Festival News: Why Creativity Matters NOW Creative Panel

In the launch week of Create Sheffield’s ‘Why Creativity Matters NOW’ strand of the Learn Sheffield Autumn Online Festival, Jenny Coats, Create Sheffield Creative Education Producer and Head at Beck School, hosted a creative panel discussion with Susan Coles and Paula Briggs. 

Paula Briggs is the CEO and Creative Director of AccessArt. Paula provided a thought provoking presentation which asked ‘how can we create a climate for creativity?’ In an attempt to answer this question, Paula presented beautiful drawings, illustrating moments of creative interruption in a school day where a class and its teacher may take the opportunity to play, discover, invent, explore, interact and share. Paula also asked how we might nurture these moments instead of measuring them. 

Susan Coles is an educator, artist, an active advocate and well-known champion of art, craft and design education. Susan argued the importance of creativity in education, particularly in helping children to build and practice the kinds of skills and competencies employers are calling for in the workforce. We have included two examples of resources that she drew from below. 

• The Durham Commission on Creativity and Education report is a collaboration between Arts Council England and Durham University that aims to identify ways in which creativity can play a larger part in the lives of young people. Some of the themes included are economic growth, social mobility, community identity, social engagement, personal fulfilment and wellbeing.
• The Future Skills Report from Kingston University lists what employers believe are the key skills needed for the UK to thrive, including problem-solving, communication and creativity.

Susan argues that creativity in the classroom does not only belong only in the arts, and that you can demonstrate and encourage creativity across the curriculum. You can watch the full presentation here to find out more. 

About Create Sheffield 

Create Sheffield is Sheffield’s Cultural Education Partnership, it exists to take the young people of Sheffield on ‘a journey into the arts, culture and heritage sectors, benefiting the lives of all those in Sheffield aged 0-24. Create Sheffield is supported by IVE, the Arts Council Bridge Organisation for Yorkshire and the Humber and also has received support from other organisations in Sheffield.  

Create Sheffield ask everyone who has attended one of the sessions or watched the replay to fill in a ‘Getting to Know You’ form to help us gather your thoughts and needs, in order to inform Create Sheffield’s Cultural and Creative Education Strategy that will be implemented from january 2022.

In return for filling in the form, you will:

• Have the opportunity to shape future CPD sessions to suit your needs and interests
• Have access to CPD opportunities
• Shape opportunities for further networking
• Have the option to join and create networks and sessions that support your learning
• Have the opportunity to share & shout about creative and cultural learning projects 
• Have your voice heard!

Participant (education) Getting to Know You form. 

Participant (Arts & Cultural Partners) Getting to Know You form.