The Blackpool Heritage Action Zone Cultural Consortium is looking for artists and creatives to deliver workshop sessions to local people as part of the Historic England Funded Heritage Action Zone Cultural Programme.  

The programme runs until December 2023 and activities will range from Markets to street performance, workshops to heritage talks. The programme is designed to be dynamic and has the ability to adapt and change activities in line with what our audiences want to see delivered.  

As part of the preparation for the Cultural Programme, the Council commissioned a creative mapping exercise which brought together members of the creative community from a range of different backgrounds. Out of this work came a number of clear messages from the local creative community around willingness to share skills and knowledge and a desire to see more local commissioning. This open call is designed to capture that desire to share skills and deliver on the commitment to commission fairly and locally.

Open Call:  Proposals for funded Workshop Sessions – February 2022

This year we have committed to delivering a range of activity, particularly establishing a regular market for the creative sector in St Johns Square and working with local artists and makers to deliver public workshops. 

In this round, we are particularly interested in the following types of workshops:

  • Photography
  • Screen Printing
  • Textiles 

Theme

We are looking for workshops on the theme of High Street Heritage. 
At the end of the workshop, participants will have produced either a series of photographs, a screen print or textile work on the above theme. 

Commission Requirements

  • You must be able to provide all the necessary equipment to deliver the workshop
  • You must have identified a venue where the workshop can be delivered
  • You must have all the relevant insurances (particularly public liability) in place 
  • Activity can take place over 1 to 3 workshops, e.g.
    • Participants attend a 2 hour workshop.
    • Participants attend 3 weekly workshops.
    • Participants attend a full day workshop.

Timescale

We’d like to have our first workshops under way between the end of February and March 2022.  It’s likely we will want a second round of workshops starting in April and if this element of the programme is successful, further workshops throughout the year.

Round 1 

  • Submit your proposal by midday on Tuesday 15 February 2022 
  • You will have a response by 5pm Thursday 17 February
  • Activity can take place between Monday 21 February to Friday 18 March
    Please note that this commision cannot be used to fund work that is already part of an existing programme or activity that has already taken place.

How we will decide

The proposals will be considered by a special meeting of the Cultural Consortium and successful applicants will be notified in the following week. We will be offering feedback as we recognise this is important to anyone wanting to improve their tendering skills. 

What you will need to submit

Your proposal should include:

  • Experience: What is your experience of leading workshops in the past?
  • Activity/artistic medium: What activity do you want to lead?
  • Numbers: How many people do you plan to work with?
  • Equipment: Do you have all the equipment to deliver the session(s)?
  • Venue: Do you have a venue in mind? Where is it?
  • Sessions: How many sessions are you planning
  • Charges: Please tell us about your total fee. How have you worked this out? What does that work out on a per participant basis? E.g. A 2 hour workshop for 10 people = £270, that’s £27 per person. 
  • Availability: Do you want to just deliver this single session/course or are you interested in doing more in 2022/23? 

Please use this form to set out your proposal and email it to us at [email protected]

Due to our funding conditions, this opportunity is limited to individuals and organisations based in the UK. We will give priority to applicants based on the Fylde Coast but artists from outside this area are welcome to apply if workshops can be delivered locally.

If you have any questions, please email us. 

Photography Credit: Claire Griffiths