A Space To Create
A Space to Create project works in partnership with venues across Sunderland to develop and grow their capacity to programme creative activities for local people. The project is about establishing and empowering local community venues as centres that have a regular programme of high-quality, accessible, art projects, which increases the amount of cultural offerings happening closer to where people live, reducing the need to have to travel further afield.
A Space to Create allows community venues the opportunity to experiment and test out new ideas of what type of art & culture appeals to their local communities. The project will allow these venues to programme fantastic art and cultural activities such as workshops, performances, exhibitions, outdoor art & large-scale events.
Over the next phase of the project we will continue to support the A Space to Create venues to plan more creative projects and to continue to grow the appetite for culture within their local communities. We will support them to build their capacity to regularly programme cultural activities in their centres by providing a pot of funding to the Space to Create venues. We will also provide a number of training opportunities to support skill development which will lead to more cultural events being programmed as a result.
A Space To Create Venues:
Coalfields
Easington Lane Community Access Point
Brickgarth, Easington Lane, Houghton-le-Spring, DH5 0LE
Website: https://www.elcap.org.uk/
Telephone: 0191 526 1071
Email: info@elcap.org.uk
The Old Rectory
The Broadway, Houghton le Spring, DH4 4BB
Website: https://www.theoldrectory.co.uk/
Telephone: 0191 563 4401
Email: info@theoldrectory.co.uk
Washington
Washington Mind
Grasmere Terrace, Columbia, Washington, Sunderland, NE38 7LP
Website: https://washingtonmind.org.uk/
Telephone: 0191 417 8043
Email: info@washingtonmind.org.uk
East
Young Asian Voices
Sans Street Centre, Upper Sans Street, Sunderland, SR1 1HG
Website: https://www.youngasianvoices.co.uk/
Telephone: 0191 543 6820
Email: info@youngasianvoices.co.uk
The Box Youth Project
Hall Farm Rd, Sunderland, SR3 2UY
Website: https://www.facebook.com/TheBoxYouthAndCommunityProject/?locale=en_GB
Telephone: 0191 522 5031
Email: theboxyouthproject@gmail.com
West
Grindon Church Community Project
Galway Rd, Grindon, Sunderland, SR4 8JZ
Website: http://www.gccp.org.uk/
Telephone: 0191 534 2519
Email: theoffice.gccp@gmail.com
Sunderland Training and Education Farm
Page Pastures Farm, Keelman's Ln, South Hylton, Sunderland SR4 0RW
Website: https://sunderlandfarm.co.uk/
Telephone: 0191 534 3928
Email: stefjc@hotmail.co.uk
North
Grace House North East
Bardolph Drive, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR5 2DE
Website: https://gracehouse.co.uk/
Contact: 0191 435 2088
Email: info@gracehouse.co.uk
Downhill Centre
(formerly Downhill Primary School)
Killarney Square, Downhill, Sunderland, SR5 4AY
Website: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063764070089
Contact:0191 5373231
Email:wendycook@communityopportunities.co.uk
A Space to Create Venue Resources can be found HERE.
If you are a community venue and are interested in joining the programme please contact: emma.biggins@theculturalspring.org.uk
If you are an interested venue and would like to learn more about the A Space to Create programme please click here for more information.
The Story so far:
Since January 2023, we've been working in partnership with community venues across Washington and The Coalfields areas to support their capacity to deliver cultural activities for local communities through the A Space To Create programme. These venues were funded through Sunderland City Council’s Warm Spaces fund to provide a welcoming and warm space to support local people during the cost of living crisis.
The project was developed to work with these warm space venues to develop creative activities that local people could participate in whilst using the space. Through community consultation, we developed a series of creative enterprise workshops to support participants to learn how to create artwork from low-cost or recycled materials that can then be sold. Working with experienced artists the groups developed skills in a range of artforms including cyanotypes, ceramics, textiles, printmaking and recycled art. These workshops also gave the groups an opportunity to learn about creative enterprise, which involved creating, pricing & selling products at Arts Centre Washington’s Spring Craft Fair.
Since these workshops, participants have continued creating at home with some setting up and selling their artwork online and at local craft fairs. Some of the groups are continuing to meet regularly and have formed new friendships and hobbies. Here is some of the feedback we have received:
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“I have got ADHD and I’ve never been confident when it comes to art. Partaking in these workshops has shown me that I am creative and I have been using the skills I have learnt to create in my own time. I am finding that being creative is helping me with my ADHD and I feel a lot more confident … I have even joined a ceramics workshop course too!”
Participant from Washington Mind
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“Being able to be creative with other people has given made me get out of the house more and allowed me to socialise more - I was always stuck in the house with nothing to do before, now I am using the skills I have learnt in the workshops to create at home with the grandkids”
Participant from Forage
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“I have learnt not only how to decoupage but also how to price and sell the items that I make. I have set up a facebook page where I sell some of the pieces I make so that I can buy new materials to make more. I have already sold a number of pieces which I’m so chuffed about - I never thought before this that people would buy something I had made.”
Participant from Forage
A Space to Create Venue Information:
The Space to Create Project is delivered in two phases until March 2025. The first phase of the project was delivered from October 2023 until March 2024. The details of what was involved in this phase is listed below. The second phase of the project will be delivered from April 2024 - March 2025.
The Space to Create Venue will be expected to deliver during Phase 1:
Engage a minimum of 15 participants and a minimum of 100 people as audiences at event(s) organised as part of the A Space to Create programme at your venue during the duration of this agreement, of which the majority will be Sunderland postcodes local to the venue.
A minimum of 1 artistically lead activity such as a workshop programme, craft fair, exhibition and/or live performances. All activities must be completed by the 31st March 2024.
Liaise directly with artists and creative companies including booking performances and agreeing contracts.
Promote the event locally, ensuring that all marketing materials are approved by The Cultural Spring and include relevant project logos. If needed, The Cultural Spring can support marketing.
Provide The Cultural Spring with information (date/time, activity, promotional material) on the programmed activities in advance for marketing purposes.
Agree to a Pay What You Feel donation system; all monies collected will be kept by the organisation and used to programme additional creative activities. Income to be reported to The Cultural Spring.
Provide The Cultural Spring with monitoring information for evaluation purposes.
Identify a volunteer from your venue who can support the Space to Create programme and your organisation as a community champion.
Work with The Cultural Spring to identify beneficial development and training skills which will help to strengthen the centre’s cultural capacity,.
Actively promote The Cultural Spring project as part of the event.
Attend and contribute to the development of A Space to Create network.
Work with The Cultural Spring to secure additional funding for projects that can not be funded through the monies provided in this commission.
Due to funding restrictions each artistic element is expected to have a high level of artistic quality and integrity (often previous funding from Arts Council England can be used as a measure of this). If A Space to Create Venue is unsure if a particular provider reaches this required level then they will be expected to consult with the Cultural Spring team.
The Cultural Spring will provide during Phase 1
The Cultural Spring will provide £1500.
Provide producing / project coordination support for the duration of this agreement; your lead contact will be Emma Biggins.
Provide support & guidance in artist selection and recruitment, commissioning projects, budget management, project coordination & support with external funding applications that work in conjunction with the organisation’s own procedures.
Provide marketing and communications support through The Cultural Spring social media platforms, e-newsletter and PR Consultant. Actively promote any activities as part of the A Space to Create programme and The Cultural Spring project.
Provide all relevant logos, promotional material, monitoring sheets and evaluation forms.
Support the development of A Space to Create network, which includes opportunities for training sessions.
Provide support for the organisation to secure external funding for projects that can not be funded through the monies provided in this commission.
Photos from A Space to Create So Far..
Photos from Arts Centre Washington’s Craft Fair
End of Phase 1
Our A Space to Create venues came together to reflect upon the first phase of the programme, which has seen them over the past 6 months deliver a range of creative activities to their local communities. This has ranged from dance workshops to silk painting workshops to craft fairs to graffiti sessions to community art exhibitions & performances.
Nick from Co-Libra led an evaluation session with the venues allowing them to reflect upon what they have learnt as well as look forward to the next phase of the programme which will be beginning in the next few weeks.
After the session we held micro-taster sessions for tbe venues to experience new art forms and meet local creatives. This included; a spoken word workshop with Rowan McCabe, an introduction to puppetry with Georgia Hill and a mindful mark making session with Jane Young.
This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
