A well-known figure in the Southampton arts scene, as well as an Artist Facilitator for the University of Southampton-led project Connecting Culture (focused on understanding the impact of the arts on Southampton-based young people aged 5-25), Anna Carr is a theatre maker who works across different platforms to create autobiographical theatre experiences.
Kindred is one such experience. The self-produced show, exploring the story of Carrâs grandparents and seeking to understand the harrowing experience of abuse undergone by her grandmother, was part of the a celebration of Sotonian theatre, the Make it SO Festival. The festival took place in NST City’s Studio space across most of February and showcased 19 ‘work-in-progress’ productions, proving just how much exciting theatre is being made locally.
Two of our University of Southampton Arts Ambassadors – Kate Briggs-Price and Thea Hartman – were in attendance at John Hansard Gallery’s bumper opening event on Saturday 25 January 2020. Join them as they explore the exhibitions, mingle with the artists, interview some of the people behind the shows and generally have a good time.
Are
you interested in the arts? Do you enjoy problem solving or making things
happen?
Women Leaders South West is a project run by eight arts organisations and Southampton Business School at University of Southampton. The project also involves the WOW foundation.Â
Women are
under-represented at a leadership level across all art forms in theatres,
festivals, galleries, and museums. Racism,
ableism, transphobia, homophobia, economic constraints and caring responsibilities
also create barriers to career development. We want to understand
these barriers and develop tools to tackle them.
Women are invited to apply to take part in a 10 month leadership programme that includes work placements, mentoring and training with Southampton Business School. It will take place between June 2020 and December 2021.
Click here to find out how to start your leadership journey.
Deadline for Applications – Monday 20th April at 9AM
MA Global Media Management student Kate Briggs-Price talks about her time at university, her passion for film-making, her experience with University Societies and what she brings to the team as an Arts Ambassador!
Now in my fifth year studying at the University of Southampton, Iâve spent my time trying to discover what I enjoy and am passionate about. Both in my professional and personal life, I have pursued many avenues and have ultimately come to the conclusion; art has always been something that connects the people and the decisions.
Being busy and pushing myself to achieve everything I possibly can is a major driving force of my personality. I am very lucky that my Masterâs degree involves practical film making, but also gives me the freedom to shoot and direct in my spare time. The arts have given me the chance to not only to push myself creatively but given me the discipline, scope and the technical skills to create both professionally and for pleasure.
My passion is definitely film-making, whether that be a documentary film or creative shorts. I have a range of projects on the go – a short film up for release at the end of January and a documentary that will be released both as a short and hopefully a feature-length film by the end of September 2020. Being a Photography and Videography Ambassador gives me a chance to develop and work on technical skills whilst also helping to give people access to art around Southampton. Whether that be through their phones or through media, we can help bridge the gap of intimidation that people often feel about attending events in the âart worldâ.
Iâve always focussed on multi-media storytelling. As Head of Marketing for Surge Radio –Â live shows, podcasts, graphics and social media are all things I have been developing. The interconnections between all the different strands of media working together to create an experience is what interests me. Although not directly connected to media, I am also President of the Erasmus Student Network Southampton. This is the largest student organisation in Europe, taking care of all the visiting international students who come to the university – my interest in this came from my experience of my year abroad in Germany. This really developed my interest in people, which is at the heart of my love for art and really everything I have done at University.
As I have been involved in over 9 different societies during my time here, I have had the opportunity to learn and grow from a huge range of people. We often connected through the process of making art or through experiencing it together as a way to express something we had in common or something that was different about us. I want to make sure that students discover not only the art available to them in Southampton but also the people behind that art. The artists, often from around the world, have so much experience and perspectives that they are willing to share.
Thea Hartman during her time as Editor of The Edge magazine
MA English Literary Studies student Thea Hartman talks about her passion for escapism, textual analysis, her experience of the Southampton art scene, and what plans she has for her time as an Arts Ambassador!
As
far as that goes, I am an expert fugitive. My Mum taught me how to read early
because I would always ask her to read me one more story and she couldnât catch
her breath. And that hasnât really changed (well, I did learn to read, but you
get the idea) â âone more storyâ became a BA English degree, and then an MA
English Literary Studies degree, with a focus on twentieth century literature.
Turning a text on all its facets, understanding it in its present and in our
own â to me, thereâs nothing quite like it, even if it does sometimes push my
limits so much that I canât touch a book for months⊠Luckily, there are other ways
to keep escaping.
And
because weâre in Southampton, we have loads of them right on our doorstep! I
started discovering the Southampton arts scene due to The Edge, the Universityâs student entertainment magazine, which
sends writers to a wide range of theatre shows and concerts (even after over
three years of writing for it Iâd probably have a hard time naming all the
music venues in SouthamptonâŠ), but it wasnât until my summer internship with âa
spaceâ arts that I had the chance to get to know the arts community in
Southampton and learn just how complex and welcoming it is!
Iâm
not an artist, so Iâm not a stranger to thoughts like âIâm not artsy enough to
go there,â or âI donât belong thereâ â but I realised I couldnât be more wrong.
And thatâs what Iâm most excited about doing as an Arts Ambassador â helping to
spread the word not only about what the arts scene in Southampton has to offer
generally, but also about what it has to offer to those who think like I used
to. Iâll be found mostly on this blog and on social media, trying to put all
these feelings into words as I explore Southamptonâs art scene with Molly and
Kate this semester â I hope you join us on this journey!
