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Community-led gardening project,

@LetsKeepGrowing, will be joining our group of commissioned artists as part of the #beyondmeasure programme.
Animations by Longsight residents as part of a workshop facilitated by @sophiebroadgat

https://letskeepgrowing.co.uk

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Yellow Orange Photo Bright Summer Promotional Twitter Post (18)

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Missed out on our #BeyondMeasure Twitter discussion on Ethics and Equity earlier this month?

Read @MafwaTheatre's reflections on the discussion here:

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On 17th July 2020 we ran the first of a series of "Twitter chats" as part of the Beyond Measure Arts and Health online programme of events. Our brief for the discussion was focused on 'Ethics and Equity' in this area, which we were more than happy to take on. We want to ensure that Mafwa Theatre's work is always driven by ethical considerations. We are constantly assessing our roles and positioning as group facilitators, which we explored in a 2019 journal article published in 'Performing Ethos: An International Journal of Ethics in Theatre & Performance'.

In pandemic-free times we run a weekly theatre session in Lincoln Green for women who are local to the area and those based in Leeds with varying migration statuses. We were delighted that long-time Mafwa Member Anne was able to join us for her perspective as a participant of many groups across the city. We also brought Rommi Smith on board for her insights as a writer, performer and research scholar with many years of experience in the participatory arts, including in healthcare settings. The chat was 'attended' predominantly by arts practitioners and/or researchers alongside a handful of people related to the health sector. We were delighted that the Local Care Partnerships development team could join in the conversation, as we are currently looking at how we can work together for better health outcomes for Mafwa Members.

The first provocation was around working equitably online and ensuring the safety of digital spaces such as Twitter. This is an important and pertinent area for us to navigate, following months of assessing digital access and skills of Mafwa Members (little to none for the majority), raising funds, distributing phones and internet data to enable continued engagement. This confirmed for us that digital spaces are inherently exclusionary environments due to lack of resource, and as Rommi pointed out they lack safety as "conversations like this are open access and that's the point of them. I don't think you can make Twittersphere conversations safe, but you can work within a value system of respectful etiquette - even if you disagree". We believe that part of working ethically with Members is using our resource as a company to initiate safe working spaces for us to collaborate in. Digital and very public spaces can be more hostile environments than 'real' life settings and feel harder to manage and safeguard participants. We therefore welcomed the resources that Leeds Arts Health and Wellbeing Network shared in the chat, including guidance from The Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance.

Remaining on the subject of (un)safe spaces, Anne described an uncomfortable experience and questioned how practitioners can avoid potentially exploitative situations, leading to discussion around co-production and power relations in arts and research processes. We agree with Sheila Freeman who stated that it is "about feeling welcome in the space; in that it is not just academic voices or people with an "expert" or "high" profile which are the most important or prominent voices in the conversation." We agree with Rommi that these types of situation can be avoided simply by not placing participants in these situations of demanding information from them and to remember that "the work is a collaboration. Always. The work is never didactic." However, the fact remains that arts and research have huge potential to become exploitative processes; even the seemingly simple, routine act of signing a consent form to 'use' data 'for' research or impact evaluations suggests a power hierarchy of give and take, an antithesis of true artistic collaboration which practitioners like Mafwa want to achieve. And that is before adding the nuance of informed consent, a particular concern when working with people using English as a second language. At the same time, it would be wholly disadvantageous to talk ourselves out of doing vital research around the impacts of the arts on health, in an effort to remain within an ethical framework!

With the limitations of the time and format, we only scraped the surface of the topics discussed. I want to take this thread further. I would like to provoke you to consider how you avoid exploitation of participant's expertise in your practice as an artist, researcher or both? Are the current systems within academia, of evaluation or impact driven fundraising fit for purpose? Do ethics boards have safeguards to ensure that participants are not exploited for their stories, opinions or expertise? How do we ensure equity within academic institutions where people of colour are often under-represented? I would like to see the conversations throughout the Beyond Measure programme really dig into the ethical implications of research within community arts settings and discussion on practical steps for ethically evaluating and demonstrating impact of arts. I want to see examples of outstanding practice and innovation in the field and opportunities to share new ideas across sectors.

We finished the conversation by looking ahead to the full Beyond Measure programme series in the Autumn period. Many participants of the Twitter chat were singing from the same hymn sheet when it came to ethical participation as a place where experts by experience are at the forefront of conversations around their involvement. We look forward to seeing the full programme and hope that these ideas around ethical co-production will be embedded throughout.

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Discussing Ethics and Equity in Research and Co-Production

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On 17th July 2020 we ran the first of a series of "Twitter chats" as part of the Beyond Measure Arts and Health online programme of events. Our brief for the discussion was focused on 'Ethics and Equity' in this area, which we were more than happy to take on.

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We are very excited to announce

@invisibleflock

as one of our #beyondmeasure commissioned artists.

We look forward to exhibiting their work in the Autumn period.

Film by: Anya Stewart-Maggs

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Yellow Orange Photo Bright Summer Promotional Twitter Post (17)

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Don’t miss what’s happening

People on Twitter are the first to know.

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Visual artist, writer and storyteller,

@GarryBarker3, joins our group of artists producing work in response to the #beyondmeasure programme.

Follow Garry's work here: https://tinyurl.com/y2zavb35

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Yellow Orange Photo Bright Summer Promotional Twitter Post (16)

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'How can the practitioner's skills in reading the physical room be translated to the digital space? How are other practitioners managing this change of context?'

Reflections from

@nicolanaismith1

's #beyondmeasure Twitter chat on practitioner wellbeing.

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Reflections on #BeyondMeasure Twitter chat by Nicola Naismith.

As part of Beyond Measure?, an online programme exploring research and evidence in culture and health, in July 2020 I was invited to curate a Twitter chat on the 'Artist as Researcher: Impact on the Practitioner'. I wanted to explore how artists are adapting, translating and re-inventing practice as we navigate our way through the significant changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As an artist researcher, my primary focus is to explore how reflective practice activities can be employed to offer support to practitioners, and to understand how the topic is being researched elsewhere. This year, supported by AHRC and Clore Leadership, I will be developing my Artists Practising Well research further, and the contributions shared in the Twitter chat have already expanded my thinking, which in turn will inform my approach. The chat brought together perspectives from practitioners, academics and those facilitating support structures, and the following is a short commentary on some of the points raised.

Dynamics of altered spaces

For some practitioners, the transition from face to face working to online delivery has been rapid: from having responsibility for artistic content, process and interpersonal dynamics held within physical spaces (workshop room, hospital ward, community setting) to managing online spaces (for which they may have received little or no training). Alongside this, their own creative practice may have needed to be significantly re-considered and re-invented.

Creative practitioners who work with people will be used to reading the room, interpreting interactions and body language: noticing the space a participant chooses to use, engaging in incidental conversation during a tea break and being available at the end of a session when a participant waits to ask a question privately. These are all important sources of information, so how can the practitioner's skills in reading the physical room be translated to the digital space? How are other practitioners managing this change of context? Resources are needed to expand the existing good practice of peer to peer discussion group provision to ensure common challenges and changes like these can be shared, and collective solutions proposed and tested.

The pandemic is something we have experienced collectively and individually - we each hold our own personal experience alongside our role as professionals. Affective support spaces and practices can be used to acknowledge the seismic changes that have happened within our own lives, our individual creative practice and our approaches to working with people. It can be important to name what has been lost or altered - albeit on what we hope will be a temporary basis - in terms of changes in approach, translating ways of working which may have been developed over many years and adapting relational dynamics. Being conscious of the reality of a situation can help with moving through and beyond it. Locating what is at the core of creative practice, and exploring how that can operate within the current framework of screen based working and social distancing, has the potential to strengthen practice and expand it in new directions.

A blended approach in the future

The Covid-19 pandemic brings to the fore the interdependence of instrumental and affective support. Instrumental support covers the need for clearer and more reliable pay structures and contracting, which have long been inconsistent and precarious. It considers appropriate training in the use of digital platforms and technical support during sessions, and provides participants with the necessary resources so they can be in the digital room. Affective support - which may take the form of reflective writing, a mentoring conversation, a coaching session or peer to peer group discussion - can help the practitioner to process an abrupt ending of work in mid-process, the swift adaptations to practice needed to move into an online space and the attention needed to identify the heart of the work, keeping it central to new ways of working.

As the conditions of the pandemic evolve what is likely to emerge is a blended approach to arts for health and wellbeing: retaining what has been learnt and is beneficial about online working, complementing it with the re-introduction of face to face working. Affective and instrumental support for practitioners must be discussed, planned, resourced and implemented if we are to protect the wellbeing of practitioners who in turn facilitate creative spaces for others, offering opportunities for connection and reflection.

Thanks to all those who joined us for the #beyondmeasure Twitter chat and to the invited contributors: Chris Fremantle Daniel Regan Chris Rolls Thanh Sinden and Kirsty Stansfield

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Artist as Researcher: Practitioner Wellbeing

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As part of Beyond Measure? , an online programme exploring research and evidence in culture and health, in July 2020 I was invited to curate a Twitter chat on the 'Artist as Researcher: Impact on the Practitioner'.

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''LAHWN’s ambition is for Leeds to bring sectors together to employ the wealth of our city’s arts and culture to improve health and change lives for the better.''

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''LAHWN’s ambition is for Leeds to bring sectors together to employ the wealth of our city’s arts and culture to improve health and change lives for the better.''

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Don’t miss what’s happening

People on Twitter are the first to know.

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We look forward to exhibiting work from performance, visual artist and writer

@DominiqueBBee, as part of our #beyondmeasure online programme.

Register here for updates: https://bit.ly/BM20register

Cinematography: Ivo Juriaan Mensch
http://dominiquebb.com

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Introducing our next #beyondmeasure commissioned artist, @BeckyCherriman!

We look forward to exhibiting her creative response to #beyondmeasure's themes.

Film by: Pru Fowler
http://beckycherriman.com

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We are excited to introduce visual artist, and community story teller, Mahboobeh Rajabi, @MahboobehMCR http://Mahboobeh.co.ukPhoto credit: @JournetsFest

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In June, we invited expressions of interest from art
ists to creatively respond to #BeyondMeasure
We are delighted to announce transfeminist and experimental artist

@niya___b

Find out more http://niyab.com

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Yellow Orange Photo Bright Summer Promotional Twitter Post (7)

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 Join the Twitter conversation tomorrow Friday 17th at 1pm with @MafwaTheatre exploring ethical research and models of co-production - particularly with vulnerable groups. 

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 Join the Twitter conversation tomorrow Friday 17th at 1pm with @MafwaTheatre exploring ethical research and models of co-production - particularly with vulnerable groups. 

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All submissions should include a statement to introduce your work. Commissioned artists will receive a fee of up to £500 to develop and execute their idea. This amount must include all related expenditure and VAT, and no further funds can be awarded after the award is made due to nature of funding.