keynes City Council, we are proud to announce three new apprentices have started in prominent cultural venues in the city.

Funded by MK City Council’s £3.5m Economic Recovery Plan cultural organisations were invited to apply for a grant to employ apprentices. MK Gallery, Bletchley Park and Milton Keynes Theatre were all successful in their bids and have since recruited an apprentice each.

The apprentices are benefitting from more than 1,400 hours of work experience each across 15 months with their employer. All three apprentices will receive online specialist training from leading provider of creative apprenticeships, Creative Alliance while also learning on the job from industry experts.

Joshua Yon, Digital Marketer, MK Gallery

Born in Zimbabwe to a musical family, Joshua first moved to Milton Keynes at age 10 and over the years he has been involved in various creative and cultural events such as the MK: International Festival, taking on various roles from photographer to performing musician.

“I really appreciate the opportunity to be able to work and learn from MK Gallery. I’ve visited the Gallery so many times and always enjoyed their work and events, so for me to be behind the scenes and contributing to those experiences is really a privilege.”- Joshua Yon

Remi Ajibola, Cultural Learning and Participation Officer, MK Theatre

Remi is an outspoken activist at heart, having engaged in programmes with groups like the Fair Education Alliance, giving a speech at the National Gallery on educational inequality and actively advocating within their poetry.

“I’m really excited to explore a field I have a genuine interest in. It’s been amazing so far, such a supportive environment and team. Looking forward to everything I have yet to learn and build.”- Remi Ajibola

Evie Spillings, Events Assistant, Bletchley Park

Evie recently completed her A-Levels at Ousedale Sixth Form in Newport Pagnell where she planned the sixth form prom alongside one of her best friends. This motivated her to choose an apprenticeship where she can integrate personal experience and academic knowledge from her events course into practical, real-world applications.

“Being a lifelong resident of Milton Keynes, I am enthusiastic about continuing my journey here, signifying my dedication to ongoing education and the value of acquiring practical skills in a professional environment. Bletchley Park’s rich history and its current role as a cultural and heritage venue add an extra layer of excitement to my journey.”- Evie Spillings

“It’s so inspiring to see young people with such passion for culture. We’re really proud to be sponsoring these apprenticeships which will give Joshua, Remi and Evie brilliant opportunities. I look forward to following their journeys and seeing them develop fulfilling careers.”

– Cabinet Member responsible for Culture, Cllr Shanika Mahendran

“Creative Alliance is thrilled to announce our partnership with Milton Keynes City Council and the Arts and Heritage Alliance MK (AHA-MK). Together, we’re launching a pilot scheme that has placed three talented apprentices in three cultural venues in Milton Keynes, namely MK Gallery, Milton Keynes Theatre and Bletchley Park. This collaboration wouldn’t have been possible without the fantastic support of MK City Council. We’re ready to empower the next generation of creative talent in the heart of Milton Keynes.”

Apprenticeship Recruitment Manager for Creative Alliance, Jane Wright
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Children in ten of our primary schools benefit from an exciting cultural programme working with artists

The Arts and Heritage Alliance Milton Keynes (AHA-MK), with its 39 member organisations, has formed a Cultural Education Partnership (MKCEP) for Milton Keynes. MK Council departments, cultural organisations, artists, schools and MK College are working together to enrich the lives of our children and young people in Milton Keynes, with increased opportunities for innovative, high quality creative learning.

We are delighted to launch a new exciting programme for MK primary schools exploring Place-making – what does this mean for children?  This is funded by Artswork, the South East Bridge, a regional charity who believe in empowering young people through arts and culture, and by Milton Keynes Community Foundation, who support transformational projects.

Chair of AHA-MK Francesca Skelton:

We are delighted that our funders Artswork and MK Community Foundation are investing in the future of our Milton Keynes children and that schools have embraced this opportunity to work with arts organisations to build the children’s understanding of their home town in such a creative way as they gain important skills.

Three hundred Key Stage 1 & 2 pupils from across the ten chosen schools will take part in inspiring creative sessions, developing creative and social skills, increased confidence, wellbeing and motivation.  Sessions will explore a range of art forms, from contemporary dance to visual art. All participating children have the chance to achieve their Arts Award Discover or Explore, a scheme accredited by Trinity College London.  An embedded teacher development programme, facilitated by action research organisation 5x5x5=creativity, will inspire and support schools to develop cross curricular links and nurture children’s creativity throughout the project and beyond.

Each school’s participation in the project will support their achievement of Artsmark, Arts Council England’s creative quality standard for schools, ensuring that hundreds more pupils continue to benefit from access to high quality creative learning in school.

AHA-MK member, MK Gallery’s Learning Manager, Tara Page is managing this project:

Access to the arts can support learning in all subject areas; pave the way for exciting and worthwhile career paths; and engage and bring joy to the most vulnerable of learners. MK Gallery is thrilled to support the development of partnerships between schools and arts organisations in Milton Keynes. During times of increasing adversity, it becomes more and more important to utilise the power of partnership working to ensure sustainable access to high quality creative learning for children and young people.

From an open-call advertising the opportunity to all Milton Keynes primary schools, we have selected the following ten schools to participate in the project: Bishop Parker Catholic Primary; Caroline Haslett Primary; Holne Chase Primary; Long Meadow Primary; Middleton Primary; Romans Field Primary; St. Monica’s Catholic Primary; St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary; Summerfield Primary and Willen Primary.  Each school has been partnered with one of five MK-based arts and cultural organisations: Inter-Action MK; MÓTUS; Milton Keynes Arts Centre; Pagrav Dance; and Will We Be.

 

 

 

 

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MÓTUS Dance Festival returns for 2015

Forget dancing in the street, this May is all about dancing in the park!

MÓTUS Dance Festival is back again for 2015 on Sunday 31st May.

Performances will kick off in and around MK Gallery before moving on to new pastures in Campbell Park. The festival will feature professional and community dancers alikeanimating the sites in central Milton Keynes.

The event is free to attend and there are two opportunities to catch the action. Audiences are invited to meet at MK Gallery at either 3pm or 5.30pm from where they will process to Campbell Park with the performance culminating at the MK Rose.

Helen Parlor, artistic director for MÓTUS, commented: “The premise of this year’s festival is to support and commission dance artists/ companies to come and make work here in Milton Keynes. Instead of presenting pre-existing work, companies have selected sites around Campbell Park and MK Gallery to interact with, in order to create original and vibrant performances.” 

The line-up of professional companies visiting Milton Keynes as part of MÓTUS includes ZoieLogic Dance Theatre, Ceyda Tanc Dance and Inverted Company (Tamzen Moulding). With influences ranging from contemporary dance to Turkish folk dance to acrobatics, the performances are set to be a visual feast.

Local schools are jumping on board with students from Denbigh School and The Grove Independent School working with professional choreographers on commissions. Young people from Milton Keynes based Initiate Youth Dance Company will also perform as part of the unfolding promenade.

Also getting involved is Mark Niel, Poet Laureate for Milton Keynes and Development Officer for the MK Rose. Mark will be presenting a newly commissioned poem and might even don his dancing shoes for the occasion.

An event which all the family can enjoy, MÓTUS 2015 will be a fun and cultural afternoon out to wrap up the half term holiday.

As a prelude to the main event, the MÓTUS team will present a work in progress platform on Friday 29th May at Centric MK in Linford Wood. Here, audience members will be able to give direct responses to the work on show – feeding into the creative process and development of new work.

For further information, contact Effie McGuire Ward at MÓTUS: 07986404179 / motusdancefestival@gmail.com

 

MÓTUS Production Team:

Artistic Director: Helen Parlor

Assistant Directors: Chris Bradley & Effie McGuire Ward

 

Full Programme line-up of Artists/ Companies:

Charlie Brittain, Ceyda Tanc Dance, Julia Cheng, Club Mob, John Darvell, Initiate Youth Dance Company, Inverted Company, Chloe Tasker, ZoieLogic Dance Theatre.

 

Tickets for Work in Progress Event:

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/respond-motus-2015-tickets-16846730023

MOTUS legge

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The Great War Remembered – an evening of live music and film

PoppiesThis May experience an evening of new compositions, music and film inspired by WW1. Living Archive has been working with Steven McDaniel, young talented songwriters, musicians and film makers to commission new works inspired by the WW1 stories held by Living Archive. This six month project builds on the previous work of the Living Archive Band, and new music, songs and films will be screened and performed live on Friday 29 May, 7pm at MK Gallery’s Event Space by this talented ensemble of performers.

Inspired by the diaries, letters and images of people in Milton Keynes during WW1, this one-off performance will provide a space for people to celebrate and reflect on the people, the lives and the poignant and powerful stories that are still relevant today.

Steven McDaniel says: ‘It is wonderful to work with such a passionate group of young people and great that Living Archive has given them this opportunity to work together and perform live…’ This project is just one of a series of projects funded through Great War MK by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Great War Remembered – an evening of film and music is free but pre-booking is required from MK Gallery website (http://www.mkgallery.org/events/2015_05_29/friday_night_film/).

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MK Gallery Joins Plus Tate Network

Sixteen more visual arts organisations across the UK, from Derry to Milton Keynes to Southampton, join Plus Tate

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Tate is pleased to announce that Plus Tate, the contemporary visual arts network, is to expand by sixteen institutions. They join the original cohort of eighteen partners, plus the four Tate galleries, to virtually double the size of the group. In 2010, Plus Tate was launched to share collections and expertise and build a network which would use Tate’s resources to strengthen the contemporary visual arts ecology in the UK. The expansion comes in the wake of the Warwick Commission Report which highlighted the importance of building strong arts organisations outside London.

The decision to extend the Plus Tate network was announced in September 2014 and applications were received through an open process in which premium was placed on a strong artistic vision, a focus on contemporary art, outstanding public programming and a commitment to local community engagement through art.

The network will now have greater geographic spread across the UK with three new venues being added in Northern Ireland, The Fruitmarket Gallery joining in Scotland and Artes Mundi in Wales. Three London venues have also been added.

Nicholas Serota said: ‘Expanding the network will significantly change Plus Tate’s texture. These are all organisations that contribute to their local community but which have a national profile. The larger network will bring different kinds of experience into the pool and facilitate greater cooperation between partners.’

Alex Farquharson, Director of Nottingham Contemporary said: ‘The Plus Tate network has made for closer relationships between a large number of leading visual arts institutions across Britain. Many of us are unique in our local environments; it is therefore invaluable to be able to share strategy, knowledge and experience with peers across the country, particularly at a time of considerable economic and political challenge. Instead of isolation and competition, Plus Tate has given rise to a collegial, mutually supportive network, committed to success in our sector, for our publics.’

Hugh Mulholland, Curator MAC in Belfast said: ‘Being included in Plus Tate …affords us the opportunity to become an active contributor to the well-established network of other galleries who already make up Plus Tate and who share our desire to be part of the national and international discourse around contemporary visual art practice.’

The new partners are:

Artes Mundi in Cardiff, Camden Arts Centre, Centre for Contemporary Art Derry-Londonderry, Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art in Manchester, Chisenhale Gallery in London, The Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh, Golden Thread in Belfast, Harris Museum and Art Gallery in Preston, John Hansard Gallery in Southampton, Liverpool Biennial, The MAC Belfast, MK Gallery in Milton Keynes, Modern Art Oxford, The Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art in Sunderland, the South London Gallery and Spike Island in Bristol.

They join the original eighteen partners which are:

Arnolfini, BALTIC, Cornerhouse/HOME, firstsite, Glynn Vivian, Grizedale Arts, The Hepworth Wakefield, Ikon, Kettle’s Yard, mima, MOSTYN, Newlyn Art Gallery and the Exchange, Nottingham Contemporary, The Pier Arts Centre, Towner, Turner Contemporary, Whitworth Art Gallery, Wysing, plus the four Tate galleries.

The original cohort of eighteen Plus Tate partners is visited by over 3.5 million people every year, employs over 500 full time staff and has an annual turnover of £34 million. Research published in January, Plus Tate: Connecting Art to People and Places, revealed the significant regenerative and economic benefits of these organisations. Plus Tate has attracted collaborative funding in recent years such as that from JP Morgan for a national Plus Tate Learning Programme and £5 million from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation to create Circuit, a peer-led programme for young people.

The enlarged Plus Tate group will meet together for the first time in July 2015 to set the agenda for the next phase of development to 2020.

MK Gallery
MK Gallery

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Great War MK Project Update

Great War MKGreat War MK is a collaborative project led by the Arts & Heritage Alliance Milton Keynes (AHA-MK). It explores the impact of the First World War on the communities of Milton Keynes – an area now covering six towns, 41 villages and 1/4 million people – through research, commemorative events, participatory learning activity and community workshops.

This Heritage Lottery funded project enables partners from the AHA-MK membership collectively to commemorate not only the stories from 100 years ago but also their legacy for modern Milton Keynes. Our aim is to inspire active participation amongst both native and new communities in Milton Keynes – in interviews, workshops and creative activities to produce informative and engaging new works. Great War MK will generate film screenings, music, dance, performances, archive material, exhibitions and installations, all of which will give fresh insights into the turmoil – and creativity – of those times.

If you want to get involved with Great War MK you can attend a workshop or come along to an event, all listed here or get in touch here.

You can find out more about the projects on our Vimeo page: http://vimeo.com/greatwarmk and Facebook www.Facebook.com/GreatWarMK or follow @AHA_MK #GreatWarMK on Twitter.

Great War MK Programmes and EventsVinny Stapley Poppy Banner

Festive Road – Milton Keynes-based carnival company Festive Road are building full
size WW1 tank that will form the backdrop to their new performance informed by the tensions and challenges of frontline fighting. This outdoor artwork will be presented at night in various locations around Milton Keynes.

The Banner Project – Working with a talented textiles artist, Vinny Stapley, Westbury Arts Centre aims to create over 500 banners informed by the stories and memories of WW1. These beautiful commemorative banners will then be used to create a large-scale dance performance. Working with renowned choreographers Helen Parlor, Effie McGuire-Ward and Chris Bradley, a team of over 100 dancers will take part in this act of remembrance.

Cowper & Newton Museum – Working with Olney RFC the Cowper & Newton Museum will stage a commemorative Rugby match in January 2015 – in memory of local hero Edgar Mobbs. The Museum is also developing a Songs and Poetry Evening and an energetic Old Time Music Hall, breathing life into 100 year old music and verse, as well as presenting a new animation inspired by life in the trenches.

Frontline – MK Gallery is working with four local schools to explore the concept of conflict and how artists have represented war and wartime in their work. Groups of students will be visiting the Imperial War Museum and working with artists to develop their own artworks – culminating in an exhibition at MK Gallery project space in June 2015.

Living Archive – Working with a group of talented young people, professional musician Steven McDaniels will be supporting the development of new songs and music inspired by the WW1 stories held by Living Archive. These new songs will be performed at an event in May 2015. In addition, Living Archive will be developing digital stories bringing new life to re-mastered Living Archive Band recordings.

Independent Cinema MK – Local independent cinema company ICMK is exploring the ideas of propaganda and truth in their work creating stop-time animations with school children. These animations will form part of several ‘WW1 style’ screening events to take place around Milton Keynes, alongside other WW1 relevant film and footage.

Serving King and Country – Deanshanger Village Heritage Society have undertaken a research project to uncover information about the village in the WW1 period. Research will uncover life on the home front, those that served, those in reserved occupations – working on the land and at the famous E & H Roberts Iron Foundry. This project will result in exhibitions, creative workshops with school children, walks and archive material.

MK Heritage Association – Through support from MKHA, these local history projects also form part of Great War MK. These include:

  • Simpson History Group’s research project to better understand the lives of the men represented on their war memorial, work to restore the local memorials and production of a booklet to commemorate their sacrifice.
  • Bucks Constabulary Museum’s WW1 exhibition
  • North Crawley Historical Society’s research project to track and commemorate all those who fought and died from their village, producing an exhibition and booklet.

by Karen Kodish