Looking for some inspiration, ideas and to connect with likeminds who care about creativity and our children's futures?

That's what our first festival was all about and we'll be back next year.

#ARTCONNECTS 2019

Scheduled as a week across the UK in the Spring of 2019 with a weekend climax in London.

So sign up below to be sure you get the updates and 3 minute video blogs of last years event as we release them.

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SATURDAY 24th FEB : CREATIVE SCHOOLS AND LIVES : SHORT TALKS : PERFORMANCES

A  day of performances, workshops and short talks by a range of inspiring speakers on the importance of creativity in our children's education and its critical role in providing employment and making for a better society.

Wow - what  day - but don't worry, we filmed the whole thing. The first film is above, of the School Leaders' Leader Geoff Barton's call to arms in the TES Creative Schools debate.

We'll get the others up over the coming weeks so sign up below to make sure you don't miss them. For now see photos here.

Sign up here for updates and
TO BE SENT the #ARTCONNECTS video blog
OF ALL THE 3 MINUTE TALKS AS WE RELEASE THEM.

A highlight of the day was the opening performance, by North London Science Teacher Winnie Greer who sang for us and told us a mind blowing story of how her #ARTCONNECTS her with a top education blogger, and their art.

"It's not about funding, but allowing humans to be more human"

We really didn't expect, but were delighted by this call to arms to parents, teachers and businesses from  the schools leaders' leader Geoff Barton, General Secretary of ASCL talking about the importance of, yet pressure on creativity, and arts education in UK Schools.

Get a feel for this inspiring day from the photos above and see the complete photo gallery here.

Time table FOR THE DAY:

What's in it for you:

• Parents - find out why creativity is so important and compare your school options. Ensure your kids stand the best chance against the robots and artificial intelligence.

• Teachers - see how primary and secondary schools teach creativity and teach creatively. Be inspired to try it.

• Creatives - celebrate your art and share it with and be inspired by others. See how you can work with schools.

• Children - we will have a some creative activitis for dleegates and speakers chidlren (aged 6 - 14) such as puppetry, newspaper engineering, paper rockets, t-shirt design and printing. Tickets are required and parents/carers much remain with their children.

MORE >>

PROGRAMME

Download a copy of the programme here.

Media FRIENDS

SupporterS

FRI DAY: A STEAM CO. DAY FOR LOCAL PRIMARY CHILDREN

A day of talks and creative activities for KS2 children at Regent High School, King's Cross, sponsored by Havas.

MORE >>

FRI EVE: SCREENING AND DEBATE AT BRITISH LIBRARY

See and discuss award wining creative education film 'Most Likely to Succeed' at The British Library with UCL IoE.

MORE >>  

OUR WORD OF THE YEAR IS: 'TOGETHER'

A Festival: for Creative Schools, Work and Lives for children, parents, teachers, creatives and businesses that will build on our previous events in Liverpool, Sunderland, Ironbridge and Canary Wharf.

A Celebration: Of the power of Creativity, Tech and People to Inspire Children, Innovate Business and Engage Communities.

A Collaboration: 23-24 Feb 2018 : 2 days in London's freshest creative hub and Knowledge Quarter in Kings Cross

WHO ARE STEAM CO./PEOPLE4ART?

STEAM CO. PROVIDES INSPIRATION AND RESOURCES FOR COMMUNITIES TO RUN STEAM CO. DAYS.

Seven years ago, a group of carers (people who care about creativity - like parents, artists, techs, employers and teachers) were inspired by a TED talk and half a book to start a movement. We'd met some lovely creative people in a field who let us call ourselves 'The Little House of Fairy Tales'. 

Three years ago, we realised we weren't little or about fairies and changed our name.

STEAM Co. was born.

We were aware of both the value of creativity, yet the challenges faced in UK schools, and saw an opportunity to bring the conversation out of education echo chambers by connecting schools, businesses and the wider community.

After a wonderful response from across the board and events in Liverpool, Sunderland, Ironbridge, Norwich, etc, a non-profit community enterprise STEAM Co CIC was founded and we are now going to run an event to showcase collective achievements of like minds across the country.

This event will inspire by celebrating the power of creativity, tech and people to engage children, innovate business and connect communities.

And how #ARTconnects.

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?

A 3 day event 23-25 Feb 2018 for children, parents, teachers, creatives and businesses that will build on our previous events in Liverpool, Sunderland, Ironbridge and Canary Wharf.

CO-CURATION COMMITTEE

While committee isn't really a STEAM Co. word,  Co-curation is... and the label we've stuck on a bunch of generous, creative and, above all connected, people who have stepped up to help us keep it on the straight and narrow.

Watch this space as we may add a few more, as this plane took off before we'd finished building it and everybody had time to get on:

Amazing people... one is a trained professional dancer and arts organisation CEO, another signed the Prodigy and co-founded the label Adele is signed to, another has built a light house in a  class room, another has written books on advertising and creativity, another is mates with Suggs and making a film about the miners uprising in Merthyr Tydfil, another has announced a dream to open an education museum, another co-founded the Human League and another goes under the twitter handle of the 'art criminal'.

Yes a suitably motley crew! The sort of people you need standing behind you in the playgorund when the school bully comes for you. Don't mess.

FAQs :  CHILDREN, ACCOMMODATION, TRAVEL

• Schools for the STEAM Co. Day - the STEAM Co. Day on the Friday will be open to any UK school - state or independent and will be limited to around 20 groups of 12 children from each school, plus teachers/carers. You must pre-register below now for consideration and we hope to make a selection to invite a representative sample of schools from a range of settings by the end of December.

• Children on the Festival weekend - while targetting an adult audience, we will allow all people over the age of 16 to attend the talks with a ticket though we will offer a range of typical STEAM Co. Day type creative activities both for Early Years and primary (KS1/2) and KS2 aged children of attending delegates as well as outside attendees with activity tickets.

• Again we hope not to have to charge for these but must stress this is not a drop-off creche. We're about community/parental engagement so Festival attendees would have to allocate at least one adult to be/work/play with their children at all times in the creative activity area.

• Accommodation - we're big fans of AirBnB as a community and connection powered business and their #OneLessStranger vibe, indeed it has provided us with many great connections (read about it here). We would love to see and hear about families coming to #ARTCONNECTS from across the UK and staying with family minded AirBnB hosts. There's also a nice Hub by Premiere Inn in Kings Cross with a cool bar/club area to hang out in that is really near all our venues.

• Ticket prices - we want to keep this as low as possible and will depend on sponsorship and other funding. We have some free tickets for 'unwaged but engaged' artists and carers and ask every one else to donate what they can.

• FAQ - If you have any other questions please let us know in the form below or email us at 'yourturn at steamco dot org dot uk '

CARING IS SHARING

Do get in the groove by watching the trailer film above and do like/share this for us on Facebook and Twitter.

As we say, 'Likes are nice, but caring is sharing'.

Partners

We’re talking to and collaborating with may organisations in the Kings Cross Knowledge Quarter which is the focal point for one of the greatest knowledge clusters anywhere in the world. (Yes, just think about what is happening in a one mile radios of the British Library).

Local companies and organisations include Google and The Guardian, Francis Crick Institute and The British Library, Havas and UCL, Camden Council HQ and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Expect to see a lot of them, their people and projects there. With us. Together.

In addition to all the generous organisations and people who have come together to support us we're looking for three headline sponsors and ten supporter sponsors to help us pull this off.

But the support of our three early media partners has been fantastic.

• TES - We'll be working on a range of articles and news pieces with the UK's broadest church when it comes to the complex education scene

• Netmums - We're so pleased to still be working with the UK's leading online parent community who have partnered us since our launch at the Royal Institution.

• The Drum - the support of the UK's marketing world is going to be key and The Drum have been great partners. They're now the UK's leading marketing magazine, web site and community and have made a couple of films for us already and encouraging agencies to run STEAM Co. Days for local school.

See the clip here of a film the Drum's Editor in Chief (and fellow dad) Gordon Young made for us the month that Prince Andrew Edited the magazine for them.

Exhibition

In the spirit of connection, we will have a few pop up banner spaces to showcase the work of individual artists who work with schools as well as a range of carefully chosen partners who inspire, innovate and engage. Sign up below for info.

It's always about one thing... Connection

If you're intrigued by the event, and haven't seen this inspiring 60 second film by Seth Godin talking about how art connects, do watch it now.