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Welcome to my Substack newsletter
Welcome to Substack everyone! This is the new platform I will be using (instead of Mailchimp) for all my writing, including this newsletter.
Not only is Substack more intuitive and user friendly but it comes with an amazing community of readers and writers. If you are new to it, I invite you to have a look around and see what you like. I’ve got a few recommendations on my page but… the world is your oyster!
In the meantime, let’s dive in some news & updates form me:
Migrant Artist Fund closes today 5pm UK Time
I set up the MAF in 2022 to distribute £200 cash prizes to artists who face expenses due to the hostile environment (visa costs, NHS surcharge, lawyers, photocopies and translations - coming and staying in this country is expensive business!).
Our next draw is tomorrow so the fund closes for donations and registrations today, Wednesday 27th March at 5pm. There will be one £200 draw and we are raising funds for a second one - if you are able to donate please do so here via our Crowdfunded for the walk from Leeds to Hull (see below!). For larger donations do not hesitate to get in touch with me directly so we can save on processing fees. And if you are a migrant artist yourself, add your name to the hat here.
Walked from Leeds to Hull… and survived!
In February I applied to review trails for Slow Ways – I love walking and it seemed like a great opportunity to re-connect with some of my Union 23 pals. We were selected and got a small commission to review the walks between Leeds and Hull amounting to just over 100 km (62 miles)! I have to say we went into it a bit bright and bushy eyed… some might say… slightly… underprepared?!
I did learn a lot though. Mainly, that I am more capable that I think, that my body is stronger than I thought and that my capacity to keep my and the others’ spirits up is actually quite high! We also raised £280 of which about £80 go directly to the Migrant Artist Fund for which I am so grateful.
Blurring the Edges at the Festival of Debate
BtE is back in its newest format – an interactive installation you can discover at your own pace. We are so very excited to be part of Sheffield’s Festival of Debate, the largest annual politics festival in the UK.
Blurring the Edges can be seen from 23rd April to the 16th May 2024 at The Circle Gallery on Rockingham lane in Sheffield.
D.E.M.O
In February I attended the second in-person training from the D.E.M.O programme, sharing space with 50 other European activists and creatives. I ran theatre games and exercises to energise the group, adding a important creative break to our discussions and workshops.
Bratislava definitely felt like a planting exercise, burring seeds into a fertile ground of learning and connections – stay tuned to hear if any of those seeds turn into flowers!
Sheffield Cultural Strategy
Last but not least, some local cultural news.
Councils all over England are cutting their cultural budgets so it is very hopeful that Sheffield has launched a consultation to feed into a new cultural strategy. Coordinated by Opus Independents and Fourth Street with the help of a Steering Committee there have already been in-person and online workshops to feed into it. There will be a second survey open from 2nd April until 30th April so keep an eye out for it and if have ties to the city and want to have your say – now it’s the time!
Thank you for reading this month’s newsletter. Please do not hesitate to forward it to a friend or to subscribe if you haven’t already. Thanks so much, Lx