At the Root Arts CIC

At the Root Arts CIC works to amplify and empower the voices of different communities, people and places through the creative arts. We value creative spaces as places where audiences and participants can grow in confidence, develop transferable skills and become part of a community of likeminded people. 

Within the first two years of operation, At the Root Arts CIC will offer drama and music workshops targeted at children, young people and adults across West Lothian that aim to build confidence and generate a sense of community, ownership and agency. These creative opportunities will aim to empower people through being creative, letting underrepresented voices be heard and creating social spaces for people to thrive. Our music and drama workshops will enable people across West Lothian to engage with regular creative activity that brings benefit to their creative and social life. Participating in regular creative activity can contribute to positive mental wellbeing, self-esteem and a sense of belonging. We want to champion participation in the creative arts through providing accessible, inclusive and engaging activities for all. 

We aim to partner with different organisations, charities and groups to create bespoke and tailored projects that cater for targeted groups across West Lothian. Our bespoke project programme will aim to identify the needs and interests of different communities to create meaningful activities and projects that have a lasting legacy. Bespoke projects will inherently have a social cause as well as a creative cause, both as important as each other. We aim to work with under-represented and under-supported groups and enable them to fully engage with our activities and projects. By working within and for different communities, we are widening access to the arts within West Lothian. Our aim is for our bespoke projects to be either fully or partially funded so that we can challenge financial barriers making the arts and culture more inclusive and accessible. 

We believe that the arts play an important part in enabling audiences and participants to explore, challenge and celebrate the world around them. This is why Theatre in Education will play a critical role in our outreach programme to local schools and communities. Over the next four years, we aim to develop a whole range of arts workshops that can be used as a model around Scotland. Alongside this we also aspire to create a range of continuing professional development opportunities for educators. The template for our workshops will be ran in West Lothian initially with the view to expand into the Central Belt and eventually, the rest of the country. 

At the heart of our work will always be community, people and place. We are champions of local people taking agency and ownership of their spaces and their stories. We thrive to keep growing as one of the leading youth arts providers in West Lothian, then Scotland.

VISION

At the Root Arts CIC is an arts organisation that enables access to creative opportunities for artists, audiences and participants.

MISSION

To produce creative events and experiences across varying art forms that engage audiences and communities.

OBJECTIVES

To produce high quality creative activities and events that add to the overall provision of art and culture in different communities. 

To champion access to inclusive and diverse art forms for all communities, including those who are under-represented and under-supported. 

To create a framework that can adapt and change to suit whichever community it is working with.

To support and nurture local, emerging and early-career artists through creating opportunities to collaborate, commission and showcase.

What Do We Need?

This crowdfunded will help with start up costs for the CIC including: staff training, equipment and resources, branding materials, project costs, marketing and more.