Refugee Week will run from June 17th – 23rd framed around World Refugee Day on 20th June. The Refugee Buddy project will co-create 7 days of arts, culture and social events with our creative community, promoting a show of solidarity and empathy for people who are displaced and seeking refuge. We already have projects planned with the De La Warr Pavilion, Hastings Museum & Art Gallery, Storytime, Electro Studios, Common Clay and Flatland Projects – and of course our popular Pub Quiz and community picnic!

In November we met many of you to celebrate what we achieved together in 2023, and to gather your feedback and thoughts on the theme and programme this year. This has led us to tailor our Creative Call-out to the areas below.

You told us Home can be a place of refuge, a feeling or state of mind, conjured through familiar tastes, sounds and smells. It’s in our cultures, our landscapes, our language and memories. And our home is earth, in our planet’s shared and threatened resources, the changing climate and its looming challenges.

In exploring the idea of Our Home we are looking for:

·      A visual artwork on the theme of Our Home for inclusion in a group exhibition

·      A guided walk and talk exploring an aspect our home town (interpreters will be provided)

·      A growing or gardening project, crossing cultures

·      Images to become a window-commissions in shop-front sites around town.

·      A creative project/workshop with children

·      A skills workshop to share a creative element of your home culture

·      Original art, craft or design work for sale, inspired by the theme of Our Home

·      A musical interlude

Equally you could volunteer time to support us in producing or publicising these events, or take part by holding an event or selling work to raise money for the RBP to continue its vital work with people seeking refuge.

How do I apply?

Send us a proposal for a Creative Action in relation to one of the ideas above, via the form below. Those proposals seeking financial support will be selected, depending on their suitability, by a panel representing refugee, curatorial and community engagement experience. We encourage you to review the Refugee Week common principles in devising your proposal for a Creative Action, and priority will be given to ideas that meet our project criteria:

-        Ensuring the voices and experiences of those seeking refuge are leading our conversations

-        Fostering compassion and building empathy

-        Raising the visibility of our diverse creative community and supporting emergent talent

-        Using the creative arts to tell stories that can unite across difference

-        Offering space and time to build connections in the community

-        Engaging all audiences

With and Arts Council England Small Project grant we are able to support some project costs. The following is an indication of the costs we could support for a Creative Action.

Amount

Talk, reading or performance

£250

Artist leading 1 workshop (fee + materials)

£300

Group leading 1 workshop (fee + materials)

£550

Small exhibition (fee + materials)

£500

Window display inc print costs

£350

Materials only for an activity, event, social

£50-100

How will our Creative Act be publicised?

The RBP will bring the events together in a map and calendar programme, shared through our social media. It is fine if your idea has a particular targeted audience – we will be looking to create an inclusive programme through a range of events across the whole week. Some of you may already be in receipt of funding and wish to have your funded work added to the RW Map/Calendar, which we are happy to consider.

Together let’s make Our Home a more welcoming, safe and sustainable place for all.

Timeline

Creative Acts proposal deadline – Wednesday 27th March at 11.59pm

Creative Acts decisions – Thur 4th April

RW programme confirmation – Fri April 12th

Please complete the online proposal below by Wednesday 27th March at 11.59pm

 If you have questions or would like to be included in the monthly email updates, please email the project manager: rebecca@therefugeebuddyproject.org