Current Projects
Anne Peaker Centre Arts in Criminal Justice
The goal for the Anne Peaker Centre (APC) is supporting the arts in criminal justice and social inclusion through:
a. Promotionand support of the use of the arts in criminal justice settings
b. Embedding arts strategies within prison and community settings
c. Undertaking and interpreting research
d. Providing training links and advice for practitioners working within the field
e. Advocating at a national level and influencing policy
f. Sourcing and disseminating clear information, advice and support
In line with their desire to fulfil these goals, APC has is increasingly aware of the over-representation of people from diverse ethnic backgrounds as offenders throughout the criminal justice system and the need to advocate for the creative and cultural needs for this sector of the criminal justice sector.
Supporting this need they noted that in the United Kingdom:
- at the end of June 2005 almost 25% of the male prison population and 28% of the female prison population were from black or minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds
- in 2004/2005 black people were six times more likely to be stopped and searched under Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 compared to white people, and Asian people were twice as likely.
With these statistics in mind, APC has commissioned Creative Exchange (and as part of the PSE Consultancy) to exploring some of the issues and challenges that this overrepresentation raises for the way in which arts activity is delivered in criminal justice settings in England and Wales, particularly:
- to explore and investigate the interests of BME offenders in the arts field and issues of cultural relevance
- to identify relevant arts organisations, trainers and practitioners involved in the delivery of culturally diverse arts provision, including music, visual arts, performing arts including drama and dance, photography, film and video, multi-media and creative writing
- to identify current good practice as well as gaps in provision
- to identify areas where capacity building is required
- to identify areas where professional development for arts providers may be required.
The report documents the findings of research has been carried out by Creative Exchange between December 2007 and March 2008 should be available in April 2008. This project has required two visits to England, particularly Canterbury and will involve a visit to HMP Bullwood Hall – a foreign national prison in March 2008.
Art in Prison Department of Arts and Culture Republic of South Africa
In June 2006 a series of workshop in regional prison “centres of excellence.” was arranged, but as DAC re-examined its “arts access” policies and began to work on an integrated programme with other government departments the series was postponed until June/July 2007 and a Train the Trainers workshop and Feed-back session added to the programme. These Train the Trainer workshops and the Feed-back session were held in Pretoria.
The partnership with DCS was set up in a way that enabled commitment by prisons and the identification of people to attend the workshops. Prisons, particularly prisons that had been defined as “centres of excellence” and correctional centre were identified to host the workshops and the DAC Head Office Board Room in Pretoria, identified for the Train the trainer workshop and Feedback sessions.
These regional workshops were held in:
a. Leeuwkop Prison, Gauteng
b. Kroonstad Prison, Free State
c. Westville Prison, Durban – KwaZulu Natal
d. East Cape Prison- East London
e. Pollsmoor Prison – Cape Town
f. Modimolle Correctional Centre - Limpopo.
As part of the process of sustainability before the workshops were conducted a Training manual was written by Penny Eames. This was to ensure that the programme was sustainable for the future, a considerable amount of work was undertaken to produce a CD version of Songbirds Art in Prison Training manual.
The printing of that CD manual Songbird – Art in Prison training manual was done in New Zealand and 200 printed copies were donated to DAC in the Republic of South Africa – the printing and editing paid for by NZAID associated with the New Zealand High Commission in Pretoria.
Arts Access International
Under the brand name of Arts Access International, PSE Consultancy has developed partnerships with many art and social development agencies. Arts Access International now has two offices, one in Waikanae and one in Bristol.
It has an extensive publishing record and provides PSE Consultancy with many opportunities to promote the philosophies of access and participation in the arts and the importance of cultural well-being.
www.artsaccessinternational.org.
Creative Exchange network for arts and development
Creative Exchange is a network of organisations and individuals using culture and creativity in sustainable development internationally, in such fields as health, human rights, conflict resolution, environment, governance and democracy. It provides an interface between organisations and practitioners working at the grassroots level, developing NGOs, agencies and policy makers. It serves more than 70 partners world-wide and has an e-mail bulletin service estimated to make between 600 and 1,000 contacts. It is developing training, advocacy and information resources, including a database that will be available through Internet.
Over the last couple of years this charity has set up a consultancy group and Penny Eames is one of those consultants. In April 2007 some of the consultant gathered together to set priorities and decide on ways of working.
In November Creative Exchange tendered successfully for a contract with the Anne Peaker Centre for criminal justice and Penny Eames as lead consultant.
Creative New Zealand (Arts Council of New Zealand)
Creative NZ is New Zealand’s leading arts development organisation. It is also a catalyst for the development of a flourishing arts environment in which New Zealanders value, support and are inspired by the arts. Its purpose is to encourage, promote and support the arts in New Zealand for the benefit of all New Zealanders - Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Act 1994
Its work is guided by the following four strategic priorities:
- New Zealanders are engaged in the arts
- High-quality New Zealand art is developed
- New Zealanders have access to high-quality arts experiences
- New Zealand arts gain international success
Penny Eames was appointed to the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand for a three year term from 1st July 2007 The Arts Board’s role is to allocates project grants and develops initiatives supporting artists and arts organisations. It also allocates annual or three-year funding to key professional arts organisations.
Cultural and Social Plan – Ngarara Development
One of the largest projects in 2006 and 2007 was the research and then the writing of a Cultural and Social Plan for this new development. This has been an extremely exciting project. The Plan has drawn on the cultural capital of the region and then this cultural capital has been used as a planning document and the branding of the sub-division has linked to that plan.
www.ngarara.com
The plan is attached to this website as an example of what can happen is the history and myths, the ideologies, values and the rituals of an area are incorporated in the planning of adjacent planning.
DADAA West Australia – Art, Mental Health and Prisons
DADAA West Australia is the premier arts access organisation in West Australia. Penny Eames has worked with this organisation in many times in the future.
The current project has been to contribute a chapter to a publication about arts and how the arts can be used for community engagement. The topic was arts and mental health in the prison system.
This book will be available during 2008. The chapter examines the issues associated with mental illness in prisons and then suggests ways that the arts can be used for offenders and to change the environment to encourage social, environmental and cultural wellbeing in prisons for offenders with mental illness. www.dadaawa.org.au
Otago Polytechnic Cultural Well-being & Cultural Capital Workshop
During the year the Otago Polytechnic invited Penny Eames to be an examiner for a student who had completed a thesis in the subject of the arts and health. While conducting that examination a workshop was also run for students, the community and people who work in various institutions, including the prisons at the Polytechnic.
University of Hong Kong – Art and Vietnamese Boat People
The project’s was to analyse and recommend funding of a project which involved researching and analyzing 800 existing art works collected during a period that would otherwise be remote from public scrutiny and political response; while at the same time looking at history through this work and to ask questions about the role of this art in telling history.
During the exhibition of these works Penny Eames will give a workshop for the University of Hong Kong.