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Bow Skills Artist Peer Support Group: untangling creative becomings and our artistic purpose with Meera Shakti Osborne
Wednesday 23rd August 2023 , 6:00pm to 8:00pm
For first iteration of our new artist peer support group format for Bow Skills, art practitioner and youth worker Meera Shakti Osborne questions the notion of ‘creative becomings’ and what drives us as artists to continue making and creating in the ways that we do.
What parts of you do you want to share? What ways of seeing and being is your art communicating? Who is your art for in the present moment and who do you imagine it is for in the future?
Join Meera Shakti Osborne as they encourage artists to think, feel, and work through these questions to locate the source of what roots and grounds us as artists, living in an often volatile and ever-changing arts ecology and wider cultural landscape.
Through a mixture of writing and drawing exercises, you will get to know other artists in the space, begin to tease apart what lies at the heart of why we make art as artists, and find joy through expressing ourselves in playful and honest ways. There will be time for each artist to share a project, artwork, idea, or issue that they are grappling with in relation to this theme, before receiving reflections and feedback from the other artists present.
Some drinks and snacks will be provided, but this is a potluck style event! So, we encourage you to bring along a dish, snack, or drink of your choice if you can.
These artist peer support groups are small, informal gatherings of artists and practitioners, which centre on a particular theme chosen by the selected artist facilitator – these themes could be anything from a discussion on artistic practice more broadly, to the state of our careers and other professional or cultural developments.
These gatherings provide opportunities for artists to connect, develop skills in sharing and talking about their work, and learn about different perspectives.
More about Meera Shakti Osborne
Meera Shakti Osborne is an art practitioner and youth worker from north London. Meera’s work focuses on collective healing through creative self-expression. Their practice engages with accessibility and confidence building in both formal education settings and casual encounters. In recent years Meera has focused on questions around history making, the ethics of collaboration and processes that allow for flexing, glitches and love.
Meera is currently a resident artist at Arts and Media School Islington. Recent exhibitions include department of Unruly histories, Cubitt Gallery (2023). Meera has worked with Nottingham Contemporary, iniva, Newbridge Project, Peckham Platform, Focal Point Gallery, The Gap Arts Project, The Drawing Room, Reprezent FM and is a visiting lecturer at UAL. Meera graduated in Design at Central School of Speech and Drama in 2015 and Cairo Institute of Liberal Arts and Science in 2018.
About Bow Skills
Bow Arts seeks to support creative professionals at all stages of their careers. In 2015 Bow Arts launched Bow Skills in response to an artist survey which showed over 90% of practicing artists find it useful to receive further support outside formal education.
Bow Skills is a dynamic and relevant programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) which is informed by an artist steering group and open to all creative practitioners across London. The programme of talks, panel discussions, new skills labs and peer crits is open to all, with concession rates available to students, over 65s, under 18s, Bow Arts artists and key workers.
Access information
The Bow Arts Trust courtyard has step-free access throughout from street level, including to the accessible toilet, and is service animal friendly. This venue does not have a hearing loop system. Accessible parking is not available on-site but blue badge parking can be found 500m away on Fairfield Road.
If you have any questions regarding accessibility at this venue or event, would like to make us aware of any access requirements that you have in advance of visiting, or would like this information in an alternate format including Easy Read, please email nunnery@bowarts.com or call 020 8980 7774 (Ext. 3)
Access requirements could include things like providing equipment, services or support (e.g. information in Easy Read, speech to text software, additional 1:1 support), adjusting workshop timings (e.g. more break times), adjustments to the event space (e.g. making sure you have a table near the entrance) or anything else you can think of!
Transport Information
Opening hours: Mon-Friday, 9am to 5pm
Address: Bow Arts Trust, 183 Bow Road, London, E3 2SJ
Nearest station(s): Bow Road (District and Hammersmith and City lines) is a 6-minute walk away, and Bow Church (DLR) is a 3-minute walk away.
Bus: 205, 25, 425, A8, D8, 108, 276, 488 and 8 all service the surrounding area.
Bike: Bicycle parking is located at Bow Church Station. The nearest Santander Cycles docking station is at Bow Church Station.
