This week is National Careers Week, and our Talent Accelerator team have been hard at work delivering talks, workshops, and fair stalls to young people across East Sussex to spread the word about how wonderful a career in the creative industries is.
All of this activity is supported by the wonderful young people on the Talent Accelerator team: Mehrin Miah, Talent Accelerator Apprentice (Live Events Assistant L3), Grace Hart Jolley, our work experience placement (Bexhill College) and Elliott Furlong, our intern (Artswork Breakthrough programme).
In the spirit of National Careers Week, we’ve also had Will, a secondary school student who joined us for a work experience placement for the week. He was a great help, and got stuck in across many different departments in the building. He also documented his experience which is available to read as a blog here: ‘A week at the De La Warr Pavilion: A Journey Through Creativity and Culture’.
Thank you for your help Will!
Although careers week may be over, our Talent Accelerator team are available all year round to offer advice, work placements and more in order for you to find a route into the creative industries. If this interests you, take a look at what Talent Accelerator can offer here, or get in touch at talentacc@dlwp.com.
Kim Byford, Project Director for Talent Accelerator at DLWP has been working with the East Sussex College Group to look at ways to support young people into the Creative Industries across the region.
The forefront of this has been a focus on how we support our live venues to find and train young people to fill their technical roles, which has been a struggle across the industry. To respond to this, we are looking at ways to work together to deliver a Creative Venue Technician Apprenticeship using the expertise of the brilliant technical team here at the De La Warr Pavilion. This programme will grow technical staff members who will be fully trained for the venue they are working in and able to move our venues forward.
The next step is to find more venues across the county who would be interested in having an apprentice join their team. Are you a creative venue, does this apprentice programme sound of interest to you? If so, and you’d like to have a chat about having an Creative Venue Technician Apprentice in your team then please contact Kim Byford kim.byford@dlwp.com
Earlier this year, 15 year old Liliana from St Richards School sent us a very impressive application asking for work experience at DLWP – and we were happy to accept her. We didn’t know until halfway through the week that she is the daughter of Bart, a member of our amazing kitchen team! The Pavilion is all about people and we love that this family is part of our team. Liliana had a great time here and her perspective was really useful to us.
Read all about her work experience in this blog she created, detailing her week at the Pavilion:
I am Liliana Kuprowska, a Year 10 at St. Richard’s Catholic College partaking in my work experience at the De La Warr Pavilion from the 20th – 24th of June. I undertake Art, Craft and Design as my creative GCSE pathway and that alone has drawn me closer to the amazing artistic experiences of the De La Warr. I have always adored the De La Warr and must have been to multiple events held here. I have been to see The Pixies; an Amy Winehouse cover all orchestrated by Bexhill College students. Not too long ago, I also came to see Warpaint and Low Hum which were incredible. Another great event was the Big Sing where I got to watch my little brother perform on stage and even some of my classmates.
There were multiple factors that drew me towards carrying out my work experience at the De La Warr , one of the biggest factors it being located on the beautiful Southeast coast. The beach has always been like a second home to me. The Pavilion is more than just a building to me, it is a place of amazing architecture and passion. Art and beauty. Over the years, living in Bexhill, I have many multiple amazing memories here which will stay with me forever.
Today is my first day of work experience and I hope to update this blog every day. So far, I have been given an amazing tour and have been shown all the exciting backstage bits and even gave my input in an office meeting. Luke, the DLWP Marketing Assistant, showed me how to design the electronic posters, then download them on the so called ‘sticks’, (USBs), plug them into the multiple TVs around the building and then test if they are working. Currently, I am working on helping promote the Pavilion via researching different hashtags that could increase their publicity.
It is currently 10.11am on a Tuesday, I have just settled down, logged in, checked my emails, and replied to them etc…. I am very happy because it turns out that the research I did on hashtags came of great help! I wonder what I will be doing today!
I am back at 12:18pm, so far today I have gone with João and have looked at the architectural display which is extremely inspiring. We also took a look at the art display upstairs and João explained more to me about what their responsibilities are as an Assistant Curator. Currently, I am watching talks given at the DLWP about art and am noting down which 30 second clips they should post on social media. I must admit, Bassam Al Sabah’s is not like anything I had seen before, I love it! Truly amazing!
On Wednesday I was able to be very creative and I made a bunch of very cool and colourful labels for the art stock inventory. It was a very calm atmosphere, and I even made a label for the straws box, out of straws! Later, I got to work behind the till in the Box Office. I have never in my life used a till before, but I learnt how to and then I served a bunch of customers all by myself! I learnt how to add discounts and pay contactless.
It is currently Thursday and all morning I have been filming a vlog for the De La Warr to put on their social media which is very exciting I must say. I have been going all around the building revisiting the places where I worked. I also had some lovely conversations with the gallery’s invigilators and all about the different exhibitions. Next, I am going to be painting a banner for the DLWP Learning Space with the help of Miguel, Learning and Participation Assistant (Young People and Schools).
I am back from painting the banner and I have to say it is coming along quite nicely. I have been using the DLWP summer colours for the letters. I am going to come in early tomorrow and finish off my banner.
It’s Friday! My last day of Work Experience. I came in early to finish off my banner and I have not finished it yet, but I am getting there. Today I am excited because I am working with the Front of House. Front of House oversees all the technical bits for the gigs/shows/events. So far today, I have been stapling booklets for all the staff members for the Jah Shaka events tomorrow. It is just a booklet with safety information, etc… After this I went with Heather, a Front of House member and we folded the DLWP staff t-shirts. Best part is, I even got to take one! After I finish writing this blog, I will go help the Front of House team a little more and then go finish my banner.
And that is work experience all done! Thank you so much everyone for giving me this truly amazing opportunity! Thank you, Dee, for coordinating this all. I have learnt so much this week about the world of work, while having fun and being very creative and taking leadership. I can tell this is just the beginning to a very artistic life.
Liliana also put together an exciting vlog that showcases some of the things she got up to:
Read more about Work Experience and other opportunities we offer schools here and our place as a Cornerstone Employer here.
Read more about our work with young people and The Blueprint Collective here.
An inclusive and accessible gig celebrating togetherness after the tough lockdowns.
Sam Ayre is an artist based in Hastings, specialising in participatory projects with groups of people. He makes drawings, paintings, performances and things happen with groups of people. He has worked with De La Warr Pavilion on many projects including designing the Follow Your Nose app which can be used to explore the current exhibitions. We spoke to Sam about his latest project at the De La Warr which culminates in a event held in the auditorium this May. Here’s what Sam had to say:
Through explorative conversations over cups of tea and lively hands-on making to a soundtrack of Electric Fire, Guns and Roses and Imagine Dragons a great event is being planned. Participants have considered what a great party looks like; ‘dancing!’ ‘good music’ ‘make everybody feel welcome’ ‘strong voices’ ‘space to be myself’, what considerations there should be in place to cater for everyone’s needs; ‘not too early and not too late’ ‘I know where it is happening in the building’ ‘there’s space for me to move around’ ‘clear information about when the bands are on so I know’ ‘that I can bring my family’ ‘my carer should come for free’ and how to soften and liven up the Pavilions impressive auditorium ready for the gig.
The event has been named, ‘Beyond Imagination and Limits’, with flyers, tickets, decorations, information and playlist currently under construction. Large brightly coloured banners, with positive, welcoming slogans, drawings and patterns adorned across them have been designed and will be hung on the walls, with colours inspired by the Lucy Stein exhibition. Alongside consideration for the auditorium space where live bands and loud music will be playing, there has been consideration for for the need for quiet spaces as part of the event, so it was decided that the Lucy Stein exhibition will be open for people to visit on the night. Everything is shaping up to be a really great party, a ‘great gig, a great get together for all to celebrate!’
Thanks to funding from The Childwick Trust,Artist Richard Phoenix, with support from artist Sam Arye, is undertaking a series of weekly creative workshops at DLWP for up to 25 adults with learning disabilities and their carers from the Parchment Trust over the course of seven weeks. The workshops are multidisciplinary focusing on visual arts and music, with guest educators such as musicians from Delta7 band and Head Technician at DLWP, Technical Manager Mathew Mcquade.
Excitingly this series of workshops culminates with an inclusive and accessible gig at the DLWP in the main auditorium on Wednesday 25th May. Celebrating togetherness after the tough lockdowns, the gig has a current working title formed by the participants of ‘Beyond Imagination & Limits’. Artwork made in the workshops will decorate the venue and music/playlists created will be showcased. Participants in the workshops will all undertake different roles both in preparation and on the night, such as MC’ing etc. The gig will be open to all, with specific focus on welcoming those with learning or physical disabilities and their carers from the local area. Bands playing will include ‘Delta7’ a local rock band made up of seven people who all have learning disabilities. For some participants this will be their first ever gig to attend.
Heart and Soul is a creative arts company and charity will support us in promotion and running of the gig. Organisations who will bring their members and are very excited, include The Parchment Trust, New Horizons, Project Arts Works, and Tinkers Hatch.
Find out more about Beyond Imagination and Limits, and book your ticketshere.
The Ceramic Studio workshop run by ceramicist Anna Thomson at the De la Warr Pavillion this season gave 24 participants the opportunity to learn about slip-decorating techniques including inlay, trailing, marbling, stencilling and sgraffito.
In response to the large ceramic wall murals by Renee So in the main gallery, participants cut and slip-decorated clay tiles to create a mini mural or a series of relating tiles for themselves. A colour palette was chosen to reflect the colours and tones from Rene So’s work. The stages clay goes through from initial forming through to finished glazed ceramics were explained and all the tiles made were fired and glazed at Anna’s studio.
The work produced really explored the techniques with fabulous results and all gained an insight into the skill and work involved for Renee So to produce her large ceramic murals.
A big thank you to volunteers and young creatives who helped with the delivery of this workshop.
As a De La Warr Pavilion volunteer, I didn’t anticipate that I would be getting involved when I arrived at the workshop. I expected to be working in a supporting role. However, I soon realised that I was to be included in the learning experience and it didn’t take me long to adjust and become absorbed in the afternoon’s activity.
Having watched my grandmother sew a very, very long time ago, darning was a technique I only half-remembered. It was really nice to learn how to darn properly and to discover that there are many different and varied effects that can be achieved within the process.
Celia Pym, our tutor from the Royal College of Art, was an absolute expert and very inspiring. She organised the session very well with a clear introduction explaining what we would be doing and distributed explanatory diagrams and books for inspiration. She touched on the history of the craft and provided all the materials except for the garments which we had brought from home. Celia brought along a contagious enthusiasm for the craft. The way darning can extend the life of well-loved clothes, not only in a practical way, and also how it can create beautiful and sophisticated objects in the process. The very act of working on a piece of clothing in this way personalises it, making it harder to throw away. It can even turn it into an exceptional art object.
Celia demonstrated how we could solve the problems created by moths in jumpers, cardigans and socks and the wear and tear on cuff edges. She showed us how to use thicker thread on jackets and fine delicate thread on cashmere to great effect, subtle or bold, with either matching or contrasting coloured wools. Intriguingly, we could turn the random nature of the holes into something creative.
The process was calming and relaxing and it gave us all an opportunity to talk and share things in common whilst producing some very varied results that were lovely to compare at the end of the day. I felt so involved by the end of it that I just had to complete my sample at home later and it left me feeling that I could embrace those random moth holes rather than fear them and, in future, find creative ways to keep my old favourites going!
I was delighted to be able to co-deliver zine making workshops in schools in Hastings and Bexhill with the De La Warr Pavilion. Our aim for the workshop was to introduce the exhibition and the ideas behind it and get students making. The workshops were responding to the Still I Rise exhibition and examined values. They were for Key Stage 2 – 4 students.
To begin with, the exhibition was introduced and some photos were shown. Grace Clements introduced an activity to match values to their definitions and this helped to familiarise the students with some of the concepts we were asking them to think about, and they responded very well to this.
After a quick presentation and discussion on values, I demonstrated how to make a type of zine and talked a bit about the role zines have and how you can use them to share your beliefs. We asked students to consider different values as they relate to them and consider what they mean and how they can show them through illustration or collage. They had to think of one value to use in their zines and then follow a structure:
Cover
Definition of value (What does it mean to you?)
Draw that value in action
Define the opposite of the value
Draw the opposite of the value
Portrait of person who reflects that value
PLEDGE: ex. I vow to be courageous / I promise to be generous & WHY
Signature…………….. Date……………
(Back cover) Contents
Some excellent zines were made and it was amazing to see how different the students interpretations were. I think the workshops were all successful and at the end of it most students wanted to carry on with making their zines! I also really enjoyed co-delivering the zines and being able to see all the incredible outcomes. It was a rewarding experience.
Last week, the Pavilion’s work experience programme introduced more students to life working in the creative industries. Jamie and Mia joined the DLWP team and got stuck in to five days of stewarding, catering, media and communications, events planning and, everyone’s favourite, lighting and sound.
The pair were kind enough to leave a glowing review of their time with us, which you can read below. Thanks again to Jamie and Mia for all their help!
If your child is entering Year 1o this September and their school supports a week of work experience, contact grace.clements@dlwp.com to discuss work experience at the Pavilion for 2020.
The De La Warr Pavilion is delighted to announce that we have today agreed to a new partnership to support young people in Bexhill and the surrounding area by becoming one of The Careers & Enterprise Company’s Cornerstone Employers.
Regular, meaningful encounters with employers is an absolutely vital part of preparing and inspiring young people for the world of work. The Pavilion knows that this kind of support means young people are less likely to be not in education, employment or training (NEET) when they leave school.
Becoming a Cornerstone Employer means the DLWP is committing to working together with our networks, the wider business community and schools and colleges to make this happen in Bexhill.
What is a Cornerstone Employer?
A Cornerstone Employer is a business that is invested in the successful and sustainable delivery of careers education for young people and commits to join a leadership group of local businesses to support the schools, colleges and young people in their area.
The Cornerstone Employers work together with their networks and the wider business community to ensure all young people have the opportunities they need to be prepared and inspired for the world of work.
Cornerstone Employers may be large or small businesses, at local or national level, but it is important that they are:
Experienced in engaging with education and so can lead by example and share their experiences with other businesses
Dedicated to investing time and resource to benefit schools, colleges and young people
Committed to working with other Cornerstone Employers in an Opportunity Are or Careers Hub
Willing to galvanise their business networks in the are, to collaboratively meet the needs of schools, colleges and young people
Focused on sustainability and act as an ambassador and champion for social mobility
If you would like to find out more about our new role as a Cornerstone Employer, you can visit our website here.
Ann Kramer delivers a crash-course history lesson on women’s suffrage in Bexhill and Hastings
Our aim for the workshops was to both provide information about the local women’s suffrage campaign and some key women within that campaign, and to make space and time for people to express their personal views verbally and creatively, using written and visual outlets.
With this in mind, Ashley McCormick and myself met on a couple of occasions to identify appropriate crossover elements within the Still I Rise exhibition that could be used to introduce elements from the local women’s suffrage campaign, based on my book Turbulent Spinsters: Women’s Fight for the Vote in Hastings and St Leonards. Reasons for doing this reflect the fact that local suffrage activity is not well known and also that, it can be argued, women’s fight for the vote was an extremely important example of women’s resistance that issues around feminism and gender highlighted in the exhibition.
Once we had identified the appropriate exhibits, we were able to plan and organise the workshop, ensuring a balance between providing information and encouraging participation in the form of various activities.
We began at the entrance to the exhibition with a general welcome and introduction, and a brief overview of the local women’s suffrage campaign, introducing local campaigner Barbara Bodichon and defining ‘suffragist’ and ‘suffragette’ along the way. Attendees were then invited to define what feminism(s) meant to them and to record personal acts of resistance. Some were shared and generated a lot of discussion.
We then moved to the first exhibit, a board game Roots and Bootstraps, which we examined. I used the exhibit as a jumping off point to explore issues of class within the suffrage campaign. I described the class composition of the local campaign, introducing activists such as Emma Fricker Hall, Jane Strickland and Lady Muriel Brassey. Participants were invited to make a list or diagram of female friendships and alliances and their meaning to them.
The exhibit Water Cooler Moments provided the opportunity for me to discuss verbal and physical attacks on suffragettes, locally and nationally, including hurling missiles, anti-suffrage letters to the press, physical attacks by the police and force-feeding. This was followed with an activity based on producing a mind-map of barriers that women still face today.
Our third stop was at Mary Lowndes’ suffragette banners and See Red posters, which I used to talk about the creativity and pageantry of women’s politics via banners, posters and slogans. I also gave examples of local suffragists and suffragettes, such as Isabella Darent Harrison who joined major demonstrations in London and also carried out creative acts of resistance in Hastings and St Leonards.
Finally we moved to the roof top foyer where we invited people to create campaigning slogans and placards, using coloured paper, stencils and collaging material. A number of brilliant slogans were produced and there was energetic discussion around a number of issues.
I enjoyed co-facilitating the workshop enormously. It was a lively and enthusiastic event. Participants were clearly engaged and found the subject matter stimulating, generating some very interesting debates. These in turn raised important issues such as the difficulty in defining feminism, the interlocking natures of oppressions, how personal acts of resistance, such as deciding not to wear make-up, might seem quite small, but can have a much wider impact. All the participants who attended certainly seem to have appreciated the workshop and to have gained insight and inspiration from the experience, not least the opportunity to discuss gender issues with others. I was delighted to have the opportunity to co-facilitate the workshop and found it a very positive experience.
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