‘Bridging the gap’: the role of an arts broker in supporting partnerships with teachers

Abstract

Arts partnerships involving teachers, artists and arts organizations continue to be popular as a means of delivering arts education. Acting as an intermediary between schools and artists, arts brokers can be crucial to the successful implementation of these partnerships. Characterized as individuals who can act as channels for innovative practice, arts brokers can potentially support teachers to take risks, build capacity for reflection and develop agency as arts practitioners. This article examines the role of the Creative Associate – an arts broker within an Irish arts partnership (Creative Schools-Scoileanna ldánacha). Data was collected using semi-structured interviews in a purposive sample of eight Irish primary schools. Using a framework put forward by Sinclair et al., the support provided by the arts broker is critically analyzed. The establishment and development of stakeholder relationships is explored while emerging challenges are debated and discussed. Findings from this study indicated that the success of the arts broker is underpinned by their ability to build and nurture relationships. By ‘bridging the gap’ between teachers, schools and artists, this article argues that arts brokers can ensure partnerships have a sustained, meaningful impact on the enhancement of arts education in schools.

Keywords:

• Arts education
• arts partnerships
• support
• teachers
• arts broker

Notes

1 Responsibilities of the CA role includes: supporting the school to develop a vision and a sustainable Creative School Planning Framework for the arts and creativity; assisting schools in developing links with artists and arts and cultural organisations locally and/or nationally; supporting schools to deepen the arts and creative opportunities for children and young people in the school, and to develop their creativity; challenging schools to think in new and different ways (ibid).

2 NVivo is a software program used for qualitative and mixed-methods research. Specifically, it is used for the analysis of unstructured text, audio, video, and image data, including (but not limited to) interviews, focus groups, surveys, social media, and journal articles.

3 The Creative Associates also work closely with the school community to develop a Creative School Planning Framework for each school. This framework responds to the ideas, needs and opportunities of each school with the aim of building creativity across as many aspects as possible of the day-to-day school life of pupils. The structure of this framework is as follows: Understand: This stage supports schools to reflect honestly about its starting point. Develop: This stage then responds to the school’s needs and priorities, identifying challenges that will help schools develop from their current starting point. Celebrate: Finally, schools ‘celebrate’ their engagement their achievements and acknowledge the outcomes and impacts of the initiative on pupil learning and development and on teacher/staff learning and development. (Creative Schools website, 2021).