Tag: Buckinghamshire

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Discover Something Extraordinary

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Discover something extraordinary this July with Open Weekend

Everyone is invited to explore their creativity, and our varied county, during our jam-packed Open Weekend, 25th-28th July. With 34 contributors running 54 events across Bucks, there is plenty to enjoy. You can take part in free or low-cost activities and maybe try something new or go somewhere you have not been before!

Photograph shows four musicians dressed as superheroes and all carrying instruments
Vache Baroque, History of Sounds

Whether you are looking for something to do with little ones, a chance to try a new artform, time to learn, or time to chill out – there is plenty to choose from. This year’s fantastic programme includes opportunities to watch or join in with singing, dancing, music-making, crafting and much more. You might also visit an exhibition, listen to an author interview, enjoy live music, join a themed tour or explore local heritage. Events are taking place in person across the county, and online too.

See the Buckinghamshire Culture website for the full listing: www.buckinghamshireculture.org/open-weekend-whats-on and follow #BucksOpenWeekend and #TogetherWeCelebrate for social media updates.

This year organisations will be offering a wide range of activities on the theme of Together We Celebrate, inspired by the Paris Olympics and Paralympics 2024. Buckinghamshire has an extra special reason to celebrate as it is the proud birthplace of the Paralympic movement, and this year we have asked our event organisers to think about how they can honour this heritage. This year Open Weekend will be part of Buckinghamshire Council’s wider Together We Celebrate programme of activities and exhibitions themed around our shared advocacy of diversity, inclusivity and accessibility taking place throughout the summer.

A celebration of togetherness runs through all of the 2024 Open Weekend events, and some are offering particular activities to make your own medal (at Hughenden), design a Paralympic poster (at Aylesbury Library), or explore Paralympic artefacts and stories through a new Virtual Museum (online via the National Paralympic Heritage Trust). Please join us in celebrating the power of art and culture to bring people together and develop inclusion and understanding.

Photograph shows five participants from Missenden Walled Garden sitting on wooden benches and showing the vegetables they have picked
Missenden Walled Garden

Bill Morris, Buckinghamshire Culture’s Chair says: “We are so pleased and proud that once again organisations and individuals across Bucks have put together a programme of fantastic events. It is wonderful to see so many activities promoting inclusion and togetherness, and in a Games year, its extra special to celebrate our unique role in creating the Paralympic movement.”

Ruth Page, Buckinghamshire Council’s Head of Culture said: “Open Weekend is a brilliant way to celebrate the range of creative and cultural things you can do in Bucks. It is great to see so many activities taking place with the theme of ‘Together We Celebrate’ and showing how we can lead the way for access and inclusion.”

Open Weekend is made possible thanks to funding from the Rothschild Foundation and Buckinghamshire Council. It is co-ordinated by Buckinghamshire Culture and is delivered in partnership with organisations and creatives across the county.

Garden stepping stones containing mosaic and gem stones on a bed of bark chippings
Garden Stones created by Feedback Global

Further Information

Buckinghamshire Culture

Buckinghamshire Culture is the creative and cultural partnership for the county, developed to drive forward the Buckinghamshire Cultural Strategy. Building an inclusive, uplifting and supportive creative hub, we connect, build and nourish creative individuals and organisations. We share and celebrate the value of creativity and culture to everyone’s lives – embedding it across essential agendas. We harness the power of working together through collaboration and partnership, shaping joint projects that support happier and healthier lives for our residents. Together, we can better celebrate and share stories of our communities and county. More information on Buckinghamshire Culture: https://buckinghamshireculture.org/

Together We Celebrate programme coordinated by Buckinghamshire Council

To mark the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, we are once again asking Buckinghamshire’s communities to join us and our partners in celebrating the county’s unique and proud Paralympic heritage. Our collaborative approach aims to bring like-minded partners, organisations, and communities together to recognise Buckinghamshire as the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. A series of activities and exhibitions themed around our shared advocacy of diversity, inclusivity and accessibility will take place throughout the summer as Together We Celebrate. More information on Together We Celebrate: https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/events/together-we-celebrate-2024/

Culture

STORIES receives Arts Council Funding

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Fireside by Nikki & JD and Lost Dog Dance

Buckinghamshire residents are invited to explore the power of stories and join walks, fireside performances, story-telling and village portraits this Summer/Autumn. There will be a range of community-focussed activities across the county as Buckinghamshire Culture pilots STORIES, a programme that aims to shine a light on the rich history and life of the county, thanks to public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

In this first year of STORIES activity, we and our partners, will work with artists, communities and other organisations to develop our ideas. Taking inspiration from our beautiful natural landscapes, our pilot season will include performances of Fireside by Nikki & JD in several Buckinghamshire locations. Inspired by the Paralympic story we will recruit d/Deaf and disabled artists to form an artist collective working with Ellen Renton, spoken-word artist and poet, to create new work. And inspired by the nature of our county as a place of small towns and villages, we will celebrate the nature of community through village portraits created by Theo Clinkard Dance, captured in photographs by Camilla Greenwell and new writing from a range of writers.

Stories Creative Associate, Eckhard Thiemann, says: “STORIES is an invitation for residents and visitors to discover and participate in new cultural experiences in places that make the county unique. We take panoramic shots of modern village life, animate natural beauty spots through performance, and delve into the important history of paralympic heritage. The outcome will be new stories to remember, to share and to inspire us.”

Clive Harriss, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure & Culture said: “Buckinghamshire Council is pleased to support this new initiative being run by Buckinghamshire Culture. Projects like this do so much to bring the arts to life in our local communities, allowing people to watch and participate in new cultural experiences which entertain and inspire all ages. The funding we are providing helps to ensure that everyone is able to access and enjoy something exciting in their local area.”

During this pilot Season we will work with a number of communities in local villages. We will partner with a range of organisations, including BuDs, National Disability Arts Collection and Archive, National Paralympic Heritage Trust among others.
We will be sharing opportunities for commissions and volunteering as the year progresses, please keep an eye out on social media if you are interested in collaborating with us.

Following this period of exploration, we will continue to work with artists and communities to weave together stories of people, places, histories and future dreams to celebrate unique places and moments across the county. We aim to share further STORIES work with residents across 2025 and 2026.

STORIES Season 1 is made possible thanks to public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and support from Buckinghamshire Council, National Paralympic Heritage Trust, Rothschild Foundation and a number of other partners.

Culture

Administration and Communications Assistant

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Buckinghamshire Culture is seeking a motivated individual to take on the freelance role of Administration & Communications Assistant to support our growing charity. Suiting some one with voluntary, charity, arts or heritage experience, the role will have the opportunity to help deliver our projects, training programmes and day-to-day business.

We support flexible working and are open to how the hours are delivered but will require some time each week to be spent at our office within Buckinghamshire New University’s High Wycombe campus.

As well as assisting with the day to day running of the charity, this role will champion Buckinghamshire Culture, ensuring excellent communication with partners and potential partners, raising the charity’s profile and reach.

For full details and how to apply, please see the Job Description below:

BC-admin-and-comms-assist-finalDownload
Culture

Open Weekend – submissions open 25th April 2022!

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The Big Picture – Queen Ælfgifu, by Emily Brown & 39 artists from Chesham

With the warmer months approaching, and July already coming into view, organisers of Buckinghamshire’s Open Weekend celebration of creativity and culture are inviting submissions.

It is the second time the Open Weekend has taken place and this year will happen over four days, from 28th-31st July. Organised by Buckinghamshire Culture with the support of Buckinghamshire Council and the Rothschild Foundation, it is an opportunity to showcase the range and breadth of creative events, activities and initiatives taking place in Buckinghamshire.

The theme for 2022’s Open Weekend events will be ‘trees and green’, building on the celebrations for the Queen’s Jubilee in June, with suggestions including:

  • A local tree, wood, park or garden – telling stories, delivering creative workshops, outdoor performance, or transforming spaces
  • Stories about trees – encouraging people to think about our landscape heritage, exploring folk tales, sharing stories and memories linked to trees
  • The environment and green agenda – encouraging people to think about re-use, recycling and sustainability
  • The colour green itself – monochrome painting workshops, nature inspired creativity, green objects from collections to base activities around.

Organisers are encouraging organisations and groups across the county to submit their ideas for creative and cultural events and activities they plan to run in Buckinghamshire over the Open Weekend.  

Submissions for events/activities can be made between the 25th of April and 1st June via the online form at www.buckinghamshireculture.org/Open-Weekend

where there is also more information and FAQs, including the criteria for events.

As in 2021, Buckinghamshire Culture will be able to give out a limited amount of micro grants for implementing projects/activities. More information on how to apply will be coming soon.

Bill Morris, Buckinghamshire Culture Co-Chair said: “In light of the enjoyment and support that Open Weekend received in 2021, we felt we had no choice but to bring it back as annual event – we can’t wait to see what people put on!  We are also really pleased to share that Visit Buckinghamshire will be supporting our What’s On listing this year. “

Clive Harriss, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, added: “We’re excited to be teaming up again with Buckinghamshire Culture to run this year’s Open Weekend, which includes Buckinghamshire Day on 29th July. It’s a fantastic opportunity for local groups and organisations to run their own cultural and creative activities and events. They can submit their ideas for these via the Open Weekend webpage.”

During the first successful Open Weekend event for Buckinghamshire in July 2021, residents and visitors had the chance to take part in over 70 creative and cultural activities across the county. 

Back then, activities were themed to stories and storytelling and included literary and heritage walks, performances, open days, trails, concerts, film screenings, exhibitions and story-telling events. There were opportunities to undertake creative activities at home and online. Overall 3,500 people took part in activities.

Look out for further info on Open Weekend at www.buckinghamshireculture.org, on Twitter @BucksCulture or Instagram @Bucks_Culture. 

This programme is supported through funding from Buckinghamshire Council and Rothschild Foundation. 

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Notes to Editors:

Buckinghamshire Culture is the cultural partnership formed to drive forward the Cultural Strategy for the county. We aim to work together with the sector and stakeholders to shape, build and celebrate a bright cultural future for Buckinghamshire.  Open Weekend is just one part of wider plans to develop a range of county-wide creative and cultural projects for Buckinghamshire, as part of the Buckinghamshire Cultural Strategy. 

The Rothschild Foundation is a charity that supports arts and heritage, the environment, education and social welfare by awarding grants, fostering dialogue and debate, and through our support of Waddesdon Manor. Support for arts and cultural organisations is made available through our Strategic Fund.

Culture

Opportunity: Project Co-ordinator

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We are hiring text with image of umbrellas

Buckinghamshire Culture is excited to be able to share this opportunity to join our small team.

We are looking for a Project Co-ordinator who can help us steer and grow our organisation, help develop new projects that benefit Buckinghamshire residents and be part of implementing the Buckinghamshire Cultural Strategy. Working with a wide range of partners and stakeholders across the county to build new initiatives and develop the creative and cultural offer, this role is perfect for a creative and strategic self-starter with lots of ideas. This role provides a great opportunity to join a new charity and help to shape it.

The Buckinghamshire Culture Project Co-ordinator will support projects and initiatives relating to Buckinghamshire Culture’s business including delivery of the Cultural Strategy.  The Project Co-ordinator will assist with organisational, financial, programme and commissioning (of work and services) activities.  Taking a proactive approach, they will develop and deliver specific projects and programmes, in particular projects to empower under-served groups and communities through creativity and culture.  A collaborative working relationship will need to be developed and maintained with all stakeholders and partners.  

This is a part time, fixed term, employed role until December 2024.

The role will be based at Buckinghamshire New University’s High Wycombe campus, with home-working as appropriate.

The full Job Description is available here:

Buckinghamshire Culture Project Co-ordinator Job DescriptionDownload

To apply, please submit:

  • A letter of application outlining how your skills and experience and approach align to the Job Description, Values and Person Specification – this can be written (no more than 2 A4 pages), filmed or audio recorded. If filmed or audio recorded and files are large, please submit using WeTransfer, Dropbox or similar.
  • Your CV
  • Details of 2 referees.

Applications should be sent to: Lallie@buckinghamshireculture.org

Deadline for applications: 21st February 2022, 5pm

Interviews: 2nd/3rd March 2022.

Culture

Would you like to be a Trustee?

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Having registered as a charity a few months ago, Buckinghamshire Culture is now ready to build a Board of Trustees to guide and steer the organisation.

We are seeking people from varied backgrounds, and who come with diverse experiences, able to demonstrate knowledge or experience in one or more of the following areas:

  • Running creative/cultural organisation(s) or projects
  • Practicing as an artist or creative
  • Fundraising
  • Buckinghamshire social context
  • Views and perspectives of children and young people
  • Legal / Human Resources
  • Accountancy.

To find out more, and for details of how to apply please take a look at our Trustee Pack:

Buckinghamshire Culture Trustee Pack Dec 2021 FinalDownload

Deadline for expressions of interest: 17th January 2022, 5pm.

We are very happy to receive expressions if interest as written statements, voice recordings or videos (for the latter two formats please send via Dropbox or Wetransfer) alongside a current and relevant CV.

Culture

Story Packs – Activities for School and Home

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Our talented artists have created Story-themed packs for students to try in the class room, or at home. There are making and drawing activities, poetry activities and dance activities to try.

You can download the activities here:

Story Postcards Pack by Tom CrossDownload
Summer of Stories Exploring Words ActivityDownload
Summer of Stories the Story of Your Tree ActivityDownload
Summer of Stories Ceilidh Jam ActivityDownload

You can share pictures of your creations on social media using #SummerOfStories

Or via our Story Form on our website: www.buckinghamshireculture.org/Summer-Of-Stories

You can also learn more about our project and how our artists are taking inspiration from stories shared by people across Buckinghamshire on our website.

Culture

Thinking Digital – online skill sharing event

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Buckinghamshire Culture, Garsington Opera and Resource Productions are pleased to present an online event for the creative and cultural sector sharing digital adaptations and innovative virtual delivery skills and tips.

Thinking Digital is free and will take place on 11th February from 1pm – full details and booking here: www.thinkingdigitalbucks.eventbrite.co.uk 

During the Covid-19 pandemic we have seen creative and cultural organisations innovate, re-frame and develop online content thanks to rapid learning and adaptation.  To support those coming back to work, or looking for new ideas for engagement, Buckinghamshire Culture, in partnership with Garsington Opera and Resource Productions, have worked together to develop this online workshop. 

This event will focus on digital engagement and will share learning and top tips, as well as first-hand experiences of those delivering online. We aim to take away some of the fear of delivering online for the first time and share tips for those that have some experience already. There will be a creative, participatory element to the session when the group is invited to devise a new Chorus with Garsington Opera’s Richard Taylor and Karen Gillingham, so you can experience online creative engagement first hand and be inspired to try your own version. We will finish with a Q&A and brief panel discussion of what further advice, input, sharing or support attendees would like to see next.

We have curated a programme of speakers from Buckinghamshire and beyond covering a range of topics:

  • Adapting and pivoting activities for online engagement
  • Sharing tips for use of digital tools such as Zoom, Whatsapp, Youtube, Google classroom etc
  • Engaging vulnerable people online
  • Supporting those with multiple needs or limited experience to engage online
  • Skills and performance tips for online delivery
  • Working inclusively online
  • Opening doors to collections and resources using virtual access
  • Increasing certain audiences who might prefer online engagement
  • Working with artists and practitioners in a digital space
  • Tips for successful online engagement.

This event has been funded by Rothschild Foundation.

Culture

New Programme Supporting Our Creative and Cultural Leaders Launches

buckinghamshireculture

Buckinghamshire Culture has commissioned Cultural Associates Oxford to develop and deliver a bespoke leadership programme for the county called Bucks Cultural Leaders.  This new online leadership programme and network for leaders and innovators across the creative and cultural sector in Bucks has been designed to respond positively and proactively to the impact of Covid-19, and to support the cultural eco-system of Buckinghamshire at a time of great challenge for the cultural sector.

A multi-faceted programme of leadership sessions, peer mentoring, action research and professional development has been developed by Cultural Associates Oxford, who will bring their own experience and skills to the programme, as well as enlisting the support of external speakers.  The programme will begin in February and take place throughout the year until Autumn 2021. 

The application process was launched in November 2020 and the panel met just before Christmas to review an impressive collection of applications.  22 innovators and leaders from the Bucks creative and cultural sectors have been offered a place on Bucks Cultural Leaders.  The response from our successful applicants has been fantastic and shows that this programme is extremely timely:

That’s brilliant news! Something really positive to look forward to, just at a time when we need to be working collaboratively. I shall get started on my reading and send the bio and pic to you.

Thanks for sending me this good news. After yesterday’s announcement and losing another project to the continued lockdown it was most welcome!

Many thanks and I am delighted to have been accepted on the course! Now for the homework…… Well done in getting this off the ground – its brilliant and much needed.

I’ve had to re-read this a couple of times to check it’s real! I am delighted to have been offered a place and I know I will get so much out of this opportunity.  This news has put a spring in my step on a day that was significantly lacking in positivity for obvious reasons.

With warmest wishes and thanks to you and the team that have put this together

Participants on this leadership course represent the breadth of the Bucks creative and cultural sector, including: Amersham Museum, Buckinghamshire Archives, Buckinghamshire Culture, Bucks County Museum, Bucks New University, Buska Video, Chiltern Arts, Chiltern Open Air Museum, Fish Eye Film Fest, Garsington Opera, Milton’s Cottage, National Paralympic Heritage Centre, Obsidian Art, Queens Park Arts Centre, Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, Signdance Collective, The Buckinghamshire Craft Guild, The Elgiva, The Theatre Shed, Waddesdon, Wycombe Museum, Wycombe Swan.

A complementary programme of business and cultural development workshops will also be offered to participants, their colleagues and the wider creative and cultural sector to support re-building after the pandemic.  These will begin in April 2021 and be announced soon.

Bucks Cultural Leaders has been funded by the Rothschild Foundation, Arts Council England and Buckinghamshire Council.