Welcome

WELCOME TO TAKE THE SPACE

Arts - Heritage - Diversity

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Creative Diversity for arts & hertiage, bringing together policy, production and practice to co-create inclusive spaces with artists, organisations and communities.

Our work is all about creating an arts and heritage sector

that is inclusive, vibrant, diverse and equal

Services

Race Inclusion Consultancy

for arts and heritage organisations, mapping out the diversity agenda and addressing issues of accountability..

Strategic Consultancy

for arts and heritage organisations, mapping out the diversity agenda and addressing issues of accountability..

Anti-Racism Training

In-person training for your team and bespoke to your organisation as well as online affordable training

www.takethespacetraining.com

Executive & Interim Leadership

for arts and heritage organisations, mapping out the diversity agenda and addressing issues of accountability..

Arts & Heritage Producer

investing in black and multi-ethnic talent and stories that are not normally heard.

Critical Friend &

Facilitated Dialogues

Space for conversations and training around diversity and inclusivity – however difficult – between artists, organisations, communities and ourselves.

Race Inclusion Consultancy

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Drawing on 25-years of practice, Take the Space offers a range of anti-racist and inclusive practice services to support your organisation and your leadership at critical points.

These are the most usual services, however where possible Take the Space aims to offer a bespoke offer that is responsive to your organisation and leadership.

Contact for a free 20-mins consultation.

Critical Friend / Coaching Sessions

Support to leaders with space to think through inclusive leadership and especially helpful at points of challenge

Inclusive leadership coaching
Project critical friend
Diversity dialogues for board
How to hold successful conversations about race

Inclusive Recruitment

Support through the whole process of recruiting diverse talent and retention

Supporting job description development
Candidate searches and support
Advisory capacity or interview panel support
Candidate mentoring

Anti-Racist Practice in Your Organisation

Support in navigating how to implement race inclusion

Anti-racist practice that speaks to your EDI work
Development of your organisational approach
Support for inclusive task groups

Training Programmes

Support through the whole process of recruiting diverse talent and retention

Supporting job description development
Candidate searches and support
Advisory capacity or interview panel support
Candidate mentoring

Strategic Consultancy

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Consultancy - Programme Development - Strategy

Strategic Facilitation & Planning

Work has included independent Chair and Facilitator Bradford Producers Hub; evelopment of a network group for English Civic Museum; Business Plan development for Revoluton Arts, Creative consultation for Bedford Cultural Partnership; Volunteer training & packs for English Heritage, Board Awaydays.

Critical Friend

Work has included working as a Register of Support Services (ROSS) Consultant with National Lottery Heritage Fund since 2018 with a range of projects across the country and at different scales including David Livingstone Museum, Commonwealth Cultural Festival.

Programme Management

Multiple stakeholder programmes for example the design and delivery of a partnership between A New Direction, Create Jobs and London Legacy Development Agency supporting young people aged from 16-25yrs into paid apprenticeships, internships and entry-level jobs in the creative and cultural industries.

Arts & Heritage Producer

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Take the Space works across the arts and heritage sector, providing producer-led services, working with artists and community-owned ideas and creativity to grow into fresh, engaging projects. Take the Space is committed to co-creating – telling stories that are not normally heard – and finding spaces that connect us with each other. Take the Space seeks out and invest in opportunities for diverse and intersectional talent to flourish – responding to the passion and ideas of artists and communities to make things happen.

Underpinning this is the Founding Director’s experience as one of the few Black producers working across arts and heritage in the UK.

Find out about some of the projects we have produced in Case Studies

Executive & Interim Leadership

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Short and longer-term leadership of organisations, projects and programmes

CEO Leadership, Revoluton Arts

CEO & Creative Director Role. Transforming Revoluton Arts from a project to an award-winning, sustainable and regularly funded National Portfolio Organisation (NPO). Delivery of a 5-year business plan, multi-year investment, team leadership, Consortium and Board development. Working to respond to the multiple-diversity of Luton as part of the Creative People & Place-based Programme funded through Arts Council England.

Programme Management

Programme management of the Black Dance Archives national programme to develop the 1st ever national Black Dance Archive. Project partnership development with 30 depositors, 6 archive partners including Black Cultural Archives, V&A, 2 Universities and Library of Birmingham. Successful bid development for NLHF Round 1 and Round 2, produced the activity plan, digital strategy for archives and nationwide community engagement programme.

Jenny Williams BEM

Founding Director

Jenny is founding Director of Take the Space, an inclusive consultancy that works with community, statutory and cultural organisation within the arts and heritage sectors. Take the Space has a specific focus on race inclusion, equitable engagement practice, new audiences and inclusive approaches that break down real and perceived barriers.

Prior to this Jenny held numerous senior positions in the cultural sector including CEO & Creative Director for Revoluton Arts; Head of Diversity and Cultural Diversity Officer for Arts Council England and lead Cultural Development roles for 2 Local Authorities.

Jenny is a Board Member for The Towner Gallery Eastboure and Chairs the Diversity Task Group, Community Partnership Board member for South Downs National Parks, South East Area Council Member for Arts Council England and Board Member for East Sussex Culture. Jenny was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2020 New Years Honours List for services to culture and creativity.

Take the Space CIC 10536355 was set up to deliver specific programmes of participatory work in arts and heritage that focus on bringing communities together.

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Creative Consultant
Race Inclusion Specialist
Executive & Interim Leadership
Arts & Heritage Producer
Facilitator & Independent Chair

Case Studies

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25-years of Expertise - Extending Practice - Thought Leadership - Programmes and Policy

What Difference Does

Difference Make

TTS produced ‘What Difference Does Difference Make’, a programme of work inspired by Naseem Khan’s 40th anniversary of The Arts Britain Ignores report.

JustCulture Manifesto

A series of nationwide discussions with practitioners, producers and makers across the country committed to creating a fair and just cultural landscape.

Development of a 10-point manifesto to achieve a fair and just cultural future.

Strategic Race Inclusion & Training

Strategic diversity development. Bringing unparalleled knowledge and expertise around diversity and culture, including online and offline training.

Specialising in whole-organisational approaches that connects with all departments.

Case Studies

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WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP

For example, worked with Brighton & Hove City Council and partners to co-create Exhale Grants Programme aiming to connect with folks and communities under-represented in grants awards. Currently serve as Vice-Chair of the Anti-racist Collective, Brighton and Hove.

Working with Artists

TTS regularly commissions ground-breaking strategic programmes.

For example, Akila Richards’ REST Experience a town-wide response as part of Eastbourne Alive, the Turner Prize wraparound programme.

Co-Production

Producer of indoor and outdoor work, work in shops, schools, community spaces and online. Work includes Windrush, Cultural Heritage Network, Writing our Legacy.

Some of the Organisations We Work

With & Testimonials

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Jenny worked with the Consortium at Bradford Producing Hub as an independent Facilitator. We needed someone who would help steer the Consortia through a difficult period of change, and ensure the meetings were a safe and welcoming space for all. Jenny’s support was transformative: leading with warmth, clarity and calm, gently questioning and probing where needed, while also helping BPH identify and celebrate our successes. We would highly recommend Jenny to anyone who is looking for a sensitive, experienced facilitator or Chair.

Lisa Mallaghan Director Bradford Producing Hub

Jenny has led two amazing sessions for our team over the last year and is a fantastic trainer. She is passionate about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and skilled at creating a safe space where sensitive issues can be explored. We really appreciated the permission she gave us to “get things wrong” in the sessions. Above all, despite the importance of the subjects we were discussing, the sessions were also lively and fun. I would thoroughly recommend training with Jenny.

Rachel Gibson, Executive Director, South East Dance