I am an active campaigner for equality of access and opportunity to the arts and for the celebration of cultural diversity and democracy, choosing to work with projects which express this whenever I can. I will always work actively against discrimination and harassment and view difference as a creative force in society. As part of my own professional development, I seek out experiences, training and information which I believe will help me meet the needs of the diverse communities and partners with confidence and sensitivity.
With extensive experience in teaching and community arts project delivery and management, I am very aware of the law and ethical dimensions of working with others. I try to keep my paperwork and working processes as transparent as possible, looking for permission, negotiation and respect.
Where possible, I aim to create space and possibilities for the development of mutual respect and dignity, – for example, negotiating about venues, access, timing, costs, language, address and content.
Some examples: last year I ran a free ‘banner making’ workshop in Birmingham for the Million Women Rise campaign for an end to violence against women (see blog http://www.hybridconsulting.org.uk/blog/creative-futures); supported the Muslim Women’s Network to write a successful bid for PVE funding for arts and video workshops; and, more recently, have helped set up resist.create, an informal group of women in Shropshire using creativity to expose gender-bias in government policy. (Email resist.create@gmail.com for more info).
