Partners and Artists

We're an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, which means funding thanks to taxpayers and National Lottery players plays a huge part in supporting our work. Inspire became a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) in 2018 to deliver a cultural programme and are delighted to remain part of the National Portfolio for 2023 - 2026. Our funding from Arts Council England allows us to deliver a range of performing, dance and digital art projects for all young people. 

Captivate is the local cultural educational partnership (LCEP) for Nottinghamshire. It provides opportunities for partnerships between schools and education partners across the county. It is the creative home for children and young people, schools, teachers and cultural enablers to collaborate and access high-quality arts and cultural experiences.

First Art brings inspirational cultural experiences within reach of everyone living in Ashfield, Bolsover, Mansfield and North East Derbyshire, as well as helping local people to produce and shape their own cultural experiences and events. They work together with local people to do just that, building proper relationships with communities to make inspiring arts and cultural things happen. 

Mansfield Palace Theatre is a destination to create, discover and be entertained. They welcome over 140,000 visitors from Nottinghamshire and beyond every year and have shows, classes and projects to suit all ages and interests.

They are the place where the people of Mansfield can come together, to be proud, to feel good and to find joy both on and off the stage. Everyone is welcome at the Palace Theatre. 

palacetheatreboxoffice@mansfield.gov.uk

Mansfield Museum

http://www.mansfield.gov.uk/museum

They are all about helping local people discover the world around them, cherishing Mansfield's unique stories, and bringing them to life.

Their big dream is to be a place where you belong in the hope that everyone can be inspired.

http://www.mansfield.gov.uk/museum

01623 463088

Thanks to funding from Arts Council England, Inspire Music and Nottingham Music Service joined together in 2024 to form the brand new regional consortium Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Music Hub, which is now working to develop exciting music-making opportunities for children and young people aged 5 to 18 years in Nottinghamshire.

The new combined service is increasing the range and reach of music opportunities across the region for communities, children and young people.

Next Door Dance is an all-female dance company based in Nottingham. They are a friendly bunch who are passionate about creating performances that are engaging and relevant to a wide range of audiences. Inspire Youth Arts are thrilled to be working with Next Door Dance to provide young people from across Nottinghamshire the opportunity to develop their own choreographic ideas and high-quality performances. 

Unanima are an arts organisation that is dedicated to levelling things up for learning disabled and autistic people. Unanima helps the overlooked to embrace their creativity and reach their true potential through learning disabled and autistic development programmes in theatre making, stand-up comedy, music, creative writing, campaigning and activism. By demanding greater representation of these individuals on stages and in audiences, Unanima vow to change the way you see them.

Bec Smith, of Urban Projections, is a fantastic artist that we have had the pleasure of working with for over 25 years - and who previously attended Inspire Youth Arts!

 Bec is a digital artist and audio-visual performer,  experienced in creating large-scale projections, immersive installations and live visual performances. Her work blends art and technology to transform spaces into shared experiences, sparking connection, curiosity and play. She has delivered projects, performances, workshops and talks across festivals, galleries, public spaces and community settings, always with a focus on bringing people together through inventive and beautifully crafted digital worlds.

Inspire Youth Arts work with Urban Projections on the annual Light Night installations, the Proto-Type Digital Group, and many other projects in between!

Bec is very busy, working across the country and from her base on the Welbeck Estate, but she sat down with a cuppa and answered some of our burning questions! 

We hear you used to be a participant with Inspire Youth Arts? Tell us more! 

Yes, I came to Inspire Youth Arts when I was 14, initially to learn more about music technology and sound engineering. It was a place where I could try things out, build new skills and meet other creative people. Those early experiences gave me the confidence – and the inspiration – to see that a career in the arts was possible, and they still shape the way I work and collaborate today. 

Can you describe your artistic practice in one sentence? 

I make digital art with projection, light and sound that turns spaces into playful, surprising experiences where people can connect and share ideas. 

Do you have any standout projects with Inspire Youth Arts?

There have been so many, but I think the development of works for Nottingham Light Night has been a real privilege to work on. At the heart of these projects has always been co-creation with young people – collaborating on ideas, experimenting with new techniques, and pushing the boundaries of what’s technically and creatively possible. We’ve grown together with the festival, starting from small light-based works made with cardboard boxes that only a few hundred people saw, to huge immersive canvases experienced by tens of thousands. Seeing young people’s creativity take centre stage on such a big platform has been inspiring, and it’s felt like a true celebration of what can happen when you mix skills, imagination, and a big, ambitious canvas. 

If you could gift anything in the world, to ALL young people, what would it be?

The chance to explore whatever excites them, with the confidence to do it their own way. 

Shola Riley is a commercial and street dance artist. From a young age, Shola trained in a variety of styles from ballet to hip hop before moving to London to complete her dance degree. Shola then spent several years performing professionally in music videos, TV shows and in the West End. 

Some of Shola’s highlights include performing at Coachella, The Graham Norton Show and The Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show.

Shola feels lucky to be teaching people of all ages and backgrounds, creating fun, supportive spaces where dancers can truly express themselves, as she believes self-belief is the most important thing! In her classes, Shola focuses on building confidence and performance, whilst encouraging individuality and joy through movement. 

Shola teaches our MX Collective commercial street dance classes on Monday evenings, 5.30pm - 7.30pm at The Old Library for 10-18 year olds.