Primadonna Commission 2025

Stage One: Calling Expressions of Interest

• Budget: £9,000
• Deadline (Stage One: Expressions of Interest): 31 October 2024
• Project Timelines: January-August 2025

Essex Cultural Diversity Project and Primadonna invite expressions of interest from creative practitioners to devise and deliver a project that celebrates community, diversity and the power of the written and spoken word, which will take place in the run up to and during the next Primadonna Festival in July 2025.

Primadonna is a charity and book festival celebrating writing, creativity and ideas, taking place every year at the Food Museum in Stowmarket, Suffolk. Its aim is to spotlight marginalised voices with a vibrant programme that gives prominence to women, artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, the LGBTQ+ community, working class and disabled people. The festival brings together readers, writers, editors, publishers, artists, thinkers, comedians, performers, musicians and foodies from all backgrounds to share experiences, ignite new ideas and imagine new possibilities.

We are looking for a creative practitioner to deliver a project which is co-created with community participants, working closely with at least three community groups across the East of England. The commissioned artist(s) will deliver a series of workshops and events, launched on International Women’s Day on Saturday 8 March, which will continue in the run up to the Festival in mid-July. The project will culminate with creative activity during the Primadonna Festival in Stowmarket, which brings together participants and festival-goers, and showcases the work they have created. Current suggestions include a small but impactful walking procession or promenade with costumes and masks, workshops with festival-goers, with an accompanying exhibition or display of artwork on site at the Food Museum during the festival.

The aims of the project are to raise awareness of Primadonna in the run up to the festival, uplift marginalised voices, and celebrate diversity and intersectionality in all its forms (this includes, but is not limited to, gender fluidity and non-binary/queer identity, different cultural backgrounds, disability and neurodiversity).

Creative starting points could include one or more of the following: a positive reclaiming of the word ‘Primadonna’ to empower, elevate and celebrate those who identify as women; exploring women’s issues, health and wellbeing; sustainability and ecofeminism; protest and activism; folklore, traditions and stories we share with one another. Key themes should be intrinsic to the vision and values of both Primadonna and Essex Cultural Diversity Project.

We welcome EOI’s from any creative practitioners for our commissions, but this call would particularly suit those working in visual art, festival and outdoor art, circus, performance, cabaret or live art. We welcome interest from individual artists as well as creative collectives.

About Essex Cultural Diversity Project

Essex Cultural Diversity Project energises cultural diversity in arts and heritage. Our mission is to create opportunities, stimulate participation and provide a focal point for the development, celebration and co-ordination of diversity through arts and heritage activity. We achieve this through an exciting programme of projects, festivals and events; commissioning artists to explore community, diversity and place; and supporting artists, arts organisations and communities working in diversity through training and networking events, signposting opportunities and providing important platforms for their work. We work strategically with creative practitioners, culture and heritage sectors, diverse communities and the voluntary sector to help develop skills, build sustainable networks and infrastructures, alongside creating new opportunities to enhance diverse artists’ work. Essex Cultural Diversity Project is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

How to Respond to this Opportunity

This commission has a two-stage application process; STAGE ONE is a call for ‘expressions of interest’. Five artists/potential projects will then be shortlisted and invited to continue to STAGE TWO, when they will be offered £200 to work up a project proposal and attend an interview in December. One proposal will be selected from the interview process, to start in January 2025.

To apply, please email your ‘Expression of Interest’ to jo@essexcdp.com by midnight on 31 October and include the following:
– An outline of your artistic concept or creative starting points for the project / approach to the commission (we suggest no more than 400 words).
– How your practice and proposed project explores or promotes diversity (we suggest no more than 200 words).
– Some info about you and your work. This could be a short biography with visual examples of previous work / a CV / links to your website and social media.
– A completed Commissioning Monitoring Form: https://bit.ly/commission-monitoring-doc

We accept written, verbal or video expressions of interest for this commission.

Further Support

It is highly recommended that you visit the ECDP Commissions Frequently Asked Questions page at https://essexcdp.com/commission-faqs which has supporting information and practical advice to support you.

We are committed to making our application process accessible, and can be adaptable to your needs. We welcome proposals in various formats, such as a written, video or audio proposals, or via a recorded Zoom call.

If you would like to talk this brief through or need further information about the commission, we’d be very happy to offer support and answer your questions. Please email Jo on jo@essexcdp.com to arrange a meeting.

To request a text / audio / large print version of this brief, contact Jo at jo@essexcdp.com

Useful Links
• About Essex Cultural Diversity Project: https://essexcdp.com/
• About Primadonna: https://primadonnafestival.com
• ECDP Commissions: https://essexcdp.com/commissions/
• Commission FAQs: https://essexcdp.com/commission-faqs/