Services

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Anna B Sexton, Director of Open To Arts, specialises in offering 'creative MOTs' (TM) essentially providing entrepreneurial artists, producers and directors creative problem solving, money making and audience development tools that achieve super successful, creative results.

Anna is known for inspiring creativity and nurturing talent.

Our mission is to leave people and communities feeling richer, vibrant and more colourful

Anna is now an accredited Leadership Devlopment Coach via Cultural Leadership Programme, Performance Coaching Training & Deb Barnard/Relationship Dynamics
COACHING

Initial ½ hr consultation free

Subsequent ½ hr sessions / 1hr sessions *

Face to face meetings can be arranged Block booking discounts are available by
booking of 6 or more sessions.

Please contact Anna Sexton 07941 655 856

Other services we offer include;

Mentoring
Community arts project management
Income generation with specialism in support to develop successful funding applications to Arts Council, Lottery and other funders
Network and capacity building
Project and organisation evaluation
Strategic development
Advocacy
Recruitment
Portfolio assessments
Marketing and PR

Projects

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Anna has recently completed working in collaboration with Simon Terrill, international artist, on his latest exceptional and daring 'Crowd Theory project. Simon is the artist in resident Bow Cross, Bow supported by ACME and Swan Housing.

Anna is currently commissioned to be the estate photographer as part of Brownfield Estate, Poplar, London E14 regeneration programme 'Round Here'. Over the course of the coming months (July 2011 onwards) Anna will be photographing residents for 'Faces Round Here'. If you are a resident of the Brownfield Estate contact Paul or Jacki to book a time for your moment....020 7005 7618

Open To Arts worked with an amazingly inspiring group of over 50's and local young people as part of the Memories are Made of This consultation, exhibition and celebration events December 2009 - February 2010

A blog has been created to chart the history of the club and it's users, the current activities and aspirations for the furture Celebrating Burcham Street Over 50's Centre

Open To Arts latest project is co-promoting a community gardens programme as part of Bow Arts Trust & Poplar Harca Housing Associations 'Live/Work Scheme' Over the next few months a series of informal plant swaps and community get togethers are planned aiming to reach out to Carradale and Brownfield Estate residents. Anna Sexton is working with Anna Bauer to co-deliver the project with support from other Live/Work artists.

Open To Arts is Greening Carradale

Since March 2009 the community garden and local food growing project has gone from strength to strength.

Most recently Greening Brownfield has been born to reflect the widest range of local residents and community groups interested in a range of greening projects;

New benches
Local food growing scheme
Flower garden
Wild flower planting

In March 2010 Capital Growth awarded our project £1,060 of funds to create a local food growing space on disused tennis courts outside Carradale House

Crow

Crow is a story for our time, a cry from the soul in a world on the brink of a new age. Through Crow audiences takes us a step back into a time almost forgotten when the tales we told held our hearts enraptured and engaged us to take action.

Open To Arts has been working with visionary artist Jenny Leach to seek ways of bringing Crow to wider audiences whilst retaining the true soul and integrity of Jenny's piece.

http://www.mynameiscrow.com/

To find out more about how you can book Crow for your unusual and outdoor venue please call Jenny 07878 697 892 or email jrleach@dsl.pipex.com

Follow the latest in the world of Crow and Jenny's creative evolution @ http://www.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/single/562051

Jenny's range of creative projects can be seen at

http://www.allmouthnocv.com/
http://www.tatecosy.com/
http://www.onemonthinthecity.com/

"I have been working with Anna Sexton, my genius guru (http://www.opentoarts.com/) who has given me inspiration and belief to progress where failure has seemed the order of the day. We have monthly telephone coaching sessions, and I come out of them feeling as if these Crow! dreams will become reality." (Blush!)

Carbon Better

Carbon Better is a carbon offsetting concept seeinf to find creative solutions for arts centres and groups to access affordable methods to reduce their carbon putputs. Open To Arts has been working with Arts Go Green to create the intial feasibility and development plans for this project; attending Tipping Point conference at the National Theatre (March 2008), seeking funding from A&B SW and EoN and starting dialogue with Julie's Bicycle to share in their existing findings for the music industry.

Arts Go Green http://homepage.mac.com/peteandlou/Artsgogreen/

Julie's Bicycle http://www.juliesbicycle.com/

Tipping Point http://www.tippingpoint.org.uk/

Arts and Business SW http://interim.aandb.org.uk/

Our Enford

Open To Arts is proud to have completed a series of creative consultations working with James Aldridge, Creative Ecology 'Our Enford' was created by working in partnership with Enford Village Hall Committee, the local residents of Enford Parish, Wiltshire and funded by Kennet District Council.

To track the progress of the project and keep up to date with the results check out http://www.ourenford.co.uk/

Check out James Aldridge's current projects at http://www.creative-ecology.co.uk/

We Love Marlborough

Open To Arts is proud to be co-directing We Love Marlborough with the Secret Agents of Secret Agent Marketing

We Love Marlborough is a arts, cultural and business sector Marlborough area partnership that exists to;

promote the Marlborough area as an exciting place to live, work and visit
create the Marlborough area as a centre of cultural excellence

For the latest news, events and ways to get involved

http://www.welovemarlborough.co.uk/

Download events information below;

July 2008 brochure www.welovemarlborough.co.uk/content/downloads/brochure.pdf

Launch flyer www.welovemarlborough.co.uk/content/downloads/launch_spread.pdf

Shop Arts map www.welovemarlborough.co.uk/content/downloads/Art_Trail.pdf
http://welovemarlborough.blogspot.com/

Now & Then

Photographs, poetry and drawings, together with documented commentary of a group of elders experiencing dementia. This book is a record of a community art project, created as a visual resource for memory recall and enrichment. Created by Jill Carter and Hilda Sheehan on behalf of Kennet Valley Arts Trust and Merlin Court Residential Home funded by Community Foundation of Wiltshire and Swindon.

To purchase the book please follow this link

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/163723

Reclaim Our River

Free family day
Schools workshops and exhibition
Riverbank writers
River restoration work with ARK
More to do in Marlborough

Check out the blog http://reclaimourriver.blogspot.com/

Open Minds animation project

This community arts project was managed by Anna Sexton on behalf of Kennet Valley Arts Trust working with local disabled artist, Mike Juggins who delivered a magnificent series of animation workshops to a group of adults with learning disabilities. The final film tackled the thorny subjects of bullying and transport access in fun and creative ways.

http://www.mikejuggins.com/#

Don't judge a book by its cover

A film about re-addressing the public image of young people in Marlborough, Wiltshire based on an idea from Mike Juggins which was delivered by Jaime and Matthew from Funkton Films, Swindon. Funded by Local Network in partnership with Kennet Valley Arts Trust, Marlborough Youth Development Centre and Wiltshire Council.

Check out the film - http://www.sparksite.co.uk/local2/kvatmydcMed_Prog_001.swf

Funkton Films are avialable for bookings and discussions about possible projects - http://www.funktonfilms.com/

Mock Up Brochure

Check out the full mocked up brochure created in partnership with Andy Burden on behalf of Kennet Valley Arts Trust - Riverbank Arts Centre project

http://www.riverbank.org.uk/cms/assets/Riverbank_Brochure.pdf

Immediate Theatre Projects
Anna worked under the Direction of Jo Carter between July 2002 - October 2003

http://www.immediate-theatre.com/about_us/past_projects/

Queensbridge Community Arts Partnership (2002-2004)

From 2002-2004 Immediate Theatre worked in the Queensbridge Ward of Hackney providing drama and art activities for the local community. In partnership with the Queensbridge Trust and funded by the Regional Arts Lottery Programme and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. The programme provided a wide range of activities for all ages ranging from 8-80 yr olds

Street Experience

The Street Experience allowed two seperate groups of Kilburn young people and older people to experience working with local artists to explore their feelings and thoughts around what it was like for them to live in Kilburn. Working seperately on photographic and poetry projects the two groups were eventually brought together to discuss as a group their shared experiences. Out of these groups sessions a video was made and shown as part of the Street Experience Conference hosted at Tricycle Theatre, Kilburn

Cracked

An exhibition using visual art, photography, installations, sound collages and sculpture. The work was used as an environment to help workers from health, social services and youth teams to reconsider their attitude to people with mental health and drug problems. Workers attended a day long training session that included spending time in the exhibition, meeting workers from other services, exploring attitudes and current practice and making suggestions for change.

Hoax by Louise Warren (2003-2004)
'Hoax' was commissioned by Camden Community Safety Partnership and The London Fire Brigade to help reduce the level of hoax calls. The play was developed with year 10 drama students at Hampstead School, five young people were then selected to spend their two-week work placement with a professional theatre team touring years 5-9 in Camden Schools.

We All Fall Down

The play looked at ways of preventing falls in the home and was developed in partnership with health professionals and older people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. Sally believes that her falls are caused by the ghost of her husband Bobby who is jealous of her new romantic relationship with Yusuf, an elderly refugee. During the action she realises that her problems are of a more practical nature. This is a touching piece, which involves comedy tragedy, romance and lots of falling down. Developed in partnership with North London Mobile Repair Service.

Partners

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Akasha Yoga Studio / Pranamotion

Creative Vaults - Arts Centre for Bradford Upon Avon

Concrete Canvas Arts/Blue Sky Arts & Media

James Aldridge - community artist

Jill Carter - artist

Hilda Sheenan - story teller and creative writer

Jon Cannon - writer

Ray Wirick - artist, wood and sand sculptor

Curious Company

Arts Go Green

Secret Agent Marketing

Action for the River Kennet

Funders

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Mole Productions - funded website development for 'We Love Marlborough'

Kennet District Council - funded website development for 'We Love Marlborough'

Kennet Valley Arts Trust - funded feasbibility study for 'We Love Marlborough'

Arts Council SW Grants for the Arts - funded start up for 'Mr. Wippy' project for Curious Company

Big Lottery 'People's Millions' - funded 'Reclaim Our River' project

Community Foundation of Wiltshire and Swindon - funded 'Now and Then' elders arts project

Local Network Fund - funded 'Don't judge a book by its cover' young people's film making project

Past clients

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Kairos Foundation

Voluntary Action Kennet

Kennet Furniture Recycling

Beyond The Valley

Islington Play Association

170 Community Centre

Immediate Theatre

Acid Jazz Records

Whitechapel Arts Gallery

Pictures and Old News...

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One Arts

One Arts was Open To Arts entry into the One Big Idea competition... Follow this link to vote for the One Arts range of arts products which aim to unleash and empower creativity across Africa http://www.onedifference.org/onebigidea/competition/entries/one-arts-creating-power-change-lives-range-arts-products

Useful Links

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