Working with another group and/or venue Taking part in the Voluntary Arts Festival is a great opportunity to get together with others groups and organisations or perhaps take your creativity to a new venue. This could lead to a relationship that lasts year-round and is a way of reaching out to new people that you may not otherwise come into contact with. Step outside your own creative activity – Get in touch with other groups in your area and see how you could work together. You could: - Organise a showcase event to celebrate the voluntary arts activity in your village/town/city. This could include information stands and a lively programme of workshops and performances, led by different groups, that invite people to find out more and get involved. - Stage a multi-arts event in partnership with a a creative group of another discipline, for example - a choir could team up with a drawing group to hold a sketch and sing workshop, or an orchestra could work with a dance group to stage a special performance. Join forces with similar groups – If there are groups in your area who do the same thing as you, why not see if you could collaborate on a special project for Voluntary Arts Week? Two choirs are louder than one when it comes to a Flashmob! Previous Voluntary Arts Festival events include: - Belper Woollen Woods, which saw a number of different wool-craft groups sharing skills and working together to create a magical display of knitted nature, which was exhibited in their local woodland as part of the nationwide Woollen Woods project. - The Playhouse Swing, which brought swing dance groups and enthusiasts from central Scotland together for a day of 'come and try' workshops and social dancing in the sunshine at the Polloksheilds Playhouse in Glasgow. Take your creativity somewhere new – Why not approach a venue you’ve never used before, such as a library, community centre or school to host your Voluntary arts Festival event? Public venues like museums and shopping centres are especially good for the hosting a drop-in workshop, CraftBomb display or Flashmob performance, as they can provide a captive audience and passers by to engage with your activity. Working with a new venue is a great way to break out of your usual meeting space and reach out to new people. The venue may also be able to help you advertise your event, meaning you could benefit from additional publicity. Previous Voluntary Arts Festival partnerships include: - The Inspire Youth Dance Flashmob, which saw a dance group based in Newton Stewart partnering with the local football club to stage a pop up performance to entertain the crowds and promote their upcoming dance workshops. - The Gwynedd CraftBomb, which saw Crew Celf Art Group join forces with the Gwynedd Museum & Gallery in Bangor, to create a community CraftBomb inspired by the buildings historical collection. Further resources - Visit the Voluntary Arts Contact us page to get in touch to see how we can help you connect with other groups. Voluntary Arts Briefings - For guidance on everything from health and safety to finding a new venue, see Voluntary Arts Briefings. Manage Cookie Preferences