Inspire libraries win arts funding

Inspire has received over £14,000, through Arts Council England’s Grant for the Arts Libraries Fund to develop an exciting programme of workshops in schools as part of the Big Draw Festival in October. The funding will allow ten Nottinghamshire schools to have a professional artist for a day focusing on this year’s Big Draw theme – The STEAM powered Big Draw to creatively teach the students about electronic circuits through drawing.

STEAM is the campaign to add an A for Art in to the STEM subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and turn STEM into STEAM. At a time when creative subjects are being given less curriculum value it recognises that art can be used to learn about the other subjects and often incorporates principles of those subjects.

The Arts Council funding will allow Inspire to support over 300 young people directly through artist led delivery and another 300 indirectly through materials and staff CPD. The work of the young people will be celebrated in a touring exhibition of the artworks in Library galleries.

Inspire will be working with The Mighty Creatives Arts Mark network and Candleby Lane Flying High Trust schools to deliver the project. In addition to the opportunity for students to work with a professional artist, training will be provided to teachers to enable them to use the specialist circuit drawing materials to roll activities to the wider school.

The award recognises libraries as places for great art and creativity in communities and will help build relationships between Inspire venues and schools for future arts development work.

Cllr John Knight commented “This is a great opportunity for Inspire to bring this unique and exciting festival to the people of Nottinghamshire – and we are really proud that additional funding has been secured to work directly with schools and demonstrate the value of drawing in the classroom”.

The public will also have the opportunity to participate in The Big Draw as Inspire will be running a series of workshops for children and families in libraries throughout October.

Further information can be found at – www.thebigdraw.org