Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries Toolkit Launch

Launch Event | 8.30-11.30am | In-person and livestreamed

The launch event is an opportunity to connect with peers and sector leaders, learn about the toolkit, hear inspiring stories of organisational change, and get fresh ideas for how you can help drive inclusivity in the arts. Audiences will hear from people involved in the programme and creation of the Toolkit over the past few years, with presentations from Fellows and Alumni, panel discussions with Host organisations and contributions from special guest speakers.

In-Person Attendees: Join us from 8.30am for coffee and conversation. Take your seat from 9am, with the first session starting at 9.15am.

Tea, coffee, and pastries will be served at the launch. To help us improve the sustainability of this event, we encourage attendees to bring refillable water bottles to use at the provided water fountains.

Online Attendees: Join the livestream when you are ready, the first session will start at 9.15am. Link to join.

Workshop | 12.30-2.20pm | In-person only

Our aim is to put the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary Fellows at the heart of the Toolkit. We have appointed six Fellows and Alumni to work with us as Toolkit Associates. Together they have developed a flexible workshop model to share the Toolkit nationally throughout 2023.

This will be the very first workshop, offering insights into the Toolkit and how you might use it, and providing opportunity for questions and discussion.

Places on the workshop are now fully booked, you have received email confirmation from us if you are attending the workshop.

Further workshops led by the Toolkit Associates will be made available at a subsidised rate across the UK, in-person and online, throughout 2023. Details will be announced at the launch.

Access

When registering your place, you will be prompted to let us know if you require any additional access support.

The launch event will be BSL interpreted for both in-person and online attendees.

There will be a BSL interpreter available at the workshop on request. Please let us know when registering your place if you require a BSL interpreter.

Accessible facilities at Sadler’s Wells include:

• disabled parking
• adapted toilets
• wheelchair spaces
• lifts and flat access to auditoriums, bars and cafe
• guide dogs are allowed.

Find out more about the venue and facilities on Sadler’s Wells website.

Sir Alistair Spalding, CBE

Artistic Director & CEO, Sadlers Wells

Alistair Spalding has been the Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Sadler’s Wells Theatre since 2004 and is currently overseeing the construction of a fourth venue, Sadler’s Wells East, opening in 2023. Under his leadership, Sadler’s Wells has become one of the most respected dance institutions in the world, presenting an ambitious programme of cutting-edge dance in all its forms and hosting world-class national and international companies and artists. With its historic Islington base and a West End platform at The Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells’ London theatres attract audiences of over half a million with many more visiting its internationally touring productions or exploring its digital platforms. Sir Alistair Spalding CBE was awarded a Knighthood for Services to Dance in the 2022 New Year Honours.

Kate Danielson, Director of Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries

Kate writes: I was lucky enough to be at the start of Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries, setting up the programme with Shonagh Manson (previously Jerwood Arts Director) in 2010 and have run the programme ever since. In the early days, my role covered all aspects, from fundraising to PR, programme development and supporting Fellows and Hosts. Now the programme has grown to include the expanded Jerwood Arts team and a range of external partners, my role has evolved to keeping an overview on all the moving parts and being an advocate for the programme. Maintaining links with the 170 Fellow Alumni and 150 host organisations is one of the highlights of my role.

Melissa Wong, Toolkit Project Manager

Melissa is a researcher, evaluator, and consultant working with mission-driven arts and cultural organisations across the UK and internationally. She has designed and delivered research and consultation projects for national bodies and funders such as Arts Council England, the Canadian Dance Assembly, and Jerwood Arts. She has also worked with organisations of all sizes to develop their approach to impact and evaluation. Her work is informed by her extensive experience across the arts and cultural sector, including roles at Arts Council England, BOP Consulting, Nesta, and Youth Music.

Ink Asher Hemp, Toolkit Associate

Ink Asher Hemp (they/them) is a self taught queer, disabled, creator, facilitator, activist, theatre (trouble) maker.

They started devising street theatre as part of campaigns for social and climate justice in Edinburgh and since then have toured performances across Scotland, under the name Activising for Change, and in collaboration with others including Graeae, Creative Carbon Scotland, Birds of Paradise, and Jordan and Skinner. Until recently they held the role of Arts Practitioner: Climate Crisis at Eden Court Highlands where they directed community performances, developed staff training, and facilitated a Queer Youth Arts Collective. A core focus of their work is ensuring that accessibility is creatively integrated, practical, honest, and politically articulate.

Ink was a recipient of the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary 2020-22.

Lou Bartley Sophocleous, Toolkit Associate

Lou Bartley Sophocleous is a producer of performance, spaces, and events, with a focus around queer fun translated into communities. Her work largely exists outside of institutions and more often can be found in church halls, night clubs or under flyovers. Lou Bartley Sophocleous is currently based in York. Their interests are in performance-based events, accessibility, healing through art, performance in non-theatrical spaces, community work, outreach work and work with young people. Particularly in cabaret and live/performance art and with LGBTQ+ people. Lou’s work has a strong emphasis on working meaningfully in different communities, pushing for a more diverse arts landscape, and creating accessible, interesting spaces whilst championing under-represented voices.

Lou was a recipient of the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary 2017-19.

Jodie Cole, Toolkit Associate

Jodie Cole is a working class choreographer, movement director, facilitator, & performer, & is lead artist at Jodie Cole Dance. Inspired by the healing powers of movement to cross social divides, she celebrates difference, uses movement to unite experience & brings performance to unexpected places. She works internationally in communities, on large scale site specific projects, in theatre, & she has extensive experience teaching in SEND settings.

In 2021 Jodie was appointed as Weston Jerwood Creative Fellow at Extraordinary Bodies for her leadership potential as an inclusive practitioner, where she continues to work as co-evaluation producer.

Jodie was a recipient of the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary 2020-22.

Della Hill, Toolkit Associate

Della specialises in project management and business development to improve the strategic & operational direction of a range of organisations across the UK. She is currently the Operations & Social Impact Manager at National Theatre Wales and a Consultant and Speaker at people make it work. Della has used her previous experience of delivering large-scale initiatives to address structural inequalities alongside advocating for high-level social change within Creative, Arts & Culture, Education and Equalities Sectors to contribute to the development of the WJCB Programme and the (Team) Work in Practice Toolkit.

Della was a recipient of the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary 2017-19.

Louis Palfrey, Toolkit Associate

Louis Palfrey is an award-winning, Autistic composer and sound designer based in Margate, Kent.

He creates music and sound design for films, games, audiodramas and art installations, as well as releasing albums of varying genres under the name Mouthless. Separate (mostly) to his audio work, he delivers talks, workshops, and contributes to conversations around Neurodiversity and inclusion in creative educational and employment settings.

Louis was a recipient of the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary 2017-19.

Kyle Stead, Toolkit Associate

Kyle is a benefit class multidisciplinary artist from the South Wales Valleys. His practices include creative producing, performing, theatre making & facilitating.

He has a high interest in taking real life experiences to create work that offers audiences a raw, gritty and authentic insight into the world that is being created. Kyle is passionate about creating working environments that are trauma informed. This is important to boldly explore and be brave with creative choices. He wants to fight the underrepresentation of artists from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Kyle was a recipient of the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary 2020-2022.

Professor Dave O’Brien, University of Sheffield

Dave O’Brien is Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries at the University of Sheffield. He is co-investigator at the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (AHRC PEC). He has published extensively on inequality in the cultural sector, including his latest book Culture Is Bad for You, which is co-authored by Dr Mark Taylor and Dr Orian Brook. He has also worked as an academic policy advisor to the House of Commons DCMS Select Committee and the House of Lords Communications Committee. With Natalie Wreyford and Tamsyn Dent, he is the co-author of the Creative Majority report on what works to support diversity in the creative industries, published by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Creative Diversity.

Hilary S. Carty OBE CCMI, Executive Director of Clore Leadership

Hilary Carty is the Executive Director, Clore Leadership, a role she took up after six years as a consultant, facilitator and coach specialising in leadership development, management and organisational change. Hilary’s earlier roles include Director of the Cultural Leadership Programme; Director, London (Arts) at Arts Council England; Director, Culture and Education at London 2012; Director of Dance for Arts Council England; Visiting Professor on leadership (Austria); and HLF London Committee Member. In recognition of her contribution to the arts, culture and heritage, Hilary has been awarded three Honorary Doctorates and three Fellowships from UK Universities. Hilary is a Governor of the Royal Ballet.

Baroness Deborah Bull CBE

Deborah Bull danced with The Royal Ballet for twenty years, before becoming Creative Director at the Royal Opera House where she developed the ROH2 programme, the Royal Opera House Big Screen Live Relays and produced the ROH 2012 Olympic Programming. In 2012, she joined King’s College London, most recently as Vice President, Communities & National Engagement. In 2022 she left the university to focus on her work in the House of Lords where, as Baroness Bull, she acts as a deputy speaker, sits on the EU/UK Parliamentary Partnerships Assembly and will chair the Expert Advisory Panel for the government’s forthcoming Cultural Education plan. She has written and presented a wide range of work for television and radio, including the award winning The Dancer’s Body, and is the author of four books. She was awarded a CBE for her contribution to the arts in 1998.

Pippa Frith​​, Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary Host Organisation

Pippa is an award-winning Producer based in Birmingham. She has been the Executive Producer for international festival Fierce for over 5 years, delivering the three most recent festivals, and in 2022 Key to The City and The Healing Gardens of Bab – two major projects commissioned by Birmingham 2022 Festival (the Commonwealth Games cultural programme). She takes a lead role alongside the Artistic Director as a consortium partner on Horizon: the international showcase for performance created in England.

Pippa is a member of Area Council for Arts Council England and sits on their national Disability Advisory Group, she is also a Trustee of arts in criminal justice charity Geese Theatre Company.

Deborah Keyser, Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary Host Organisation

Deborah Keyser has been Director of Tŷ Cerdd, Music Centre Wales, since 2016. Tŷ Cerdd’s mission is to promote and celebrate the music of Wales through a range of activities with music-creators and collaborations with organisations and communities.

Welsh born-and-bred, she studied music at Cardiff University and postgraduate Orchestral Studies at Goldsmiths’ College, University of London, before starting her career working at the BBC (Radio 3 and BBC Music Magazine).

Helen Pheby, Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary Host Organisation

Helen Pheby is Associate Director, Programme, at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Her career was inspired by a school visit to YSP and the cultural heritage of West Yorkshire, including Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, critic Herbert Read and educator Alec Clegg – especially his belief that everyone’s potential can be fulfilled through a creative approach to learning. Helen read a PhD in public art, specifically why all art isn’t ‘public’. She has curated numerous artist projects in the UK and overseas including ‘Art by Email’, in partnership with ArtRole, which gave a platform to artists in areas of conflict.

Daniel Poole, Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary Host Organisation

Daniel Poole has a decade of experience in the Arts and Charities sector – with a significant track record in Development. Daniel has dedicated his career to helping build a more resilient arts sector through supporting organisations to secure the partnerships and funds needed to realise their artistic and community focused ambitions. Daniel has previously held positions at regional, national and internationally significant organisations including for Derby Theatre, Tate Liverpool, The Mighty Creatives and the NSPCC. Daniel is also a Trustee at Nottingham gallery and artist studio Backlit.