OPEN CALL Become a Cultural Citizen – Apply by 23 April
Eastside Projects is looking for five new Cultural Citizens to feedback on their experiences of our exhibitions, projects and events, reflect on what we do and help us develop new ways to open out the organisation to different audiences, communities and perspectives.
You’ll be part of our second Cultural Citizens group, and so will be building on the contribution of the 2020–21 Citizens – Selina Sagnia, …kruse, Anam Zafar, Toqueer Ahmed Quyyam and Carla Busuttil. You can find out more about them – and everyone else who makes Eastside Projects happen – HERE.
Here’s what they have to say about their experience of working with us …
“I have really valued the opportunity to contribute to the Cultural Citizens group and to be a voice for the neurodivergent/disabled community at Eastside Projects. I’m very impressed that Eastside Projects created this group and I would love to see more arts organisations welcoming the public in in this way. It’s been a very rewarding experience because I have felt listened to and have seen Eastside Projects make actual changes based on the Cultural Citizens’ recommendations.” … kruse
“After volunteering at Eastside Projects for many years, it felt exciting to take on this advisory role. It was a great chance to reflect my experiences – as a volunteer, visitor, South Asian, and art enthusiast, rather than a professional artist – to Ruth and Gavin and help shape the future of EP. Each Cultural Citizen brought a different perspective to the table, and all ideas and opinions were welcome.” Anam Zafar
“Being a Cultural Citizen gives you the opportunity to open your horizon to different perspectives, and learn new insightful things, contribute to inclusion in the arts, working with like-minded people where imagination, creativity and individuality is highly valued.” Toqueer Ahmed Quyyam
Who are we looking for?
We would like to hear from people who experience what we do in different ways – you might have visited exhibitions, participated in an offsite project, attended talks and events or experienced what we do through our website. You may like what we do and how we do it, or wish we did things differently. Or you might simply care about culture in Birmingham and have ideas about what an organisation like Eastside Projects could, or should, do to support the city. We are not looking for people who are ‘experts’ on art, we are looking for a range of voices, from different backgrounds, who would like to support us to develop.
How it works
We are hoping to find five individuals who will work with us across 12 months from June. You will need to come and take part in what we do – visit exhibitions, attend some events (whether in real life or online) – and then attend three meetings across the year to talk things through, share reflections and feedback to the Eastside Projects team about your experience.
Each Cultural Citizen is paid £50 for their contribution to each meeting. Some meetings may be online, but we hope at least some will be over lunch in the gallery.
Interested?
To apply to take part please send an email or voice note to ruth@eastsideprojects.org by 23 April 2021, introducing yourself, why you would like to be a Cultural Citizen and what you think you could contribute.