PROMENADE CELEBRATES ART IN

Local community arts organisation Compass Arts has launched a themed art trail in Eastbourne seafront hotels, along with an exhibition in the town’s Beacon shopping centre.

This semi-annual art trail sees works by local artists is being hosted within seafront hotels like The Hydro, Lansdowne, The View, Cavendish, Cumberland, York, and East Beach. Running until September, the theme is ‘Water’; the opening coinciding with Eastbourne’s Plastic Free, Spring Water Festival.

The aim of Promenade is to support the arts and promote the town’s coastline, bars and café-life, as well as celebrating the inclusivity and diversity of Eastbourne. It is presented in partnership with Eastbourne Alive - an ambitious creative community programme for Eastbourne which marks the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of the Turner Prize 2023 coming the local Towner gallery. This aims to be the catalyst for lasting change in Eastbourne, and is working with young people, local cultural organisations, East Sussex Public Health, businesses, and the wider community on a range of public art installations, exclusive schools visits, animating disused shop fronts, teacher training workshops and a widereaching work experience programme.

To accompany Promenade, an exhibition of ideas, interpretations, and art forms on the theme of ‘Water’ will be open to the public at Eastbourne’s retail shopping centre until Weds 19 July.

Based in Eastbourne, Compass Arts is an intergenerational, co-creative, artist-led community organisation, which recognises people feel most empowered when given independence, responsibility and are at the ‘giving’ end of care. 12 interdisciplinary artists deliver a weekly program across several sites, free of charge and without any expectation of participants. These artists’ regularly work together on exhibitions and events, and self-publish under the name, Compass Collective. The Collective was formed in response to participants who identify as an artist and wish to develop their practice and have greater public interface.

Compass Arts is currently celebrating its 20th year. The organisation’s Artistic Director, Fenya Sharkey, said: “As with all Compass Art’s work, this exhibition and art trail explores and reveals that “mostly ignored landscape” inhabited by people who find little or no place in the everyday world. Other worlds are possible. We only need to create them. People who live beyond prevailing norms are, strangely and beautifully, at the forefront of that enterprise. The objective is to challenge perceptions around trauma, mental illness, and health inequalities.”

For more information, visit: www.compasscommunityarts.co.uk

BRIGHTON DOME’S ACCESS OPEN DAY: CREATIVE ROOTS SPOTLIGHTS DISABLED AND NEURODIVERGENT ARTISTS AND CAREERS

Brighton Dome opens its doors on Sat 8 July for Access Open Day: Creative Roots, a free all-day event for disabled and neurodivergent people interested in pursuing a career in the arts. Coinciding with Disability Pride Month, this programme of talks, workshops and performances will celebrate the work of disabled and neurodivergent creatives, alongside building tours of Brighton Dome, with staff on hand to provide an insight into potential career paths into the arts.

Brighton Dome In-House Artist Erin Enfys will join award-winning performer and writer Tommy, known as The Queer Historian, for a discussion about their experiences of building a career as disabled artists including some of the challenges they have faced.

Talking about Access Open Day: Creative Roots, Enfys said: “I am a firm believer that the power of community cannot be overstated. I am thrilled to be involved with BDBF’s Access Open Day in my capacity as the In-House Artist for Brighton Dome. I’m so proud to be involved with an organisation that continually puts the needs of disabled and neurodivergent creatives, audiences, and community members at the forefront of its practice.

Disabled and neurodivergent individuals possess multitudes of emotions and experiences that deserve to be amplified. I’m excited to be interviewing my good friend Tommy, where we will discuss our respective practices, share insights into our professional artistic careers as disabled people, and most of all, connect with our local community members.”

In association with local learning disability-led arts organisation Carousel, visitors can take part in a DJ and mixing workshop with DJ Kez, a resident DJ at Carousel’s Blue Camel club night. Other performances include artists from Brighton-based Mango Mammals, a record label created by disabled artists for disabled artists that aims to break down boundaries in the mainstream music scene.

There will be performances from Carousel Poets Charlie Hatton, a regular on the award-winning Carousel Radio show and podcast, who will share humorous and wildly imaginative stories and poems about killer fridges, angry sharks and time-travelling tractors; and Stuart Leaney takes inspiration from his family, friends, ambitions and challenges to write short and sweet poems about the joyful bits of life. Also performing is local poet Caz Smiling, who mixes music with spoken word poetry.

Elsewhere, visitors can take a career-centred tour of Brighton Dome, lifting the curtain on life backstage and all the technical aspects of putting on a show. Brighton Dome staff will also be available to answer questions and discuss a variety of career options within the arts.

Throughout the day, visitors can also join Artie Carden and Riley-Fynn in the Foyer for a drop-in collage workshop and Team Domenica’s Pop-Up Café will be serving homemade sweet and savoury treats alongside hot and cold drinks, with discounts available for Compass Card Holders and Registered Carers. The event will be closed with a set from DJ Kez.

For more information visit: www.brightondome.org