Hackney WickED Art Festival has championed the community of Hackney Wick & Fish Island since 2008 developing a reputation for creating large (35,000 people in 2014), unique, free & one off art events, inhabiting unused land. “The work you do in Hackney Wick is a wonderful celebration of the area and its creative heritage. I wish you all the best as you continue in your ambitions to highlight the cultural brilliance of this area.” Boris Johnson The areas rapid change from industrial wasteland to culture hub sitting alongside the Olympicopolis has forced us to reassess our delivery. Following a large audience & artist study (supported by ACE, Legacy List & LLDC) it became clear that the next stage of our development would be to facilitate a series of events (Open Studios, markets, exhibitions, commissions, music, film screenings, workshops, talks). We need your support to allow us to expand on the benefits of our annual festival to support the local creative community & local economy.

What we'll deliver:

• Continuation of our small artist bursaries program to encourage more artist to take part in Open Studios
• Continue to support emerging artists thru production of a program of events based around our signature Open Studios
• Enhance, celebrate and promote the creative reputation of Hackney Wick
• Utilise & revitalise un-used spaces thru Pop Up shops & Site specific artwork commissions
• Aid transformation of Hackney WickED CIC from a volunteer run organisation to a key social enterprise/community asset
• Facilitated collaborations and continue to support other cultural organisations & businesses.
• Increase existing event infrastructure and number of regular daytime events
• Increase footfall thru delivery of a calendar of community led participatory events
• Provide artists, musicians & facilitators with a source of income & employment
• Support and incubate smaller local organisations to build their resources & skills

Why it's a great idea:

The annual festival has been a key date in the cultural calendar for East London but with the rapid developments and changing infrastructure the festival is no longer feasible. Protecting local artists and creative communities is key to the Cultural Strategy for London; we feel that Hackney WickED is perfectly placed to help deliver this whilst retaining these assets in the area. Leveraging the reach of our festival through a longer term participatory public program alongside the strategic use of shop take-overs, commissions etc would provide an opportunity to increase the cultural infrastructure, test new approaches/partnerships whilst engaging new audiences to the area in a manner that supports the incumbent community from the bottom up. This project would facilitate the strategic planning of HWED's 10 year anniversary of of giving a platform for emerging artists, bringing together local community & businesses, whilst making art accessible & inspiring to all.

Steps to get it done:

• Confirm locations for markets, pop up shops, outdoor art commissions etc
• Continue to apply to other funding bodies to ensure the longevity of events and partnerships
• Finalise programme of events via a local whats on guide (printed & online)
• Organise open meetings/submissions to understand community needs in project
• Promote the event program to locals, Londoners, visitors and media
• Secure matched funding from the GLA alongside confirmed support in kind
• Discussions with festival partners and other local community groups/businesses to establish roles
• Evaluate project with all partners and ensure legacy aspects are followed through
• Review open submission with local partner venues and confirm schedule of events
• Run and deliver an artist open call (pop up shops, performance etc) pairing artists with businesses and/or vacant space
• Stage & facilitate production of all events e.g Film screenings, Xmas Open Studios, Art Markets (Min 1 per month)

We have spent 9 years making use of neglected spaces, canalways, car parks, warehouses the next stage of our mission is to continue to provide a platform for emerging artists whilst developing a sustainable community asset able to retain and develop cultural audiences for Hackney Wick. Hackney WickED has a number of years experience managing grants/sponsorship (Arts Council, Council, Corporates) & has already secured support for our upcoming projects alongside support via a Creative Development partnership with Foundation for FutureLondon, L&Q & Hackney Council & other local stakeholders. Foundation for FutureLondon, Head of Creative Programmes: “Hackney WickED is a really unique arts festival for East London, which offers a valuable platform for artists who live and work here. We’re delighted to be working with them on a long term basis to ensure they can continue to grow and expand, reaching wider audiences and showcasing the extraordinary talent of east London’s artist community.”