RISE UP RESIDENCY is a collaborative mural art project in Margate, Kent. The initiative is spearheaded by local CIC RISE UP. CLEAN UP. and led by Margate-based, internationally acclaimed artist Louis Masai. The residency takes the form of a week-long mural festival and residency programme for the artists, documenting ocean biodiversity and plastic hazards, intended to act as an informative backdrop reminding the community and tourists alike to partake in recycling plastics and respecting the ocean. Over the course of the week the whole of Margate, specifically small businesses, will be invited to open their doors to conduct workshops in conjunction with and supported by the residency. As well as employing locals to assist on the project, we aim to support businesses already working within Margate and ensure the project benefits them as much as possible. The project legacy is a plastics free community.

What we'll deliver:

• 20 world class murals
• Ocean related community talks
• Plastics solutions workshops
• Opportunity for schools to engage with the murals
• Opportunity for the wider community to engage with the murals
• Local jobs within production
• Job opportunity for mural art tours post production
• Increase in tourism due to the murals and the celebrity factor to some of the participating artsist
• Increased connectivity between established community’s via the murals

Why it's a great idea:

This project, will create an opportunity for margate to become plastics free whilst also highlighting many other avenues of environmental change that the community can achieve. The murals, act as beautiful backdrops within the wider community providing deep imapcting stories, some local, assisting in the relief of climate anxiety. The murals provide access to the arts in the public domain, its free and easy to understand, its one of the most contemporary and liberated arts. Our roster of artists include local, uk based and a few European artists. Our artists represent a very diverse and inclusive call-out, as will the approach to the work created, all under the running theme of ocean conservation. This project will provide the start of new ocean conservation awareness, and In turn foster new action. Nature will thanks us for taking a stand.

Steps to get it done:

• confirm artsist x20
• confirm walls x10
• confirm walls x10
• confirm supporting NGOS and foundations
• prime the 20 walls
• paint 20 murals

This project is already supported by, synchronicity earth, sea shepherd, minorities in shark science, the law family foundation, British divers marine life rescue, open school east, break free from plastics, Thanet council, We are in close conversation with, people Dem collective, SAS, and many more conversations have begun. All murals will be aligned with an NGO, foundation, charity, that is aligned with ocean conservation and awareness. The murals will be coupled with journalism and presented to the media via a specialist environmental pr campaign.