December 2009 e-bulletin2

Welcome to December at Play Resource! Countdown to Christmas is on and the shop is full of exciting stock and new samples to inspire your Christmas activities with groups, and the Scrap Store won’t let you down with all the festive favourites!

The Ideas & Inspiration factory at Play Resource has been busy with Santa’s little helpers creating a range of Christmas Quick Ideas and Craft Sheets to collect.

Art & Play Shop

Christmas is fast approaching so make use of the seasonal Christmas Price List to plan your festive purchases. The full range of Christmas stock is out now! Plus there is a great selection of samples, decorations and Quick Ideas on display to give you great ideas for your Christmas activities with groups. Try these 3 Quick Ideas for starters. Create a Pom Pom Robin, a Pom Pom Snowflake Decoration, or Felt Snowman Decoration.

Plastic is not fantastic….when it comes to carrier bags!! Help cut down on the number of plastic bags in circulation choking up the environment by investing in a new Play Resource cotton shopper bag. Buy one from the Shop for only 99p, keep it handy; wear it loud and proud; and spread the word about Play Resource!

To make shopping this winter easier download the full Shop Price List for the list of all products available. The format has been simplified to make it even easier to plan your shopping and estimate costs to fit your budget.

Scrap Store

Just in
Plenty of sparkle this month for Christmas in the Scrap Store:

• Gold & silver card
• Gold & silver foil,
• Gold shred
• Bronze pvc fabric, on the roll
• White carpet, on a roll or cut to size. Ideal for Nativity Plays, Snow Scenes, or use it as a large blank canvas to provide the backdrop for a Christmas play!

More exciting arrivals this month include….

• Test tube style plastic bottles
• Carpet Squares - large/small, plain/patterned
• Roller blind material – plain, rolls or folds. Great to print, draw or paint on!!
• Pink foam blocks
• Corex - large sheets
• Paint tube samples
• Banner material
• PVA Glue - 25L drums
• Toys – miscellaneous bits and pieces
• Billboard posters
• Tubs & containers - huge variety in all shapes and sizes.

Plus all the usual scrap favourites! See the updated full Scrap Store Materials List for all that’s on offer. If there is something in particular you are looking for but can’t see it – just ask one of the Warehouse Team who are happy to help!

Creative Paths Arts Programme

Take a look at the success of the Creative Paths Arts Programme and find out how to join in! An important recent Evaluation Report conducted for Play Resource, which looked at the Creative Paths Arts Programme has now been published. To see how Creative Paths could benefit your group simply download the Creative Paths information leaflet. The programme is flexible, easy to access. You simply have to be a member of Play Resource, working with children and young people aged 3yrs – 25 yrs.

The comprehensive report looks at: the operational effectiveness and policy relevance of the programme, how it meets the needs of members and funders in equal measure. The quality of life outcomes section makes interesting reading as it is often difficult to quantify the value of the arts in this context. Gaining qualitative feedback from participants in their own words as to the value of the programme has been very useful to Play Resource. Last but by no means least; it addresses just how the arts programme offers value for money.

You are most welcome to read the report in full. Or for a snapshot of the findings simply look at Section 8.7 of the Evaluation Report. Play Resource are very proud of the conclusions of this evaluation and keen to embrace the recommendations made in the document so that we can keep improving the arts programme on offer to members.

The extended Craft Sheet Library includes new colour step-by-step Craft Sheets for Christmas like this Festive Windows & Luxurious Decorations . If you are eager for more ideas for working with groups start collecting these craft sheets or visit the website Publications for more ideas!

Membership News

Prepare to be in awe of the giant, almost fire breathing, Red Dragon and other creations by artist Katie Blue exhibited upstairs in the extended Ideas Gallery at Play Resource this month. In Katie’s world anything can be transformed into Art: hundreds of everyday objects find a new lease of life. Take a closer look at the dragon and you will see it is made up of thousands of discarded children’s toys! The modern flotsam and jetsam of society is salvaged and reinvented by Katie. The Dragon, originally commissioned by the Island Arts Centre for their Children’s Arts Festival, grew and grew the contribution of several other artists who volunteered their time including Ben Allen, Frank Quinn, Bobbi Rai Purdy and Susan Scott. Along with Katie several of them are regular contributing artists to the Creative Paths Arts Programme. For more information about Katie’s work as a community artist and artworks for sale visit www.katieblue.com.

BMC Community Arts & Crafts Training Course Level 2 is back in January 2010! Starting at Play Resource on Tuesday 26th January at 10am to 12.30pm for 12 weeks. The aim of this course is to build artistic skills and confidence, to help develop creativity and generate new ideas for those working (or wishing to) work with community groups. Entry requirements: No formal qualifications are necessary to join the course, Level 1 is an advantage but not a necessity. Anyone who has already successfully completed the first two units can come back again to work towards the L2 Award in Art.

For full course details download the attached course flyer. If you think this course is for you, then we would love to see you in January! To register or for further information call 9035 7545 or email.

The Winter Wonderland display in the Ideas Gallery continues giving you Ideas & Inspiration with the changing seasons in mind. Also on display is a selection of Christmas ideas using scrap materials.

Member to Member News

To support local artists and find unique Christmas gifts visit the Creative Exchange Artist Studios for their Christmas Fair and Exhibition. CreativeXmas opens on Thursday 3 December at 6pm to 9pm, and continues until the end of December by appointment. Find them at UnitB5 Portview Trade Centre, 310 Newtonwards Road BT4 1HE, or call 028 9045 2299 for further information.

A useful website for all practicing artist’s is www.a-n.co.uk, whose focus is stimulating and supporting contemporary visual arts practice. This month they are offering artists insurance at competitive rates starting from £28, with a range of tailor made policies to include Public Liability, cover for your studio, materials, equipment, professional indemnity, and artwork – whether in storage, transit, in an exhibition or in progress - all at great rates. To find out more or register for news and other great offers visit www.a-n.co.uk/join_in/subscribe_register.

Feedback Forum

We would like to hear from you each month, to help us improve the services we offer to our members. Question of the Month:

Are you finding the selection of Ideas & Inspiration created by Play Resource, like the Quick Ideas & Craft Sheets, useful and relevant?

Respond via email to fiona@playresource.org. We look forward to hearing from you!