We are seeking a freelance Lead Artist for our Men’s Group.
Job Title: Men’s Group Lead Artist
Reports to Arts and Wellbeing Programme Lead
Location WHALE Arts, Wester Hailes, Edinburgh
Contracted Hours 4 hours a week, Wednesdays 10.00am – 2pm (about 40 sessions over a year)
Contract Freelance
Hourly Rate £35 per hour
About WHALE Arts
WHALE Arts is a community-led arts charity and social enterprise, founded by local people in in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh in1992. We connect our community with the creative opportunities through the delivery of projects, programmes and events.
Our Vision is to be the creative heart of a connected community, nurturing imagination, inclusion and wellbeing.
Our Mission is to bring people together through creativity, offering opportunities for learning, inspiration and meaningful connections in a welcoming and inclusive space.
At WHALE Arts we work with partners to share and celebrate quality creative and cultural projects. We build on these successes to inspire and empower our community to continue to demonstrate the power of creativity as a river for social change. Our programme is co-created with our community and designed for people of all ages and backgrounds. It includes visual art, craft, making, performance, cooking and growing, digital skills, therapeutic groups, community wealth building an enterprise, sensory creative play, outreach activities, weekly free community meals, school holiday programmes, trips ,shows exhibitions and more.
We welcome 14,000 visitors a year, offering over 500 regular sessions and 200+ performances, family days, workshops, training and events, at WHALE Arts Centre and in places and spaces across Wester Hailes
WHALE Arts is based in an area of urban social housing with areas of extreme deprivation (SIMD 2: 2-10%) on the outskirts of Edinburgh. It is a neighbourhood rich with ambition and assets but struggling with the impacts of multiple deprivation, including challenges related to health, employment, access to services, crime, housing and poverty. Local people are proud of the area and it rich history of social activism and organisations and individuals in the community work collaboratively to reduce inequalities and improve lives.
WHALE Arts is:
• Community-led – we are embedded in our community, consult with local people, we are a membership organisation and our Board is led by local members.
• A Cultural Anchor Organisation – we are the conduit between local people, artists and cultural opportunities and organisations and connect the community to city centre creative provision, access to which can be restricted by geography, travel and cost.
• Place-based – we develop creative programmes and services that have a simultaneous focus on people living in Wester Hailes and the social, geographical, infrastructural, and economic factors of the area and the synergies between the two: people and place.
• Building-based – we have responsibility for a building from which we run a range of programmes, activities and services which are all free and are tailored to our participants. We also use the building as an asset from which we can generate income which contributes to our running costs and our unrestricted reserves.
• Strengths-based / Asset-based – we make the most of, and build on, the skills and experiences of local people and assets within the community.
We have been working with stakeholders – our members, participants, staff, Board, partners, artists, and local community to develop a new Strategic Plan for 2025-2030.
Men’s Group Lead Artist
About the Men’s Group
Our Men’s Group is a creative group for people who identify as male. The group engages in creative activity and then has a shared meal which is provided by WHALE Arts. The sessions aim to bring men together to improve their health and wellbeing.
The Men’s Group has transformed over time to meet the needs of the community. It started as a woodwork group, during covid they adapted and became a walking group and then moved back inside as a woodwork/making space. and It started off as a walking group, then moved to woodworking making space. Now it is a mixture of different things as people come with different wishes and needs.
The group has struggled with participant numbers recently so we are looking for some expertise to design sessions which will fit the needs of our community.
This means we are open to any suggestions and ideas about what the group could do. The group could have a particular focus, or it could have a myriad of different activities from games, to woodwork, to cooking, to sitting and having a chat.
This group is currently a drop-in, we are happy for it to continue as a drop-in or move back to a structured session.
Main Duties
We are looking for a Lead Artist to design and run the sessions for our Men’s Group.
The lead artist will work with group members to co-design creative activities which suit the interests and goals of group members.
At WHALE Arts, we are trying to be as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible, so sessions must be designed with that in mind.
Our Men’s Group aims to build the confidence, self-esteem and self-worth of the participants, and reduce social isolation. The Lead Artist will need to work with the group and Arts and Wellbeing Programme Lead to design opportunities to support this development. We imagine this will include visits to other organisations as well as places of interest and relevance.
The session concludes with a shared meal. This is usually soup made by a WHALE Arts chef which is heated up and served by the Lead Artist. This shared meal gives the group a chance to talk and reflect.
The session is 3.15 hours, the other 45 minutes is allocated to 30 minutes setting up and 15 minutes pack away of the session. Most of the packing away of the session happens during the session with the participants before they have lunch.
Summary of Main Duties:
- Plan and deliver weekly creative sessions to fit with the needs of the group.
- Plan and deliver visits with Arts and Wellbeing Programme Lead to fit with the needs of the group and budget restrictions.
- Look after the Men’s Group’s materials. This includes keeping the cupboard organised and liaising with Arts and Wellbeing Programme Lead when new, or replacement materials are required.
- Heat up and serve soup to the group. Food Hygiene and Safety training will be provided by WHALE Arts.
- Set up, and tidy away for each session. This includes moving tables and ensuring the space is clean a tidy upon exit. It also includes cleaning up after the meal.
- Collecting evaluation and any feedback during sessions. This includes taking photographs as well as prompting and documenting any evaluation or feedback.
- Attending regular supervision meetings with line manager.
Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the post-holder may, from time-to-time, be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
Person Specification
We are seeking an experienced creative practitioner to lead our Men’s Group sessions.
Due to this group being only for people who identify as male, we will only be considering applications from people who identify as male.
We are looking for someone who…
- Can considerately support people’s creative development.
- Understands how to engage and motivate people who identify as male.
- Understands the issues and challenges facing people who struggle with their mental health.
- Is calm and compassionate. Is confident at resolving conflicts and dealing with challenging behaviour.
- Adhere to professional boundaries and work within data protection and confidentiality guidelines.
- Is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Is well-organised, is self-motivated, and able to use their own initiative.
- Has excellent communication skills and can interact with and support individuals from a range of backgrounds.
- Understands the issues facing people living in areas of deprivation.
- Has experience working with people who have additional needs.
Essentials…
- Experience in leading creative groups.
- Experience with people who are struggling with their mental health and knowledge of the challenges they face.
- Creative knowledge; has the ability to facilitate a variety of creative sessions that explore different creative mediums and techniques.
- Very good knowledge of health and safety, the ability to create procedures and to ensure people know and stick to those procedures. Monitor use of equipment ensuring safe practices are in place and used.
Ideally but not essentially, you may have…
- Food hygiene certification.
- Formal qualification in the creative and/or therapeutic field.
How to apply
To apply, please send:
- A cover letter explaining your experience, what you will bring to the role and why you are interested in the role.
- No more than a single page of A4 detailing your proposal for the group. This could talk about the kind of activities you would try with the group. What things you would do to encourage more people to come to the group.
- Your CV
- Details of two references (references will not be contacted unless you have been offered the job)
You are welcome to apply using audio/video recordings, please just make sure what you send is not over 5 minutes long.
Please also fill out our Equal Opportunities form, this form will not be used in the recruitment process, it is just used to evaluate our marketing reach.
Email applications to: recruitment@whalearts.co.uk
Deadline: 12noon, Thursday 21st August.
Interviews: Thursday 28th August.
The successful candidate will be appointed to the role subject to confirmation of PVG Scheme Membership.
For an informal chat about the role, please contact:
Kat Prior – Arts and Wellbeing Programme Lead, 0131 458 3267, kat@whalearts.co.uk
