busy week

A busy week, catching up, planning, meetings and time for thought?!
Yesterday I went to People's Health Trust and Health Perfect, challenging traditional notions of health, not from a disease based model but what maintains good health; positive communities and neighbourhoods, opportunities, access to natural spaces. The local people have the solutions and insights and need support, which is what they offer through their small grants. An innovative, exciting  point of view and wanting to engage in local conversations (not consultations). I learnt a lot and a fascinated to see the work others do and the people around the table and their work was inspiring, from green gyms to Alzheimers, and 3 dance groups, Street Factory www.streetfactorystudios.com/ and Wheel fever www.wheelfeverprojects.co.uk/
We have funding from them for Friends and Dancing next term to help train 2 peer group support facilitators.


Yesterday saw me at the Pearl Spectrum Conference, where i met some old friends, new acquaintances, and struggled to listen to informative lectures - always good to be reminded why i work in a fidgety arena and in the arts -  there's always more to learn and i learn best from people, so a big thank you to Dean Beadle who gave a fantastic, insightful and hilarious talk.
www.brookdalecare.co.uk/news-detail/dean-beadle-inspirational-speaker-with-asperger/aid0475fa31-0761-4297-b536-85a202abbf19
 I am about to write to our dear patron Rober Fripp as Dean left us for a long time wondering who his new obsession is, starting with Doctor Who ( not unusual) , it came out as a large overhead image of Toyah Wilcox, who he gets given a ticket to see in pantomine every year and waits expectantly to go to as his "treat"...Robert is married to Toyah and though we often talk about his bringing her to visit when he comes with cream cakes we haven't seen her  (except on TV)  for many years.


I am left with 2 pages of notes to do at the beginning of the holidays, and an invitation to perform at The Asylum tent on Kneehigh's Music and Dance evening, 8th August, which i might have to accept for a small group of us, another evening out at a beautiful venue ( if the weather holds), just checking performers availablity.


Big thank you to Barbara for coming on board to help us find funding for 2013, there are a wealth of ideas flying around. It is having to squash them into a box that makes sense to others, with a budget attached, that we now have to do 3 times over, at least. We have a skilled and enthusiastic team at the moment so here goes, it's not as lonely as it has been in the past.........
The Studio is developing, etc, while tidying i found what inspired us to work with Laura, this statement combined with the quality of the work in their exhibition.

St.Petroc’s Society

Breadline Art Group

Lead artist: Laura Wild

Breadline Art Group began nine months ago. For the first few weeks it ran for two hours on Thursdays. We soon realised we needed more time and the day gradually lengthened. We then found ourselves becoming hungry so we started baking bread and eating healthy meals together. We have found that we are building a sense of community, a safe space for people who for a variety of reasons are homeless or vulnerably housed. The regularity of the Art Group gives structure to the week.

We work non-competitively and collaboratively whilst developing individual skills. We experiment with different materials and processes. We decide between us what we would like to do week by week and discuss at each stage how we can develop the work. We decided Mazey Day would be a good opportunity to show what we have been doing. 

So entering the tying up loose ends week! and blogging to avoid work! off to look at application forms and our new 3 year possible plan, and the joy of working from home and in Cornwall, this afternoon sees us pier jumping in Mousehole- the teenagers, not me- and who knows a quick arty meeting with Sally or catch up with Colin maybe possible, or trying to explain new ideas to "interested"?! friends to practise for visiting The Works tomorrow for help on next bid, and the sun is still shining.

Photos, coming soon.

Summer Picnic and more

So, end of a season, the Shallal Summer Picnic was yesterday and the sun smiled and so did we, lovely to have time together to talk, relax, catch up with each others friends and family.

Tomorrow thanks to Kneehigh's Connections Programme most of the main company and artists will be at The Asylum watching their new show Steptoe and Son.
www.kneehigh.co.uk/projects

This week Debs and Sally are busy writing a new bid for Creative writing and trips to lovely places, more if it comes to fruition but a beautiful and unusual idea.

Tomorrow Laura and I have a meeting confirming use of our new Shallal Studio! and projects perculating in the pipeline around this.

Wednesday Barbara, Rory and i look at forming one of our next big bids and encapsualting and expanding the creative work in the main company into next year.

Thursday morning i go to a meeting about new funding for Friends and Dancing from the Peoples Health Trust.

Andy Parker, photographer and I are eventually meeting to talk, rather than snatching exciting conversations at other times, to formulate how to get to where we want to go, a bit like planning a trip when you are in love with the destination, but need to budget and plan the route.

Diana ( admin/office) and i met the other day and i decided good admin is like good housekeeping; everyone walks into a clean and tidy house and takes it for granted as, they have been out all day and have no sense of the effort required to keep it in that order!

The end of the week I hope to go to The Pearl Centre Autism Conference at UCF.

So a busy week trying to tie up ends but i'm sure just creating more!

Thank you to all our funders and partners this term, it has made a productive innovative and exciting term, and thank you to all involved at every level from support to performance.

 ps. we forget to blog about the Garden Party! but it was impressive in it's community emphasis and a treat and fun - thank you! Colin and i were invited and had as our guests Peter and Terry.
idenna.co.uk/

Shallal Studios!

OOH so exciting a very long held idea about to enter the stage!
It's not just my idea but has been around for a long time and acted on in part by The Old Dairy, Penzance, Studio 61, Truro and Redwing Gallery and more,
 but now we have a studio space and from yesterday materials! we already have the artists in the wings so to speak...project leader and Shallal link artist.
Background;
 there are a lot of highly talented and motivated artists who work from home, in supported groups etc but do not have access to proper studio space and time and further support for getting their work out more, this is to lift the glass ceiling they often find......so without sounding like a funding application........ 
Our chairperson Terry was visiting the John Daniel Centre, Penzance, in conversation a space was offered to him/ Shallal, he remembered we had this idea from an old plan/bid.
I went to see an exhibition at Breadline on Mazey day and met old friend artist Laura Wild, very commited to community, collaboration, working at Breadline with an art group, recently finished a Phd ........ www.laurawild.co.uk/info.html

Toby drawing, Friday afternoon

studio, enough space for 2 or 3 people working at same time

sink to the right, in adjoining room, door to the garden and good accessstorage space above,
claim to fame; the room was originally opened by Dawn French

Colin and Laura, chatting outside studio, making notes.....so many possibilities and ideas
for collaborations etc

Anne Mackay, another trustee, recently contacted Derwent suppliers, who have kindly offered to supply the studio, many thanks to them....

Website: www.pencils.co.uk

Blog: www.lovepencils.co.uk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/derwentpencils

Facebook: www.facebook.com/welovepencils

Pencil Museum: www.pencilmuseum.co.uk

NEXT DERWENT EXHIBITION: :  Art in Action, Oxford, 19-22 July 2012

Genie Smart, another trustee has offered us studio materials she is clearing out, thank you.

Many thanks for this space to Nick Fripp and all in Adult Social Care who have supported us and are making this possible.

We hope to have a Studio Opening next term, and to be in CRS Open Studios next year!

Friends and Dancing

This term we were supported by ESF and Colin oversaw progression and skills developed through dance and participation.
We are a large group now so it takes along time to go round the circle but we heard each other and commented on the term and the future, some feedback gathered included;

Somewhere you can meet and see people and catch up, when you haven’t got many places to meet and see people. 

Yvonne, participant

The highlight of my week, being able to join in and dance with like minded people in an inclusive setting. This must never stop!

Debra Hocking

community support worker, participant

Colin and i watching! 

Thank you to Fal care for a bunch of beautiful flowers! a real surprise, great news that they are continuing to hire the hall to do physical activities with the group over the holidays.

Next term we come back with ...funding and look forward to Brenda and Sammy working and training with the group to be peer support facilitators in healthy living and dance /movement.

playing on the bandstand... our trip out to see the space.

I wanted to share some photographs from this last year.

Colin and Giles! 

Jessie, volunteer and now trainee facilitator and Diane, who named the group. 

sharing at Gyllyngdune Gardens before Shallal 2pm show 

We work a loose improvisation structure, as many people have been dancing for nearly 2 years now, however as you can see we are a big group and though we love the light airy intimate room we meet in, we also enjoyed the space of the large sports hall when we used it once this term with props, this time large pieces of cloth, and so are considering using the hall more often in the future.

photographs contributed by Meesha, Arthur and Donna..thank you.

film, book and next year plans

So ..the fun of arriving yesterday to a screening of Chris and Barbara's edit of Doorways so far, beautiful opening sequence and images and the articulation of members interviewed. we really enjoyed it and it opened the door that was stuck in my mind as to how to go forward with next years plans for funding applications. We had a circle and the ideas and wealth of talent and goodwill are amazing and so "onwards and upwards". The circle is such a part of Shallal and although long winded for some people it allows me to hear the company and then informs all that i see and plan within rehearsal and performances. It is really collaborative and often the suggestions and ideas that make me groan and sound too much/too difficult/too challenging.. are by far the best!
Having created Godolphin and Mousehole at the same time under pressure, the overwhelming sense is to develop, go further with Doorways which had been an original 2 year vision of mine and we can incorporate all the other art collaborations with in it. So now have to formulate plan of action and budgets but all good, and we will have a short film and a macquet photography book by Andy to support it and show to people.
Barbara will be working on her Phd which sounds fascinaiting, i need to ask her again the exact title.
One last session next week then we break till September, thank you to everyone for an amazing term.

Zoe uploaded some of her photos yesterday:

Flo gets her own set of photos (with Rory and Eddie)

Debs in that boat again, Venice comes to Mousehole!

The meeting took a long time but we still had time to create new work!

Giles and Colin, - Giles feedback is he likes dancing with the women and Colin!

Trevor asked to dance with Zoe a while ago and there was a lovely gentle humour between them

Eddie and Debs..Debs commented she didin't realise how long Eddie's legs were, surprised by how high maybe!
Eddie studies art full time next term , (but we hope to continue working together on Wednesday in Falmouth ) and this was a good duet!

Elaine and Demelza, Elaine was pleased to be out of Edwardian costume, she has been behind a poem a lot of the time in the shows, and really enjoyed dancing with Demelza who came on her first visit - we look forward to working with her.

Rory and Anna, whirling like the wind!

news and Godolphin photos

Now i have a wonderful selection of photos to choose from from Andy, much harder than just putting up snapshots, you can see them all at; www.fezparkerphotography.com/shallal

Yesterday was the last Friends and Dancing till September and i hope to say something about that, as putting together last years photos yesterday, and collecting feedback and an unexpected bunch of flowers!- thank you to everyone at Fal Care!
 It's been a joy working with Colin this term - especially as he's done this terms funding paperwork! everyone will really miss him and his engaging playfulness.

Penryn Improvisation and Performance group is set to metamorphosize into Shallal 2 and change venue again! all positive and more soon.

A quick selection from Andy's photos.

the 2 clowns again, with red theme! 

One of the most beautiful backstage areas ever!
Jessie, Anna and Elaine waiting to go on. 

Toby

Zoe

Eddie as man in white

Debs

Trevor and cast coming through the doorway for Keeping the Roof Up

Jessie

this wonderful house

Barabara and Chris filming and Rory setting out the black cloth

watching with Olie