Amateurs take centre stage

It has been quite a summer for the voluntary arts. Danny Boyle’s spectacular Olympic opening ceremony involved more than 10,000 volunteer performers. During the final dress rehearsal Danny Boyle said: “This is a show that’s been built by volunteers. The 10,000 who have come out in all weathers… they really are the most extraordinary group of people. This show is theirs. This country is theirs.” Frank Cottrell Boyce, who scripted the ceremony, said: “Those volunteers redefined the nation for me. We’re told people need to be paid great sums to get results, but those who are motivated by money cock up. People who are motivated by things like love, family, friendship and humanity are the ones who have something to offer.”

People who are motivated by things like love, family, friendship and humanity are the ones who have something to offer

The incredible dedication, determination, artistic quality and sheer joy demonstrated by volunteer performers in the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies came as no surprise to those of us at Voluntary Arts, the national representative body providing a single point of contact within the vast amateur arts sector. Across the country millions of people are creating high-quality artistic experiences every week, in their own time, unpaid – for the love of it.

In 2008 the UK government commissioned research into the voluntary and amateur arts sector in England which concluded the following:
• There are approximately 49,140 voluntary and amateur arts groups across England.
• A total of 9.4 million people participate in voluntary and amateur arts groups in England.

Ours is an enormous sector and naturally the quality of artistic activity encompasses a wide spectrum. The best amateur art is very good indeed, but unfortunately it does not always get the recognition it deserves. What has been different this summer is that the London 2012 has provided a global showcase for some of the best of the UK’s proud tradition of amateur arts which otherwise are often overlooked or undervalued.

In Team GB, the soldier and teacher who won our first Olympic gold medals were valued equally with millionaire tennis players and footballers, celebrating excellent achievements regardless of whether the relevant individual was pursuing their sport as a hobby or as a profession. Similarly the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad provided a refreshingly level playing field for both professional and amateur arts organisations to show what they could achieve. The amateur arts certainly rose to the challenge with some outstanding projects; here are some of them.

‘A Gift of Quilts’ was a project that encouraged thousands of people all over the UK to make and donate more than 400 patchwork quilts as gifts for each country participating in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. ‘Quilts 4 London’ was a parallel project to create an A3-sized pennant for each athlete participating in the Games. It involved thousands of people across the country and succeeded in creating its target of 17,000 pennants. Both these projects were awarded the London 2012 Inspire Mark.
‘Bandstand Marathon’ was a simultaneous series of concerts on bandstands and in open spaces across the UK organised by Community Interest Company SUPERACT. The Bandstand Marathon has been taking place annually since 2008 and this year took place at the end of the Paralympic Games as the official final event of Festival 2012, involving 300 performances across the country.

‘Open Stages’ grew out of discussions between Voluntary Arts and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) about how best to involve amateur theatre in the 2012 World Shakespeare Festival (part of the Cultural Olympiad). We invited applications from amateur groups and more than 260 amateur productions were chosen to be part of RSC Open Stages. For more on this see the case study below.

To conclude, 2012 has been a great year for the amateur and voluntary arts; but let’s not forget that excellence and innovation takes place in amateur arts groups across the country every year.

Robin Simpson is Chief Executive of Voluntary Arts.

www.voluntaryarts.org

Epic Awards

To showcase the best of the amateur arts, Voluntary Arts runs the annual Epic Awards scheme. The Epic Awards are open to all amateur arts and craft groups in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and are free to enter. Epic stands for Engagement, Partnership, Innovation and Creative Development and the search is now on to find winners from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales who can demonstrate 'Epic' voluntary arts activity in 2011 and 2012. This could mean improving life in their local community, working across generations, using technology in a creative way or simply achieving something really special with their artform or craft. The Awards give groups an excellent opportunity to raise their profile, as well as the chance to win a range of prizes including cash, training, equipment and publicity. They have captured the imagination of the general public: last year our People’s Choice award saw a staggering 53,807 votes cast on the Epic Awards website. This year’s winners will be presented with their awards at a reception in Derry/Londonderry in January at the start of UK City of Culture 2013. The deadline for entries is 30 November 2012.

epicawards.co.uk