Programmes & Resources

Talent Accelerator has been working with a variety of organisations to support them to add entry level paid posts into their projects. Allowing young people to gain experience, develop professional confidence and create networks.  It has been a pleasure to support:

– Sophie Wright Meditation Pods to work with 3 young people as invigilators
– Phoene Cave (Transit to work with a young film maker)
– Towner to work with 2 young people as production runners on events with Barabra Walker and Florence Peake

If you are a creative organisation who would like to know more please contact kim.byford@dlwp.com

Talent Accelerator have been delighted to partner with Good Space which is a unique platform supporting creative, inclusive and meaningful volunteering opportunities in arts, heritage, and sports organisations. Find out more about the project here.

We attended training events run by Good Space focused on understanding Neurodiversity Awareness and Mental Health Awareness to help us support volunteers.

Our wonderful volunteer, Lulu, came to us via Good Space and has completed tasks across the building. We have been supported to find the most suitable activities. It has been great to watch Lulu’s achievements in her time with us and seeing her confidence grow. Check out some of her work here.

We worked with Seaglass Arts to add three young creatives into paid Assistant Community Facilitator roles to their wonderful residency at All Saints Primary in Sidley (more info on the project here.

The three young people we recruited, Kiana, Matthew and Amber, worked alongside Seaglass founder Sam Glazier to deliver session to Early Years groups. This was a great first career step giving a real insight into how to use your musical skills in a community setting.

Life after Breakthrough

Elliott completed his 6 month Breakthrough Programme (Artswork) here at the DLWP April 23-March 24, we caught up with him to see where he’s at now.

T/A: How did you find your time on the breakthrough programme?

Elliott: it was good, I enjoyed a range of different things, I liked branching out out working with different people.

T/A: What were your standout moments?

Elliott: Working on the gallery turn around for Manuel Mathieu’s exhibition, I found in interesting learning about the practical skills and the team was great!

T/A: Where are you now and what are your hopes for the future?

Elliott: I’m now a full time member at the De La Warr and work with a range of different people and across different areas of the De La Warr. I’m currently part of the cafe team, crew staff for shows and assist in the gallery turn around. I’m also in a band called The Tellums and we’re currently working on releasing our album!

Daisy joined the Marketing team here at the De La Warr Pavilion in Autumn 2023. Lack of entry level positions for creative industries is one of the research findings that lead to the funding of Talent Accelerator. Supporting organisations to consider using apprenticeships to fill vacancies has been key to this. The marketing team at DLWP challenged themselves to add a level 4 apprenticeship using nationwide provider Gingernut for the training elements. Daisy works in the marketing team 4 days a week with 1 day a week dedicated to her online learning.
We spoke to Daisy to see how the apprenticeship was working for her.

TA: How have found your apprenticeship so far?

Daisy: I’ve found my time very insightful, and it’s been very interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes like attending meetings and coordinate content for social media.

TA: what have been your standout moments so far?

Daisy: The opportunity to make video content from filming, editing, producing a copy and posting on social media.
 
If you would like to find out more about adding an apprentice to your creative organisation please get in touch kim.byford@dlwp.com

We have been working with East Sussex College Group to find ways to help fill the gaps we have in Sussex for technicians in creative venues. This has led to an innovative approach where a group of apprentices have been brought together weekly here at DLWP for instruction from Mat McQuade our Head Technician. Mat has completed his PTLLS (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector) qualification with East Sussex College Group and leads delivery and assessment for Creative Industries Production Technician Apprenticeship Standard for them. A wonderful example of industry and education working together to meet an identified regional skills deficit.

Find out more here

Talent Accelerator worked with The Catalyst on it’s a participatory arts programme commissioned by East Sussex County Council, for young people with the aim of improving wellbeing, loneliness and isolation, skills, and employability.
This programme gives young people the opportunity to participate in work with artists, photographers, film makers, and sound designers. Talent Accelerator worked alongside to support young people to engage in activity, signpost further opportunities and plot career pathways. The programme is free and open to anyone aged 12 to 24 living in East Sussex.

Find out more here

Flatland Futures and Talent Accelerator developed a 6 months communal studio residency for artists aged 18-25 years old from or living in East Sussex. This opportunity is designed to run alongside the Flatland Projects our Autumn / Winter programmes from September 2023 – February 2024 culminating in a group exhibition in February 2024.
This 6 month studio residency will give access to a free communal studio at Beeching Road Studios each day 10:00 – 19:00 with key engagement days happening on Fridays and Sundays with the Flatland Projects and DLWP teams in Bexhill on Sea. This programme is focused on creating an access point into the artistic ecology of Bexhill and wider East Sussex for young artists at the beginning stage of their creative lives. This residency will also run at the same time as the 2023 Turner Prize in Eastbourne at the Towner Gallery which will be a key resource for this programme to question what contemporary art is, and who it is for!

Flatland Projects’ and Talent Accelerator ran an Introduction to Being an Art Technician course in August 2023. This was an opportunity for 6 x 18-25 year olds from or living in East Sussex to learn the ins-and-outs of working in an art gallery. Participants gained an insight into building walls and plinths, preparing for exhibitions, and hanging / installing art works.

This course, was led by two experienced technicians working locally and in London, giving an insight into the types of work that goes on in an art gallery behind the scenes.

The course spanned four days during which time participants installed a small exhibition at Flatland Projects. They built a studio display wall, fabricated small plinths for sculptures, painted the space and hanging the artworks using a variety of fixtures and fittings.

This experience was added to with work experience placements with the install team at the Towner, Eastbourne, on the Turner prize exhibition.

Talent Accelerator was excited to work with Eastbourne ALIVE; to create 100 work placements and volunteer opportunities for young people 16-25 across all of the activities. This was an important opportunity to bring together all the partners and focus on supporting young people into the creative industries. You can check out the range of placements here .

Talent Accelerator has been supporting Devonshire Collective with it’s Associate Artists Programme, supporting three East Sussex based artists under 25 to be involved. The programme has been designed to provide artists with the support, boundaries and resources for effective and mutually beneficial work with communities.
Running from April 2023–April 2024, the six selected artists will receive 1-to-1 support from Dana Brass, peer learning opportunities through group supervision, bi-monthly masterclasses by leading local practitioners, and receive support to design and deliver two paid workshops with communities in Eastbourne.
Find out more here   

This programme ran from September until December 2023 (Exhibitions were open to the public Saturday 25 November until 10 December 2023)
Talent Accelerator was delighted to work with The Blackshed Gallery as part of Eastbourne Alive to create a project where two early career artists, Connie Ashford and Tilly May O’Shea, worked alongside artist Liz Wilson on the development and exhibition of Of Confluence as well as creating their own exhibition The Glassbox of work developed with art students at Robertsbridge Community College. Alongside the project Connie and Tilly has mentoring from Ben Urban from Flatland Projects.

Find out more here

DLWP sought young people, aged 18 to 25 from coastal East Sussex who wanted to develop their careers as music promoters.

The organization offered a paid one-year programme to discover and empower eight emerging music promoters to develop their careers within the vibrant live music scene of coastal East Sussex, from Eastbourne to Rye.”

Eight young participants were selected and received micro-grants to promote and deliver a series of gigs at local venues, supported by talks, masterclasses and mentoring from music industry professionals and DLWP’s Talent Accelerator programme.

Find out more here.