High Peak Community Arts provides opportunities for people to participate in high quality creative arts projects, enhancing their quality of life through self expression. We focus on those who have least access to arts and culture, benefiting some of the most hard to reach and isolated individuals and groups in the community. Our participants include those affected by disability, lack of resources or encouragement, rural isolation and other personal or social circumstances.
We provide first and onward opportunities for participants of all ages, interests and abilities, to experiment with the creative arts, including film, digital arts, crafts, performance and visual arts; and to create work that reflects and celebrates life.
Our three main strands of activity:
Enable young people to engage and participate in creative arts activities; with a commitment to Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which calls us to give young people the opportunity to express their views, and see those views acted on
Develop arts based initiatives for adults and elders to improve their health and well-being
Respond to real community needs and concerns within our local area through direct, locally provided project activity.
High Peak Community Arts is an independent membership organisation, a company limited by guarantee, and a registered charity.
MEMBERSHIP
High Peak Community Arts is a membership organisation. There are currently over 200 members who receive mailings about our activities, have a say in the running of the organisation, and who are eligible to join our management committee. Membership is FREE
FREELANCE ARTISTS
We also work with a large pool of freelance artists and project co-ordinators. We’re always keen to meet new artists who have experience working with people, and we pass on recommendations to schools, agencies and other organisations. Each year we contract as many as 50 freelance artists.
This approach keeps us small and flexible; able to bring in the right team for the right project.
STAFF
There are four members of staff who all work part time: an administrator, and three creative project managers. There’s no chief executive or managing director. In fact, there’s no hierarchy at all. We work collaboratively to make sure the organisation runs efficiently, and we develop specific areas of work according to our expertise, passion and commitment. By the way, it’s a great place to work. We are:
ALISON BOWRY project manager
SOPHIE MACKRETH project manager
JAN MELIA project manager
RICK SECCOMBE administrator
TRUSTEES
High Peak Community Arts is managed by a voluntary management committee, who are also trustees of the charity. The management committee is elected each year by our members at the Annual General Meeting.
We strive to be accountable to the community, and we encourage broad membership
