September 5, 2017

We recently formed a partnership with Buckingham Canal Society to deliver a youth social action project called iFilm MK Canal.

We were commissioned by Buckingham Canal Society to deliver a project that would engage young people and empower them to become ambassadors of the canal restoration project Buckingham Canal Society are currently undergoing.

We engaged 12 young people from Milton Keynes in a film project, and challenged them to create a short promotional film which could be used as an advert to other young people and encourage them to volunteer on the restoration project.

We engaged with a mixed cohort of young people from Milton Keynes Academy and young people who are home skilled and we engaged them in a week long project that built up their skills in scripting, filming, photography and video editing. We shot on location and the young people created a fantastic short film, which will be used, by The Arts Excite C.I.C, Buckingham Canal Society and Milton Keynes Academy for young people to continue promote volunteer opportunities.

This work has been supported by funding from MK Community Foundation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgPoyd6UCFY#action=share

4th July 2017

On Wednesday 19th July The Arts Excite C.I.C were invited to Milton Keynes Academy to celebrate the completion of the recent iFilm MK Canal project and to see other projects the school has been involved with.

Students from our project presented their experiences to the audience.

At the event The Arts Excite announced that the students and project participants had achieved their Arts Award Bronze and gave students attendance certificates.

We would like to use this opportunity to thank Milton Keynes Academy for hosting this project and given us access to the schools edit suite. The project was a huge success thanks to the school and we look forward to continuing a working relationship with the academy.

This work has been supported by funding from MK Community Foundation.

June 5, 2017

This week we worked with The Princes Trust and a team of 8 young people on a project called Get Started with Photography.

This week-long project followed on from taster day during the previous week and we developed and delivered a photography course. We used Arts Award Bronze to accredit the work.

·         Day 1 we looked at the technical side of photography and how to operate a DSLR camera

·         Day 2 we studied image composition and took a visit to the Jubilee River Riverside Centre in Slough where the students captured some stunning images for the charity using the skills they learnt in class.

·         Day 3 we visited Photofusion in Brixton, where students visited an exhibition and took part in a photo walk to expand on their street photography skills.

·         Day 4 & 5 the students worked toward a public showcase of their project and the images they took.

Below are some quotes the young people made with regards to their experience on the project

"I liked this project because it helped me a lot with communication, how to express and explain ideas and this is very important and I can apply it in every area of my life.”

“This course has helped massively with my confidence. Before this course I was quite shy in a group situations and was also very shy with new people….. having done this course, having only been with these people a week, and feeling pretty comfortable around them, its made me realise that people aren’t that scary, and I don’t need to know them for super long time before I let my guard down.”

“I really enjoyed these workshops as they helped to polish up my existing photography skills but also taught me some new skills which really allowed me to take quality photos. This project also helped me to set goals and achieve them. At the beginning of the programme I set the goal of being able to take better raw photos, the skills I was taught really helped me achieve this goal.”

“I have a little more confidence and now I have learnt that I can get up and go somewhere everyday. The camera skills will be very useful and I can use that in many aspects of my life and to help with future career goals.”

Here are a few examples of some of the images the young people took.

20th May 2017

We are excited to launch our new project with The Princes Trust called Get Started in Photography.

This May, The Arts Excite will be working with The Princes Trust to deliver this exciting new programme for disadvantaged young people aged 16-25. We have an exciting week of activities planned for the students, which will develop their technical skills in photography as well as help them to expand and explore their own creative ideas.

On Wednesday 3rd May we ran a taster session with the group to introduce them to the programme and get them hands on with the camera. Below is a selection of some of the images the young people took that afternoon.

We will be having a sharing event at 29 Church Street, Slough, on Friday 12th May 2017 at 2:30pm. This will be a chance for you to see the images the young people have taken while on the programme. We hope you can make it.

The Arts Excite Team

5th May 2017

During February half term 2017, The Arts Excite delivered a photography project in partnership with Oxfordshire Museums Service called Unearthing Didcots’ Creativity.

The project recruited a group of young carers from Didcot Girls schools, and they were introduced to items from the museums collection. Using Dance and photography the girls generated creative responses to the collection pieces and they were able to produce a choreographed dance routine, and produce an inspiring exhibition of images from their photography session.

The project concluded with an exhibition at Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot. Here are some of the images the young people created while on the project.

The Arts Excite Team