Tom Clabon
Tom is a sound engineer, filmmaker and writer who has worked on numerous projects across many different creative fields. He is an alumnus of YFC (formerly RAFT) which was crucial to his own artistic development and he has recently returned to supervise the YFC sessions at mac, Birmingham.
Tom has written and directed a number of short films including ‘Killer Shot’, ‘Tramp’ and ‘Problems’, the latter of which was nominated for a First Light Awards and was the winner of a Buxton Film Festival Award. Recently his projects have been mostly university-based and include ‘The Jamboozle Sessions’, an indie-music show which he directed and edited. Tom can also be heard regularly on Brum Radio hosting ‘The Indie Mixtape’ show.
Richard Hayhow
Open Theatre has been developing work with Young People with Learning Disabilities (YPWLD) through non-verbal physical theatre for over 30 years (since 1984). We’ve gone through many names, projects and programmes over the years – beginning with the Shysters, a Coventry-based ensemble of YPWLD actors, through to organising conferences, school programmes, mass public performances and research initiatives. At the heart of our practice has always been a commitment to develop, promote and sustain the creativity and artistry of YPWLD.
We use non-verbal physical theatre to explore young people’s creativity. We work with the same young people over months, sometimes years, leading to a positive impact on learning outcomes, capacity to learn, confidence and sense of self, and the roles they can play in the world.
Non-verbal Physical Theatre involves play, simple props, music and movement. It’s a highly adaptive and individual process, and we work with a small pool of specially trained facilitators. You can read more about our methodology here.
Our work draws on contemporary conversations about the nature of disability, difference and creativity. We consider our work inspired by The Social Model of Disability, The Holistic Model of Learning Disability, Clowning, and Intense Interaction. We’ve arrived somewhere slightly different, but hopefully still somewhere useful.
Our vision is to make the West Midlands a centre of best practice and excellence for YPWLD, enabling them to access and make meaningful creative contributions to the cultural life of the region and beyond and become the artists, leaders, facilitators and enablers of the future.
Birmingham’s Ten Local Arts Forums
No.11 Arts is an umbrella organisation created to support, enrich and advocate for our city-wide network of neighbourhood arts forums.
We are represented by a core of creative producers, project managers, artists and educators embedded in their local communities.
No.11 offers:
Commissioning and production
City-wide partnerships
Advice and support
Training, education and creative learning
Artist engagement
Rich Franks
www.blueandwhitecreative.co.uk
Blue and White Creative is an independent art and design company based in the West Midlands. We work with schools, charities, the voluntary sector, health organisations, Local Authorities, young offenders institutes, galleries and museums across the West Midlands. Our clients include Staffordshire University, Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall and South Staffordshire Councils, the NHS, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Creative Health and many more.
We care deeply about people. We’ll work hand-in-hand with the hard-to-reach communities you serve to deliver imaginative, meaningful and socially engaged projects.
We’ll bring together the very best community-focused artists, film makers, animators, writers, crafts people and photographers – people who have a real understanding of their local area and a proven track record of delivering outstanding national award winning work.
These collaborative working methods mean we can deliver real value for money at the very time your resources are tight-stretched.
Passion and Purpose
We’re passionate about projects that have real meaning to people’s lives. Here’s just three examples of how our passion and purpose have helped make a real difference:
a health and well-being campaign that gave a bullied girl with learning difficulties her confidence back to ride her bike again in her own street; a visual arts project that helped a young offender realise his creativity was the way out of criminality and into a better life; and a mentoring project that enabled young amateur performers from across the Black Country to learn from and perform with internationally renowned dancers, street artists and gymnasts.
Positive and Practical
Our goal will be to deliver positive, practical outcomes for the individuals, groups and communities you serve.
If you would like to know more about the work we do, would like to discuss ideas with us or send us more information about yourself or your group / organisation then please get in touch.
Lucy Poulson
Calling all creative people at work and play across the Hodge Hill, Shard End, Washwood Heath or Bordesley Green area. This network is for you; the artists, musicians, actors, writers, curators, painters, singers and academics from across the Hodge Hill constituency.
Share your projects, wants and offers and let’s make this a really exciting part of the city together!
Infamous Community Arts
InFamous Community Arts are a Midlands based collective made up of professional designers, technicians, musicians, and artists with experience of working within education and the Creative Industries. They pride ourselves on making the arts accessible to all and developing creativity within the local community.
InFamous works within educational settings and with the community. They work with individuals and groups of all ages, using art and encouraging creativity to enhance both individual and collective experiences. Their goal is to make the arts accessible, inclusive and enjoyable through the promotion of creative well-being. They offer a wide range of high quality creative solutions to compliment any scale project. These include the visual arts, sculpting, ceramics, design, music, fashion & textiles, theatre and lots more.
Martin McNally
Martin McNally has been delivering high quality film, animation and visual arts projects in a community setting for many years and to a wide range of participants.
Martin enjoys working with all members of the community and is passionate about using the Arts as a tool for social change.
As a Fine Art graduate, his practice ranges through painting, sculpture, animation, film and new media. Martin’s adoration for the arts is ever evolving, but his passion for creating animation is one that’s always been at his heart. With broad technical animation skills, he enjoys creating all types of animation, but leans toward the traditional methods, favouring the more hand made, tangible aesthetic.
Martin’s work has been exhibited in Winchester, Birmingham and London. He also worked with Second Home Studio’s on a number of short animated CITV idents that are still used on TV. He states that for him, being artistic is a compulsion; a lifestyle rather than a hobby.
Keith Bloomfield
Keith Bloomfield is a highly skilled community focused filmmaker and creative artist with nearly 20 years’ experience of delivering high quality community engagement projects to diverse audiences locally and nationally. Keith is particularly adept and experienced in working to education, community cohesion, health and regeneration agendas. He thrives on new exciting, imaginative and creative challenges that put the client and community at the heart of his work.
With his passion for comics, film and pop culture Keith relishes opportunities that enable him to share this inspiration with participants young and old.
Favourite Film
I have been visiting the cinema since a very early age and have watched many, many films of all genres so picking just one film is next to impossible but I have a groups of films I watch again and again – the original Star Wars Trilogy, the Back To The Future Trilogy and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Favourite Book
A tie between George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Ted Hughes’ The Iron Man or anything by Sir Terry Pratchett.
My Hero/Heroine
Jim Henson. He had such a creative mind. I’ve been fascinated by his work since I was a child. I remember seeing the original Muppets show and being completely in awe.
George Fleming
George Fleming Filmmaker, Artist and Bon Vivant has been walking the streets of culture for over twenty years. In that time his travels have taken him to the doors and alleyways of all forms moving image and arts creation and a stint in corporate TV notwithstanding his career has been full, joyful and creative. George loves ideas as it gives him the opportunity to sit and think. Wait for inspiration. Think again and maybe have a coffee or two, mainly just sit. When inspiration does hit him though it fills him with immense satisfaction which is celebrated with another coffee. Or maybe a mint tea.
George has worked in television, community and education and really enjoys helping and guiding people in their artistic journeys.
George is currently Teaching Fellow in Media Practice at Leicester University.
Favourite Film
My Life as a Dog – Lasse Hallstrom
Favouite Book
The Wind up Bird Chronicles – Haruki Murakami
My Hero/Heroine
Alan Turing