News and Ideas
The latest news and thinking from RIO – the Arts Council Bridge Organisation for the South West of England
This philistine government is betraying the arts
In a sharply pointed piece on arts policy, Guardian columnist Hannah Jane Parkinson evokes the spirit of Jennie Lee, the first minister for the arts in 1964, in attacking what she sees as a ‘cultural deficit’ and ‘philistine times’ at the heart of government today.
Arts Council England announce £700,000 for Plymouth’s Mayflower 400 programme
A major cultural programme funded by, amongst others, £700,000 from Arts Council England that includes a music theatre collaboration between UK and US communities with local artists Seth Lakeman and Nick Stimson, spectacular new events, including the Mayflower Week and Ocean Festival and community engagement through education, arts and culture, sport and volunteering
Arts Matters
RIO consultant and former headteacher Gary Futcher has heard all the debates about arts education but now feels it’s time for action.
Happy International Men’s Day, Especially to Men in Primary Schools
This International Men’s Day, RIO consultant Lewis Gerry want to give some recognition to any and all men working in schools, particularly primary.
Autism-friendly Opening at Cornwall’s Regimental Museum
Cornwall’s Regimental Museum are holding a festive ‘Relaxed Opening’ – an adapted opening for people with autism, so they can enjoy the museum at a quieter pace!
BFI Film Academy Residential Programme 2019
The BFI Film Academy Residential Programme 2019 is now open for applications!The courses which will be run during the February 2019 half-term include; animation, screenwriting, documentary filmmaking and animation and VFX. The Craft Skills residential...
Ashburton Questingle
This Sunday, head to the Bank Youth Project for Play Torbay’s ‘Ashburton Questingle’ event – an outdoor mystery and story quest for all the family!
‘For Remembrance Day, Celebrate Creativity in Schools’
Pupils need creativity skills more than ever, says Professor Bill Lucas in a TES article as he highlights a Remembrance Day project.
The National Creative Learning Awards Are Now Open
Nominations for the National Creative Learning Awards are now open, the charity The Creative Learning Guild have announced.
Bristol to Host Channel 4 Regional Hub
Bristol is to host one of two new Channel 4 Creative Hubs alongside Glasgow, while Leeds will be home to the channel’s new National HQ, it has been announced.
4MinuteFilm Challenge
The 4MinuteFilm Challenge is your opportunity to have a go at making a short film with young people you work with, about a sculpture in your area and receive £100 bursary to help you along the way!
Loss of small music venues is handing control of culture to robots, MPs told
The poor economic model for those running small music venues is handing influence over the UK’s cultural tastes to streaming service algorithms.
Nesta announces Cultural Impact Development Fund
Nesta launches the Cultural Impact Development Fund, a new £3.7m social investment fund for arts, cultural and creative organisations bringing positive change to their communities.
‘Primary Creative Computing’ – A Free Webinar
In a complex digital world, Arts Award & A Little Learning are teaming up to run a creative computing webinar & give you some ideas to use in the classroom.
Culture needs a ‘5-a-day’ campaign, MPs hear
A committee investigating the positive impact of culture and sport on mental and physical health heard that a lack of funding and the absence of a joined-up strategy prevent initiatives becoming more widely available.
When It Comes to the Arts in Schools, It’s a Health Issue…
RIO Consultant and former headteacher, Gary Futcher, ponders a healthy prescription for arts and culture in schools. On World Mental Health Day it was chastening to listen to campaigner Natasha Devon speaking on Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme. For all the...
Community Trails Success Shows Lasting Impact of Cross-Curricular Community Projects in Schools.
Over a 2 year period, Beaford in North Devon worked with eight primary schools and six artists to explore how creative learning can be embedded into different rural settings through a programme combining arts, heritage, environment and community engagement.
AGE 16 – 19? LOVE FILM? Apply for the BFI Film Academy Bristol
You get to: make great films, work with professional filmmakers, be part of a crew and make good friends, gain skills and confidence and find out how to get into working in film. You can make a documentary or a live action drama (with animation) Find out...
£5m Youth Performance Partnerships to boost performing arts
Five Youth Performance Partnerships will be created to bring arts organisations and schools together Five Youth Performance Partnerships will be created in England to give young people greater access to the performing arts, Secretary of State for Digital,...
Artsmark: Time to Say YAAAAY!
This Artsmark Celebration Week it’s time to say congratulations to the 45 south west schools and education settings who have gained their Artsmark awards over the past year! Artsmark is the creative quality standard for education settings accredited by...
New community opera to mark the centenary of WW1
A new opera to commemorate 100 years since the end of the Great War will be performed by 200 children from across Bristol this weekend [Friday 12 and Saturday 13 October] at St Mary Redcliffe Church in Bristol. Pupils from Horfield Church of England...
Words That Burn: a free education resource for secondary schools
Words that Burn is a national project for young people, facilitated through Amnesty International UK, to explore and express human rights through poetry. Literature Works, the South West’s literature development agency, has entered a partnership with Amnesty to bring the programme to Plymouth secondary schools.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation launch new Teacher Development Fund
The Teacher Development Fund (TDF), now in its second year, supports cohorts of primary teachers in developing their teaching through the arts. Recent recipients of the pilot grants are looking at, for example, metacognition, vocabulary development,...
Calling all creatives: Do you have a digital idea that addresses a social challenge?
A call for ideas from the UK’s cultural and creative community. Today Nesta launches Amplified, offering funding and support to develop digital ideas that improve the lives of others.
Plymouth confirmed as host city for British Art Show 9
The UK’s largest touring exhibition of contemporary British Art will be heading to Plymouth again in 2021, following the official announcement by London’s Hayward Gallery that the city has been selected as one of the four host locations for British Art Show 9 (BAS 9).
Get ready for BBC Music Day 2018
BBC Music Day is this Friday and musicians are getting ready to celebrate this fourth annual celebration of the power of music to change lives.
Music education is being ‘lost’ in schools
Mercury Prize 2018 Winners Wolf Alice say they wouldn’t be a band now if they hadn’t had access to music education at school.
Exciting CPD Opportunities for Music Educators with Trinity Laban
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance are offering two exciting opportunities that may be of interest to music educators. The Teaching Musician The Teaching Musician is a postgraduate programme, developed to support and recognise the skills of...
Artsmark Opportunities at the Holburne Museum
The Holburne Museum in Bath has recently become an Artsmark Partner and are really looking forward to working with schools to support their Artsmark journey. The Holburne was founded in 1882 with the gift of Sir William Holburne’s collection of 16th and...
Start your Artsmark Journey Today
Make the most of the arts in your school with Artsmark. Artsmark can help unlock the potential of children and young people, help to develop character and talent, and increase their knowledge and understanding. That’s why Artsmark was created: to bring this ambition to life in every classroom.
Jazz South Audit for Music and Music Education
Are you working in jazz in the south of England? Jazz South at Turner Sims want information to contribute to an important and unique online survey, as the first essential step in setting up the Jazz South jazz development project. To access the survey...
New Term of Porthmeor Young Artists
Are you 13-18 and want to make art? Work with a range of professional artists and mediums while taking inspiration from the beach and local landscape. Learn how to draw a clothed model and experiment with your new skills in our fully equipped and...
Brass Band Englands Artistic Development Program Comes To The South West
Come and listen to Philip Harper demystifythe subject of Artistic Direction, particularly the role of ‘the audience’ in artistic thinking.
Lean and Mean or Big and Round With a Cherry on Top?
RIO Consultant and former headteacher, Gary Futcher, explores the current debate about our expectations for education in schools. When the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) asked the public ‘what makes a good school?’ in March 2017 they found a...
Make it Better (Mitber) CIC Supporting Communities To Live Well Through The Arts
Culture at the heart of community and community at the heart of culture. Join Make it Better CIC for an array of events this August! Make it Better are welcoming people over the age of 50 to attend and share their unique skills and passions, make creative...
Become a New Talent Fellow in Immersion
Interested in ideas, experiences and technologies to do with immersion, but just starting out or changing your career? Apply to take part in a ten-month, flexible programme with a £15,000 bursary for New Talent to develop ideas and leadership roles in the...
Creativity vs. the Robots
For some, 21st century technical advances are the great leap forwards, bringing the undoubted benefits of reliability, availability and increased productivity. For others, there is a concern: in the automated, robotic future; what happens to the humans?...
Wheal Martyn Offers Summer Volunteering Opportunities in St Austell
Wheal Martyn, home to the UK’s only china clay mining museum, are looking to get more young people involved in their activities and projects this summer. With a soon-to-be created exhibition and activity space, there will lots of fantastic new volunteering...
Bristol in the running for Channel 4 Creative Hub
Bristol has been named as one of three cities in the running for a Channel 4 creative hub. The city was on the initial shortlist revealed in May. Since then, the second stage of the pitch process has taken place which involved teams from Channel 4,...
Cultural Services Apprenticeship
An exciting and varied apprenticeship opportunity has become available in the Cultural Services team, supporting the delivery and promotion of the Bradley Stoke Library service.
WHY? Festival
Can you help Dorset's WHY? Festival? B-side in Dorset are currently running a project called ‘WHY? Festival’ - it’s a festival based all around the UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child. The festival is produced and programmed by a group of five 17 -...
Young Cultural Journeys: Full Report
A major piece of research by West Midlands Bridge organisation, Arts Connect, focussing on young people’s take on culture and cultural education.
Create and Dance with the Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House's Create and Dance is a free online programme that provides: A creative learning resource, created with teachers, for primary schools across England. Classroom-based and digital activities, with strong curriculum links, to give...
Explore Art and Culture in Trowbridge Park with ‘Creative Trowbridge’
Active Trowbridge is having its annual Active Festival in Trowbridge Park on Saturday 14 July. Explore Art Trowbridge is joining in the activities with ‘Creative Trowbridge’ which encourages young people to take part in a creative trail starting in Trowbridge Park and...
Invitation to Tender – Creative Design & Build Lead, Encounters
Encounters is seeking an exceptional individual or team to lead on the design and build of Chrysalis, a visionary project funded by Arts Council England to create an environmentally sustainable mobile, community, arts and learning space in collaboration...
OPEN CALL FOR D/dEAF and DISABLED ARTISTS FOR SPLASH!
Are you a D/deaf or disabled artist who would like to develop their creative practice? Are you interested in forming a new East Midlands ensemble of D/deaf, disabled artists and non-disabled artists? Would you like to be part of a collaboration...
Growth of creative industries prompts launch of creative call to arms
Worth over £91 billion to the UK, the explosion of the creative economy has prompted the launch of the ‘1,000 Makers’ campaign by local social enterprise, RIO – the Real Ideas Organisation. RIO’s?1,000 Makers?campaign shines a light on the growth and...
Lindsey Hall on the creative economy and inclusive growth
Let’s continue to grow an ecology that continually connects success to all communities, creating benefit across the board. Then we will truly have an inclusive, creative economy.
National Writing Day
National Writing Day is an annual celebration of writing designed to inspire people across the UK to get writing. Theirr message is simple: everyone has a story to tell and sharing it can be a source of pleasure and power. On 27th June 2018, National...
Durham Commission on Creativity and Education
The Durham Commission on Creativity and Education is a collaboration between Arts Council England and Durham University that aims to identify ways in which creativity, and specifically creative thinking, can play a larger part in the lives of young people...