Katie Griffiths

If you want to contact Katie please call Wishworks!

Education:

Course with “Same Sky” training for celebratory community arts projects, 2002 NVQ in Playworking, 2001

BA Hons Fine Art- the Surrey Institute of Art and Design, Farnham, Surrey. September 1993-July 1996

Fine Art Foundation course and Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication. 1992-1993

Langley Park School for Girls. September 1985-July 1992:

A levels: Art and Design-A, English lit-C, Graphics-C

G.C.S.E.: A, A, A, B, B, B, C, C, C

Recent Employment:

Founding member of WishWorks, a company specialising in puppet shows, stilt-walking and storytelling within schools and at events, festivals, parties and weddings. The company also leads workshops in puppet making and story writing for children and adults.

My role within this company is to make most of the puppets and sets, perform and lead workshops. Within this company I have worked extensively for local council events and at national heritage sites, and been part of the Children’s University. We work with able-bodied children and those with extra support needs Work for BigFoot leading workshops in puppet making within London schools.

Leading workshops on giant puppet making and withies structures for processions for the PATINA project, Lewes and Biggin Hill carnival, Kent. Exhibition of etchings at Fisherton Mill Art Gallery in Salisbury, Sept 2002-January 2003

Touring with the Cycle Circus in the summer of 2001, taking an environmental puppet show around the West of England on bicycles, teaching creativity and sustainable transport.

Commissioned murals for the walls in children’s bedrooms and at the “The Playstation” nursery in Brighton. In some cases working alongside children to co-create these.

Window displays at OH-Of fice@Home, Salisbury, Wiltshire. April and November 2002

Window displays for Bromptons Opticians, Gardner Street, Brighton 2001 and 2003

Exhibition display faces for the designer glasses of Urban Eyewear 2002

Voluntary work at Care Coops – gardening with adults with mental health problems and special needs. Paid as a sessional worker to run craft and puppet making activities at he day centre.

Volunteering at a Halloween event, leading workshops with the local community to design and make a giant withes puppet, culminating in a procession. Work at The Playstation Nursery and after school clubs in Brighton between March 2000 and January 2002

Skills:

NVQ body massage, Reiki 1 and 2, Thai Yoga massage.

Making marionettes, sculptures, costumes and backdrops; drawing and painting. Driving a car (clean licence)

Drama- LAMDA examinations in speech and drama up to Bronze medal standard.

Interests:

Cycling, walking, woodcarving, swimming, yoga, singing and playing mandolin. Making paper and craft objects, reading, writing stories, gardening and getting people together.

I am particularly interested in folk and fairy stories and the retelling of them.