About

 

Cities live or die by their creativity… Charles Leadbeater

EC-Arts is a not for profit organisation, established in 2006 by Claire Farrell, Director MA Visual Communication, FRSA.

We write and produce creative projects, provide public platforms for artists work and engage people within the process.

EC-Arts are passionate about public art, the built environment and changing people’s perception and experience of both, through artistic intervention.

Inspiration is not confined to a specific venue; we believe that by giving artists public platforms for their work we can transform the everyday into something extraordinary, creating artistic experiences for everyone to enjoy.

We believe that engaging people within the creative process is integral to the development success of the project or artistic outcome.   The public realm is a space shared by all, and by encouraging public participation within our projects we can truly make a significant impact.

EC-Arts invite people to get involved.  We work in partnership with a cross sector of organisations to provide learning and participation opportunities.

EC-Arts successful partnership with National Express for the 2008 – 2009 Digbeth Public Art Project gained significant recognition by winning the 2009 Jaguar Land Rover Arts and Business Award for community engagement and specific contribution to regeneration. EC-Arts were commissioned by National Express to write and produce a public art strategy to fulfill local authority planning conditions, identify artistic opportunities, commission artists and add value to the project by engaging young people and the community within the process of the 15million Birmingham Coach Station redevelopment.

EC-Arts have created and produced projects that cross art forms and animate the built environment, architecture and non-traditional venues for creative happenings. Our portfolio over the last 5 years include; utilising wasteland as a gallery for experimental structures produced by artists & architects, producing a £450,000 public art strategy for a large scale building redevelopment, utilising city centre iconic buildings & development hoardings as a canvas for giant murals, questioned the notion of Dead Space, and transformed the engine room of a working fire station into a performance space for the CBSO String Quartet and following a successful pilot project in 2010 we are currently producing 48SHEET, a project that will transform Birmingham into a unique urban gallery, utilising up to 100 billboards for visual art by regional, national & international artists.

Within each project we continue to evolve and develop as an organisation. We work with partners and artists to explore the integral role of public art in the regeneration and progression of our cities and urban spaces.

We believe that the city is a canvas to be explored.

Ecarts french translation means deviations. deviations plural of de·vi·a·tion (Noun) 1. The action of departing from an established course or accepted standard.

MOTIVATION.

Regenerate, rejuvenate and inspire possibilities.

Create opportunities for temporary and permanent artistic interventions within the public realm.

Work with artists to produce accessible arts and creative experiences for everyone to enjoy.

Public art is an integral part of regeneration for the progression of any city.

OBJECTIVES.

We strive to promote artists work, form new partnerships, provide participatory opportunities and engage new audiences through accessible events, performance and exhibitions.

Our projects explore, experiment and cross art forms; providing numerous opportunities for established and emerging artists to develop professionally and create new work.

LEARNING & PARTICIPATION

EC-Arts identify opportunities within each project for young people, students and community groups to learn new skills and participate within the creative process as each project evolves.

We promote, deliver and support new ways of learning as well as existing nationally accredited qualifications such as Arts Awards, by providing workshop facilitation and delivery.

Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often, we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants… John W. Gardner

We work with several partner organisations listed below to support our learning and participation objectives. Our aim is to add value to partners existing programmes, provide creative participation opportunities and enhance participants skills to support further education or employability pathways.

Birmingham Institute of Art & Design                                     University of Wolverhampton

Bournville College                                                                        Access to Music

South Birmingham College                                                        Perry Beeches School

Fairbridge West Midlands                                                           The Princes Trust

Birmingham Irish Forum                                                             Youth Space

Birmingham Solihull Mental Health Trust                                St Basils

CommUnity                                                                                     The Drum

Ladywood Community Centre                                                    IWIC

Below image from 2007  Festival of Xtreme Building project, Claire Farrell, Director EC-Arts (far right) with a School group visiting the site