tao nottingham education

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR SUMMER PROGRAMME OF ARTS ACTIVITIES?

Workshops will run daily and for a full list, description, timetable and costs follow the link to:
Summer Workshops Programme

TEXTILES LEARNING

and CRECHE

for single parents

the first session successfully finished in June - the second session will now run in the summer holidays from July 29th, over three weeks - if you are interested in attending please email.

info@theartorganisation.co.uk

Hello. My name is Nadim and I’ll be running the basic textiles programme to be held at The Art Organisation. There are two outcomes, both of equal importance, which I hope students will achieve on this course. Firstly the learning of a skill, namely how to sew both by hand and machine. And secondly to kick start and nurture your own creativity in a fun and supportive manner.

I plan to halve the eight session programme as follows. The first four sessions will be spent learning basic and advanced sewing skills by making a range of simple products, such as a lined bag, a cushion/pillow case and a purse / bag with zip. Making these simple products will I hope, enable students to familiarise themselves and create a sense of confidence with basic fabric cutting, hand sewing and how to work your way around a sewing machine. The second half of the programme I would like to be student led. The floor is therefore open to you to decide how you would like to apply the new skills you have learnt, whether to make curtains and cushions for home, alter and repair clothes or simply make gifts for Christmas or a potential monthly stall at our craft fair at The Art Organisation. Basically the onus is on you to decide how you would like to proceed with the second half of the course, the more creative the better so get those thinking caps on!

Lastly we encourage students to recycle any materials from home, e.g. old clothes, scraps of fabric, reels of cottons or yarns, to increase resources available. Again I stress that the emphasis for this course is very much based on fun and uninhibited creativity and with that I look forward to meeting you.

Whilst this goes on in our main gallery, we have two experienced creche workers to run a programme of entertainment for young children in our Gallery Too, with arts activities, storytelling, music and games.

FUNDED BY

Further information can be obtained by ringing Rob at the gallery 01159241440 after 11am.

PHOTOGRAPHY

'this was completed in March 2008'

Currently, TAO received funding from the Local Network Fund, via The Community Foundation to begin our first education programme working in the community.

TAO have made links with young persons aged 16 – 19 years, leaving foster care and social care
centres, through the City Council's Leaving Care team. Through advertising the potential of this
project to the young persons a group have been identified, keen to take part. The exhibition will be
promoted to other young persons involved with the leaving care team, through city council links,
schools and colleges.

Working with a group of twelve young persons, participation begins with learning the basic
understanding and use of an SLR camera, and the taking of photographs as per an agreed concept to
the project. Participants will be introduced to the darkroom, taught how to develop their films and
techniques in hand-printed black and white photography, and encouraged to use methods to produce
a series of prints and imagery relative to the concept. The project culminates with a presentation of
the artwork, following framing and marketing a group exhibition, to the community.

This project is aimed at increasing group awareness and motivation in a team atmosphere; sharing,
group promotion and recognising the value of individual strengths in a group situation, away from
the social inclusion for a group of young people who are frequently excluded from society.
Skills and knowledge of photography and darkroom skills will be obtained by participants leading
to opportunity for employment or further education.

Prior to setting up the larger darkroom in Nottingham, TAO received two years funding to deliver a
similar project over two years in Kent working with the Rainer Charity, Canterbury 16plus team,
Awards for All and Kent County Council. The project leader is a qualified youth development
worker and has a current CRB certificate.

The previous projects saw an increase in self-esteem and confidence and the project helps to
improve motivation through creativity and success. We would evaluate each persons progress
through observation, participation, documentation and self-evaluation (before and after the event).
Young persons develop their skills and knowledge about photography and the arts and are educated
in specific techniques relating to photography. These successes would also be monitored.
The project enhances their opportunity to access training and employment in the arts field. Success
of this would also be monitored.

This project will see an increase of art and specifically photographic art exhibited to the wider community,
and the community gallery can monitor public reception to the project and the artwork,
and relate to participants.