The Artists’ Represent Recovery Network is a professional development programme open to 10 London-based, freelance, ethnically diverse artists who identify as black, brown, people of colour who have faced systemic racism, and who are working in arts & health in a participatory or community setting. The project is aimed at artists with at least 3 years of experience in this field and each artist has access to professional skills development sessions, peer-to-peer support and on-the-job training in a South London and Maudsley (SLaM) hospital ward.

This project is a partnership between three organisations: London Arts and Health, Raw Material and Arts & Health Hub.

Applications close at 5pm on the 20th of October 2022.

If you need help with your application or would prefer to submit a 5 minute video or audio file answering all the questions email us: info@londonartsandhealth.org.uk

The Offer
Each selected artist will receive compensation for attending the sessions.

• 6 paid group sessions (£150 per session) with our lead facilitator, 4 of which will also include inspiring and diverse guest speakers from the arts and health sector;
• Access to 3 hours of private online support with an art psychotherapist, should any difficult subject matters arise;
• 4 Action Learning Set sessions (each 5hrs).
• Additionally, each artist receives £400 to deliver 2 days of creative sessions in mental health wards. Artists can also develop their own peer to peer network outside of the sessions, supporting one another.

Those who complete the programme will also receive £1700 seed money, aimed at supporting artists to undertake training, develop ideas and partnerships, apply for funding or purchase materials that contribute to the development of the work they do. Artists can receive up to £3000 total for participating in the opportunity. 

Artists with any kind of artistic practice are welcome to apply.

Eligibility
To be eligible to apply you must:

• Applicants must identify as being from an ethnically diverse cultural background; i.e. explicitly artists who identify as black, brown, people of colour who have faced systemic racism;
• Be a freelance artist/creative practitioner living and working in London;
• Please note: 3-5 of the places will be given to those in Arts Council England priority boroughs: Brent, Barking and Dagenham, Croydon, Enfield and Newham.
• Be aged 25+;
• Have a minimum track record of 3 years of working in arts and health or community practice.

DATES AND AVAILABILITY

By completing this application form you confirm you are free and able to participate in the following training sessions on the following dates:

• February 9th 2023;
• February 16th 2023;
• March 9th 2023;
• March 23rd 2023;
• June 1st 2023;
• August 3rd 2023.

All other dates across the programme with be confirmed once artists have been selected.

FAQs
If you have additional questions please email info@londonartsandhealth.org.uk.

What do we mean by arts & health, participatory or community work?
This project is for artists and creative practitioners whose work intersects with health and wellbeing, including working with participants with the aim to improve well-being at a range of settings such as prisons, hospitals, schools, community hubs etc.

What do you mean by ethnically diverse?
This project is aimed at supporting people from minority ethnic backgrounds including those that are Black and Brown and from mixed ethnic backgrounds. We understand that language is limited in expressing the diversity of both people’s cultural and ethnic backgrounds. In this instance, we have chosen to use the phrase ethnically diverse instead of BAME, BIPOC etc. If you have a question about this please contact us.

Why is this opportunity only open to artists based in London?
This project is jointly funded by Arts Council England (London funds) and the Greater London Authority, whose funding stipulates that those taking part in the programme must be living in London.

Who will make the selection of artists?
Representatives from each of the partner organisations: Daniel Regan from Arts & Health Hub, Rachel Nelken from Raw, and Anna Woolf from London Arts and Health. The project’s lead facilitator Jide Ashimi will also be part of the selection process.

What are the priority boroughs?
Brent, Barking and Dagenham, Croydon, Enfield and Newham

What kinds of work will we be doing on the ward?
The artistic activities delivered on the wards are focused on facilitating creative expression for clients experiencing ill mental health. The aim of the sessions is to facilitate a creative activity, providing the clients with a positive distraction from their hospital ward surroundings. Whilst we will be offering multiple artistic practices on the wards (music, acting, visual arts etc), an example of music focused session could include supporting participants to develop an understanding of different lyrical styles, and musical genres, creating playlists for particular moods, trying DJing, singing & lyric writing & group rhythm-focused activities.

About Arts & Health Hub: The Arts & Health Hub is an artist-led organisation that works with and supports artists exploring health in their practice. Since 2015 the Hub has directly supported over 300 artists through peer-to-peer support sessions, creative commissions and delivering arts and cultural events that champion the intersection of arts and health.

About London Arts and Health: LAH supports artists, creative practitioners and health professionals across the whole of London and beyond. Promoting excellence and engagement in the field of arts and wellbeing, and extending the reach of the arts to communities and individuals who would otherwise be excluded. Through our activities, we work to promote, develop and support the understanding of what the arts can do to contribute to a healthy society, in London and nationally, and by so doing to encourage the use of the arts in settings beyond the mainstream. We are the leading support sector organisation, advocate and expert for arts and health in London.

About Raw Material: Raw Material is a Brixton creative enterprise hub offering creative music opportunities, progression, and development for South London communities. Raw’s specialism is music as a creative tool for self-expression and has supported thousands of young people and adults since its inception years to create, produce and perform new music. Raw offers participant-led artistic opportunities in live performance and music production to young people and adults, with a focus on supporting positive mental health, targeting under-represented groups, and providing access to those who face significant barriers to creative opportunities or development.