Arts and Crafts
 Inspired by... is the V&A's annual art competition for adults on part-time courses. Participants create a work of art or craft inspired by the collections of the V&A South Kensington, the Theatre Collections on-line, or the V&A Museum of Childhood. Entries are judged by a panel of curators and the winners and other selected works are displayed in the museum of their inspiration. Winners in their category also receive a prize. Inspired by... celebrates Adult Learners' Week and 2009 marks the 10th year of the competition. For more information about, or to get involved with the initiative, visit the V&A website by clicking here.
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The Big Draw is an annual event that invites everyone to join in, using drawing to engage with the past, present, and future.
Every October over 1000 venues, including: galleries, museums, science centres, heritage and environmental sites, libraries, archives, community and shopping centres, colleges, schools and art clubs host drawing activities for people of all abilities. They explore technical, scientific, architectural, archaeological or fine art drawing. Participants of all ages are invited to help expand the definitions and uses of drawing - experimenting with pencils, crayons, charcoal, sand, clay, digital imagery, choreographed movement, vapour trails and fire drawings.
To see images from The Big Draw 2008 on Flickr click here
The Big Draw proves that drawing can be an enjoyable public activity as well as a private passion. It is inspired by the visionary Victorian artist and writer, John Ruskin. His mission was not to teach people how to draw, but how to see.
High profile patrons of the campaign include:
- Quentin Blake CBE
- Lord Foster
- David Hockney CH
- Sir Richard MacCormac
- Andrew Marr
- Sir Roger Penrose OM
- Gerald Scarfe
- Posy Simmonds MBE
Upcoming Events of InterestTaking Time: Craft and the Slow Revolution17 October 2009 - 04 January 2010 Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
This exhibition explores how contemporary craftspeople respond to ideas about slowing down how we work and what we produce, and the importance of contributing to a more sustainable society. The Slow Movement, to which the Slow Food movement is connected, began as a reaction to our fast-paced consumer culture. It calls for more local production, valuing where things come from, and creating communities and a sense of belonging through being part of a shared activity. In this exhibition you can see how makers from different countries show in their work and making processes, the value of taking time. Archived Events Because of its historic interest in the Arts and Crafts, the ECA prides itself on it's high quality reviews of important Art and Craft events. See below for a list of previous events the ECA has attended: The End of Year Exhibitions 26th June 2008- 2nd July 2008 Norwich School of Art and Design, Norwich The whole school turns into a gallery for this event where there are a great variety of works on display. The end of year exhibitions are the largest annual art exhibitions in Norwich. To read a full review of this event, click here. Cloth and Culture Now29th Jan 2008- 1st June 2008 Sainsbury Centre, UEA, Norwich This exhibition featured exciting and innovative work by 35 artists from Estonia, Finland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, and the UK. It focused on the important role of textile in the culture of each of these countries. To view a FULL review of this event click here |
This year is the 10th anniversary of The Big Draw, so why not take part in Big Draw Day on Saturday 10th October and help to celebrate.
This years themes are
Colour in The Big Draw!
Powers of Ten
Drawin' Darwin
Look to the Future: work together to combat climate change
A Day in the Life of...
Details of local events and activities can be found here.
The ECA and Arts & Crafts
The ECA has long recognised the importance of Arts and Crafts in Adult learning. The theme of the 2007 AGM was: Innovation and Inspiration: The crafts in Adult Learning.
Information and Research Officer for Voluntary Arts England, Paul Devlin, spoke at the conference about the issues surrounding the Arts and Crafts in Adult Education. A follow up article written by Paul, for the ECA, can be found on the current news page or by clicking here. Ethnie Nightingale, from the V&A Inspired by....project (detailed above) and Gemma Khawaja, a talented Norfolk puppet making student also made interesting and informative presentations of their own crafty crafts.
As well as this successful craft-themed conference, several projects supported by the ECA have intergrated or focused on Arts and Crafts, and the ECA has a strong history of involvement with the Arts and Crafts community. Further Arts and Crafts-based activities supported or recommended by the ECA will be found on this page, which will be updated regularly.
Andrew Fairbairn, the former vice president of the ECA died last year, aged 85.
Andrew had a passion for Lifelong learning and a strategic approach to developing his concept of the Community Centre/College.Andrew also saw the importance of arts and crafts in Adult Education; introducing training for teachers of dress, embroidery and allied crafts to adults, in conjunction with Nottingham University and Loughborough College of Adult Education in 1972/3. This is a theme that has continued in more recent years, and further cements the ECA's keen focus on the Arts in Education.
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Arts Council Cuts: Local Effects
In the biggest cull in the Arts Council's history, over 200 organisations were told that their grants would either be stopped, or cut significantly. Many organisations will either have to close or significantly reduce the vital services they offer as a result of this. This is affecting communities up and down the country. Below we look at the effects in the Norfolk area. If you have a story about the cuts in your community you'd like to feature here, don't hesitate to contact us.
Norwich Puppet Theatre
Norwich Puppet Theatre is set to lose all of its £60,000 a year Arts Council funding. This money constitutes a third of its annual budget and is vital for the theatre to thrive.The Norwich Puppet theatre is the only institute in the country where you can receive a City and Guilds qualification in puppet making, a course ECA Chair Bernard Godding helped devise and launch. The theatre entertains and educates more than 10,000 people a year, is internationally acclaimed for its performances of its own productions, and host to the Norwich International Festival of Puppet theatre.
Of the proposed cuts, Bernard Godding says that: "If the Arts Council is looking for excellence and engagement then it would do well to look more closely at what would be lost in the closure of Norwich Puppet Theatre, one of only two in the country. I cannot believe that it would be a sound judgement from the modest amount that I know of the work which goes on there and / or is inspired by its leadership in this scarce and precious art form, if funding was to be withdrawn as threatened."