Creative Commissions call out

Growing up in Dudley is a project that launched at the start of 2021. So far the team have been using Facebook and Instagram to gather stories and images during lockdown and now we are planning on how we might share some of these stories with the people of Dudley later in the year.

Now we are looking for creative outputs of these stories. Do you have an idea that can engage Dudley communities and get people excited? If so we have 4 x micro-commissions of £500 each.

What we are looking for:

Can you reach out to communities that may be under-represented or newly arrived to share their more recent stories of Growing Up In Dudley? We’re looking to represent a variety cultures that make up the population of the town.

As well as stories from the 1940s upwards we are also looking for contemporary narratives: What is it like as a young person growing up in Dudley in the 21st century? What is it like if English isn’t your first language? What can you tell us about second or third generation life in Dudley? Whatever the idea it should be based on the theme of 'Growing Up In Dudley’.

What we want:

We’re open to how these projects are shared. It could be a sound piece (a small series of podcasts for example), a mini film or a short animation - whatever it is the pieces need to be able to sit both on a digital platform (shared on social media / uploaded on a website) and also shown in a physical space (for example a film or animation projected on a wall or on a screen).

Resources:

Please take a look at the Dudley People’s Archive website and social media pages to see what we have gathered so far. If there is something here that sparks your interest or you like some of the images that you see and would like to connect with someone then this might be a possibility.

https://www.facebook.com/DudleyPeoplesArchive

https://www.facebook.com/groups/209161740431017

https://www.dudleypeoplesarchive.com

Please consider:

As this work may still need to take place during social distancing measures we want to keep people safe so we won’t be accepting commissions that involve meeting people face-to-face for example (so if you want to record people that aren’t in your ‘bubble’ it would need to be done over the phone of via video calling).

We’d love to hear from you if you have and idea for something that will engage Dudley communities and get people excited.

What next

Email dudleypeoplesarchive@gmail.com with an expression of interest and please include:

- An idea of what you would like to do and want to produce

- The artform you want to work with and an example / link to your previous work

- The people / community you will work with and if you have connections to these people already

- If you would like to use something that has been gathered already

- How you will gather ideas and stories with social distancing in mind

- The total budget you are requesting (up to £500)

Please send no later than: 16th March

Once we have received your EOI we will respond to you by the end of March, 2021.