In Episode 5 of I Am An Artist, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Helen Ackroyd and Lucianna Gallucci – two members of Inspire’s Libraries and Culture Team who worked on the project.

Helen is Libraries and Culture Manager and Luci is one of the Arts Council’s National Portfolio Organisation or NPO Librarians.

For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator: Podcast | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 4 of I Am An Artist, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Dan Donovan and Rachel Scanlon – two artists working on the I Am An Artist project.

Dan Donovan is a freelance practising and commercial artist. He enjoys all creative disciplines from photography to film-making, and from graphic design to painting and music. Dan’s belief is that everyone has an inner artist and his aim is to facilitate people’s discovery of this fact.

Dan was commissioned to work with Blidworth Memory Group – a welcoming and friendly volunteer led adult group based at Blidworth Library. They provide a social setting for people living with dementia, their carers or anyone interested in meeting and chatting over a warm drink, to see what services and support are available to them.

Rachel Scanlon is a Nottingham based visual artist working with children and young people, in and out of school settings, with care experience, SEND needs and Early Years. For I Am An Artist Rachel was commissioned to work with Bracken Hill Primary School whose aim is that all pupils achieve, progress and grow in an environment where they are safe and happy.

For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator: Podcast | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 3 of I Am An Artist, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Dan Donovan and Deborah Frith – two artists working on the I Am An Artist project.

Dan Donovan is a freelance practising and commercial artist. He enjoys all creative disciplines from photography to film-making, and from graphic design to painting and music. Dan’s belief is that everyone has an inner artist and his aim is to facilitate people’s discovery of this fact.

Dan was commissioned to work with Blidworth Memory Group – a welcoming and friendly volunteer led adult group based at Blidworth Library. They provide a social setting for people living with dementia, their carers or anyone interested in meeting and chatting over a warm drink, to see what services and support are available to them.

Deborah Frith considers herself to be an artist with a specialism in ceramics, but also explores other materials like metal, collage, decoupage, surface applications or whatever else she can try.

Debs worked with residents from Bowbridge Court Care Home in Newark - offering 24 hour residential and dementia care. The activities team for Bowbridge Court deliver a regular and varied programme of entertainment and activities for their residents to take part in and enjoy.

For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 2 of I Am An Artist, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Lawrence English and Rachel Scanlon – two of the artists working on the project.

Lawrence English is a self-taught artist and illustrator from Nottingham. He began his endeavour as an artist through bands he played in from the age of 15, creating the artwork that surrounded these projects. For I Am An Artist Lawrence worked with children from Redgate Primary Academy - a specialist school for children aged 3-11 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Rachel Scanlon is a Nottingham based visual artist working with children and young people, in and out of school settings, with care experience, SEND needs and Early Years. For I Am An Artist Rachel was commissioned to work with Bracken Hill Primary School whose aim is that all pupils achieve, progress and grow in an environment where they are safe and happy.

For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 1 of I Am An Artist, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Rachel Hayes – an artist on the project.

Rachel Hayes is a passionate and self-taught artist whose work is deeply influenced by the natural beauty of the local countryside. Her approach to art is vibrant and intuitive, with a focus on colourful collages, acrylic paintings, and mixed media pieces. For I Am An Artist, as well as delivering workshops for adults and children in libraries, Rachel was commissioned to work with the Oasis Community Centre in Worksop - a place where people can meet and feel welcomed, valued and supported – to co-create new pieces of artwork with a mixed adult group.

For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 5 of I Am A Writer, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Michelle Dunstan and Ellie Gilbert – members of Inspire’s Libraries’ and Culture Team who worked on the project.

Michelle is Libraries and Cultures Officer and Ellie is one of the Arts Council’s National Portfolio Organisation or NPO Librarians.

For more information about the project visit: ⁠I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 4 of I Am A Writer, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Andy Graves – a fellow writer on the project.

Andrew Graves is a poet, performer and cinephile. He has been featured on Radio 6 Music’s Cerys Matthews Show and on BBC Radio 4. His latest titles include Not Dancing with Ingrid Pitt, published by Burning Eye Books in 2020, and Welcome to the Cheap Seats published in 2019 which is a history of working-class cinema. Andrew runs film courses and pre-screen introductions at arthouse independent cinemas such as the Broadway in Nottingham and the Phoenix in Leicester.

For I Am A Writer, Andrew worked with Men at the Edge at the Oasis Centre in Worksop - a place where men can come for help, support, guidance, training, teaching and friendship. He also delivered intergenerational workshops at libraries in some of the government’s Levelling Up for Culture Places.

For more information about the project visit: ⁠I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 3 of I Am A Writer, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Jack Burrows and Pippa Hennessy, who both worked with groups of neurodiverse families as part of the project.

Jack Burrows has been writing, acting and directing theatre for 20 years. His first play Four Uncertain Kings (2004) launched his theatre company Behind Bars Theatre. Since then, he has gone on to write plays for Mansfield Palace Theatre, and for the last 12 years he has written and directed the community pantomime for Sutton Centre Stage Group and Academy Transformation Trust. Jack was a 2022-23 Associate Artist with New Perspectives. Jack worked with Spectrum Wasps.

Pippa is a Nottingham-based writer. Her poetry, graphic fiction, short fiction and creative non-fiction have been published in a range of anthologies and magazines and she is now writing digital poetry – experimenting with what words can do when they’re not tied to the printed page. She has been facilitating writing workshops in a range of settings – including schools, prisons, universities, libraries, museums and art galleries – for over ten years. Since January 2021 she has been a lead writer on Writing East Midlands’ Beyond the Spectrum project, which provides free online writing workshops and a range of other activities for autistic adults and young people. In the last four years she has been diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. Pippa worked with families from the Nottinghamshire Home Education Network.

For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries