Jerwood Arts is working on a new resource for the arts and cultural sector on creating an inclusive workplace, drawing on the current edition of the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries programme. This resource will reflect and amplify the voices of the 51 Fellows, as well as Fellows from previous editions of the programme, on ‘what works’ in creating an inclusive workplace for people from working class and low socio-economic backgrounds in our sector.
We are currently calling it an ‘anti-toolkit’ to reflect our desire for it to look and feel completely different to our 2019 toolkit Socio-Economic Diversity and Inclusion in the Arts: a Toolkit for Employers. The new version will feature the voices and perspectives of our Fellows who are best placed to know what an inclusive workplace means to them and how employers can provide better support. The anti-toolkit will cover the end-to-end experience of being a Fellow, including recruitment, induction, support in post, professional development, and onward progression.
The anti-toolkit is being created to help bring about much-needed, long-term change in the sector. It will highlight the change that needs to happen, help organisations to become more inclusive and provide the sector with the insights, tools and understanding to become more equitable.
The process
The process is led by a new Steering Group made up of Fellows and representatives of Host organisations who put themselves forward to guide the project. Our project manager, Melissa Wong, will spend June and July gathering insights and experiences from the wider cohort of Fellows through a series of group discussions and 1:1 interviews, as well as anonymous contributions. The findings will feed into the development of a creative resource later in 2022 with a view to launching the anti-toolkit in early 2023. We will also develop a workshop model which can be delivered by Fellows as part of the dissemination of the anti-toolkit in 2023.
We are working with a freelance project manager, Melissa Wong, with support from Clare Thurman at our partners people make it work.
The Steering Group includes the following representatives from host organisations and Fellows:
- Amy Leach, Associate Director, Leeds Playhouse, WJCB Host
- Clare Thurman, Director of Programmes, people make it work
- Della Hill, Fellow 2017-19, Literature Wales
- Helen Pheby, Associate Director/Programme, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, WJCB Host
- Joe Kerry, Fellow 2020-22, Assistant Producer, Royal Shakespeare Company
- Lilli Geissendorfer, Director, Jerwood Arts
- Lizzie Lovejoy, Fellow 2020-22, Artist of Change, ARC Stockton Arts Centre
- Louis Palfrey, Fellow 2017-19, Open School East
- Shalikah Walters-Watson, Fellow 2020-22, Programme Assistant, Site Gallery
- Steph Power, Chair of the Board, Tŷ Cerdd, WJCB Host
The new anti-toolkit forms part of the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries programme 2020-22.
You can read the previous Weston Jerwood Creatives Bursaries Toolkit 2017 – 2019 here.
