Consultation, facilitation & training (ongoing)

Prior to retraining in Urban Regeneration and Development in 2014-15 Spanton worked in the arts and cultural sector for 27 years, in a wide variety of freelance and salaried roles across both the visual arts and performing arts sectors. She worked both the strategic level and on-the-ground developing and managing participatory and community workshops, exhibitions, events and performance programmes.

As a consultant and facilitator Spanton has delivered many programmes of activity including research, training, scoping reports, evaluation, conferences, discursive workshops and CPD.

Now Spanton integrates her arts and cultural background with her new knowledge and experience from the planning, community development, regeneration and local (and community) economic development sectors.

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Consultation projects include:

• Outsider Xchanges evaluation report – client Venture Arts, Manchester. External evaluator for year-long collaborative learning disabled non-learning disabled visual artist programme (2016).

• Dance Across the North (DAN) – client Blaize. External evaluator of large-scale rural touring programme by Balbir Singh Dance Company throughout the North of England (2015/6).

Facilitation projects include:

• Citizens for Change – self-initiated, in partnership with Together for Peace. Community development programme, facilitating the development of four campaigning groups to work more effectively on place-based social campaigns (2014).

• MLASS (Mother learning about second-hand smoke) – client Space2. Facilitation of co-produced social norms action research interventions, with pregnant women, new mothers, midwives and health visitors (2011/12).

Training programmes include:

• Arts Evaluation Training – client ProDance Leeds. Unpacking arts evaluation practice for an artist-led dance sector development programme (2016).

• Readiness & Resilience Training Seminars – clients Yorkshire Artspace. Day-long seminar-workshops for artists/creative professionals (2013).

• Creative teaching and learning CPD – clients Creative Partnerships, Leeds. Action-learning focussed training programme for primary school teachers at Whitecote School, Leeds (2011).