Slough Arts Development

CATS Toolkit (Community Arts Training Scheme) 

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Challenge

CATS is Slough Arts Development’s practical course for running arts projects in the community. It is delivered through talks, workshops practical sessions, group projects and discussions. The course covers: fundraising, marketing projects, what support Arts Development can provide, allies and partners, working with professional artists, project planning and legal aspects. The design needs to show the impact that CATS have had in Slough and show how arts officers can adapt the course to run in their own area. It must be fully accessible and easy to use. One restriction was the use of no photography. This was due to budget restraints as well as the client asking for a fresh approach.

 

Audience

Local authority arts officers nationwide.

 

Solution

The idea is that the toolkit gives you the tools to design and run your own course. It’s tailor-made to suit you. The design is based on simple, cut-out call to action graphics. The scissors are basic, old school and very hands-on. I wanted to show something which was practical where people could create a course which could be customized to suit their needs. Surrey, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire are just some of the other Councils which are running the CATS Toolkit scheme.

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Toolkit publication wins national recognition

Endorsed by the Arts Council England it was recognised as an example of ‘extreme’ best practice by the British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) and SEEDA (South East England Development Agency). These awards aim to identify the best toolkits available for people working to create sustainable communities.

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The judging panel said of the publication:

‘The booklet is presented to a very high standard.’

‘The presentation is well designed with a lively and clear style.’

‘It is well designed in an accessible, lively and readable format.’