A week in the life of an Artsadmin Trainee Producer – Arty Parties Alien Crashlanding!

Sadé Sarumi joined Artsadmin as Trainee Producer back in January 2022 and shares her experience of working on an arts project with our neighbouring primary school in Aldgate East.  

In February, I supported lead artist Tarik Elmoutawakil with artists Jacob V Joyce, Ella The Great and Rudy Loewe alongside Artsadmin Producers on the delivery of Arty Parties. With aliens soon to crash-land, we prepared the children of Canon Barnett Primary School through a week of artist-curated activities built around themes of inclusion and welcome. 

As a visual artist and ex-art student, I was keen to gain industry insight working with established artists and facilitators. So, I decided to pause my education in favour of a 6-month Arts Producer Fellowship with Artsadmin. Like anyone starting their career or resuming work, the first few weeks are daunting but rewarding.  

Arty Parties was a busy week for Artsadmin’s Producers and the artists. The week began with a drawing workshop, led by artist Jacob V Joyce, during which the children imagined their dream school. Through the narrative of aliens visiting their planet, we asked the children to question how their school could be made more welcoming and inclusive. As a child who didn’t feel welcome at school, I am reminded of the importance projects like Arty Parties have on establishing these conversations early. 

On Tuesday, we got stuck into costume making with artist Rudy Loewe. From sequins to paint, Year Ones and Twos discovered opportunities for expression through creativity. On Wednesday, we used movement exercises to explore alternative ways of communication with artist Ella The Great. Seeing how these workshops developed from the planning stages has been fascinating for me as a producer in training.  

A week of Arty Parties has given me valuable insight into what it means to provide artist care, and the flexibility needed to support an evolving project. I have also developed my understanding of what makes a project successful. These are lessons that’ll prove pivotal when I resume my education. I encourage anyone planning on entering the creative industry, particularly students, to pursue as many opportunities as they can for real industry experience. My biggest takeaway is that it’s fine not to know everything! Stay curious, ask questions, and be open to learning. 

Arty Parties is commissioned and produced by Artsadmin with support from Create To Connect > Create to Impact through the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.