Ruth Churchill Dower

Ruth Churchill Dower is the Director of Isaacs UK, a cultural learning consultancy with an international remit to build strategic learning and knowledge networks. In supporting the professional development of cultural and educational organisations, Isaacs UK brings a wealth of specialist knowledge including:

 

• Building sustainable learning networks and knowledge management systems
* Designing social media and new technology strategies for collaborative learning
• Early Years learning, pedagogy, practice, infrastructure
• Creative learning environments and cultures
• Arts and Cultural policy, practice, education and training infrastructures
• Workforce Development in the performing, visual, media and community arts
• Professional development, online learning, training needs analysis
• European cultural policy and cultural education policy
• Research, investigation and evaluation

 

Knowledge Sharing and Action Learning networks can provide a bedrock of support and resources for organisations and their stakeholders. We encourage a shared approach to designing networks in ways which inspire new thinking, test ideas, challenge our values, seek cross-agency solutions, and help to build excellent practice and sustainable policy.

 

One of the main networks run by Isaacs UK is Earlyarts (www.earlyarts.co.uk), a professional development network for arts, cultural and early years professionals working creatively with young children and families. Ruth recently won the Ogunte Women’s Social Leadership Awards 2009 for her work in building Earlyarts to make real change happen in young children’s lives.

 

Ruth has worked on developing arts, cultural, early education and learning strategies in both policy and practice, with clients such as Futurelab, Arts Council England, CAPE UK, Department of Culture, Media and Sport, National Museums Liverpool, Canterbury Children’s Centre, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, and Creative Partnerships.

 

Previously, Ruth was Headed of Lifelong Learning at Metier, the National Training Organisation for the Arts and Entertainment Industries; Arts Officer with Norwich City Council; and Manager of the Dacorum Borough Arts scheme, a professional development programme for artists and schools. Ruth has also been a visiting lecturer at University of Hertfordshire, University of East Anglia, and Norwich School of Art and Design. She has also published a range of papers, articles and guides in the areas of creative practice in early years, and different approaches to lifelong learning, online learning and knowledge management.

 

Ruth is a Director and board member of cultural production company, Germination, and associate member of Small Size (European network for the diffusion of performing arts for children), EUnetART (European Network of arts organisations for children and young people), a fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts) and works as an Expert Advisor to Youth Music. Ruth originally trained in theatre (BA Honours), is a folk fiddler, and also enjoys the visual and media arts. She lives in Yorkshire with two young children and spends any free time indulging in her (and her family’s) obsession with paragliding.

 

1990 BA Honours Drama - Loughborough (United Kingdom)

	Dower, Ruth Churchill (2009) Cultural Entitlement in a Nutshell, Holmfirth, Lulu, ISSN/ISBN:978-1-4092-8587-8
	Dower, Ruth Churchill (2006) Imagination for Life and Learning , Yorkshire, Arts Council England, ISSN/ISBN:0-7287-1191-5
	Dower, Ruth Churchill, Helen Sims, Chris Hoy (2006) Search for Meaning - The Children's Curriculum, Bradford, Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families,
	Dower, Ruth Churchill (2004) International Creative Practice in Early Years Settings, Yorkshire, Arts Council England, ISSN/ISBN:0-7287-1063-3
	Dower, Ruth Churchill (2002) Early Days for Early Years - Mapping the region’s strategy on issues for arts and early years , North West, Arts Council England,
	Dower, Ruth Churchill (2000) Open Art Surgery - Design and dissemination of on-line guidance and knowledge management systems, Bradford, Metier, National Training Organisation for the Arts Industries,

	Dower, Ruth Churchill (2009) 'A Joined Up Future', IN: Arts Professional January 12, Issue 185 article, ISSN/ISBN:1474-385X
	Dower, Ruth Churchill (2007) 'Fostering Creative Learning For 3-5 Year Olds In Four International Setings', IN: Creative Learning 3-11 and how we document it Chapter 9, ISSN/ISBN:978-1-85856-4104
	Dower, Ruth Churchill (2006) 'Valuing Children’s Creative Practice', IN: Early Years Educator Volume 7 page 36, ISSN/ISBN:1465-931x
	Dower, Ruth Churchill (1999) 'Lifelong Learning – From Theory to Practice', IN: Animations Dance Journal ,

	Cochrane, Pat, Graham Jeffery with Ruth Churchill Dower, Jo Garnham and Sheila McGregor (3/2008) The Arts and Community Radio, The report profiles how different art forms are represented in community radio – music, drama, written work, festivals - and also profiles innovative partnerships between radio stations and community organizations including collaborative work with schools, community groups and arts organizations, Cape UK
	Anderson, Fiona, Tim Caulton, Ruth Churchill Dower, Pat Cochrane, Dr Catherine Burke (2/2006) Cultural Entitlement: the capacities of cultural and creative organisations in the Yorkshire region to deliver a ‘cultural entitlement’ agenda in schools, , Arts Council England, Creative Partnerships, Leeds University, Yorkshire Museums Libraries and Archive Service
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