An arts programme reaching the masses

DMU Local is proud of its wide-ranging arts and culture programme – projects that are literally engaging with tens of thousands of children, students and the public of Leicester and beyond.

Events from festivals to workshops to arts clubs are staged by our team, including long-term projects at places like Leicester Prison.

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We also launched a major 25-year project with Arts Council England this autumn to introduce arts to children at the very start of their life. This pioneering project is to see what the long- term future affects are if you engage youngsters with the arts early in life.

Events in the last year have included….

AI in Arts: A week-long digital arts event saw a total of 614,869 people take part , visit, inter-act on social media or in other ways participate at venues across the city, including the Highcross shopping centre, DMU and the Phoenix. A total of 149,052 inter-actions were on social media as international digital artists, including one from Google, took part in the lectures.

Love Art: A month-long annual event this is a showcase of work by students and alumni and took place at New Walk Museum and was visited by more than 50,000 people.

Degree shows: More than 230 schoolchildren interested in the fine arts were given tours of the DMU degree shows in the hope of inspiring them into creative-based education or a future career.

Saturday Art Clubs: More than 100 children every week now attend clubs in Beaumont Leys, Fosse, St Matthews and Thurnby Lodge for two hours, with professional artists, community groups and student volunteers assisting.

Workshops: There was an eight-week programme at the Stewart House rehabilitation centre to use art as a therapy for those who have suffered brain injuries, breakdowns or other mental health issues; up to 60 homeless people each week took part in a two-month project to bring the arts to a group normally excluded; and art-based sessions for pensioners in Beaumont Leys had in excess of 70 visitors over the four-month programme.