Thankfully, there is a genuine interest shown by the local community, fuelled by a regular dose of events, to allow people to actively participate in the production of work and bridge the ‘us and them’ divide between artist and audience. This was evident in the Big Draw where empty shops were turned into active studio spaces to host drawing workshops for October last year. A series of workshops held in the Market Square as part of November’s Gleam Festival 2010 also brought the artist out in us with people of all ages getting involved to create around 160 lanterns.

This process has seen cultural institutions play a more prominent role in local education. Something demonstrated by Derby’s dance house Deda, which held a program of activities for pupils of St Benedict’s School as part of the Performing for Success scheme. The students attended seven weekly sessions working with Deda instructors and members of the professional dance group Tavaziva Dance to learn various techniques helping them come up with their own dance. They also went to presentations and question and answer sessions with staff where they learned about the functions of the box office and issues such as space management. They were awarded points by the Derby Children’s University, which helps seven to 14-year-olds gain recognition for participation in extra curricular learning activities. A celebration day is being held on March 12 for those who took part in the program and although no projects are set in stone team Deda are keen to engage in these sorts of activities throughout 2011, galvanising a close-knit community spirit with the surrounding area.

Other institutions have also been working close with the local community. Quad, also listed as a venue for the National Schools Film Week, runs Q-Club as part of the L2YP (listening to young people project), holding 18 sessions per year on a Wednesday from 5-6:30pm. This consists of a series of workshops with the subject, ranging from puppet making to animation. These workshops are aimed at eight to 13-year-olds suffering with disabilities, communication problems, and autism. The aim is to use arts activities to build the confidence of participants by teaching them new skills and enabling them to socially interact with others.

Hosting events of this nature allows the cities cultural institutions to give something back to the community, which in turn leads to an increased awareness and greater interest in the region’s arts. This primarily aids creativity’s survival in the area, but also provides the public with work that is not only for the people, but by the people.