An invitation to creative freelancers to explore and develop their practice on the journey to a greener future.
Plymouth Culture champions creativity as a crucial tool in our collective effort to address the environmental crisis, and in the third year of our partnership with Art and Energy, we’re launching ‘Let’s Make Change’ a programme designed for creative freelance practitioners to develop their practice as part of a journey towards a greener future.
We are seeking 15 participants to join the programme which consists of workshops and 1-2-1 support sessions. Participants will receive a grant of £150 to support engagement and project development.
We are looking for creatives who have a project idea they wish to explore and who can benefit from this programme of support. (Note that a project can be about adopting sustainable practices into your work).
The programme will support creatives to:
Be more confident to explore sustainable solutions in their work.
Have a broader knowledge about the multifaceted topics of climate change, environmental impact, biodiversity loss, energy challenge etc.
Be part of a stronger network of creative peers across the city.
Be excited by the power of art to create
The programme activities include:
03 WORKSHOPS (face to face)
06, 13 and 20 November 2025, 10am-12pm, at the Genesis Building, 235 Union St, Stonehouse, Plymouth PL1 3HN
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PERIOD (self-managed)
November/25 – End January/26
1-2-1 FEEDBACK SESSION WITH ART AND ENERGY (online)
End January/26. Dates and time will be agreed by the participant and Art and Energy
SHARING SESSION - PROJECTS PRESENTATION (face to face)
26 February 2026, 10am-1pm, local TBC
- Join in with a minimum of two of the three face to face enrichment workshops (06, 13 and 20 November 2025)
- Develop and present their project proposal on a 1-2-1 online feedback session.
- Present their project proposal to the other participants in a face to face sharing session.
The selected participants that comply with the above will be awarded a grant of £150 (One hundred and fifty pounds sterling) to support their participation in the programme and the development of their project. This may include expenses with childcare, transportation, subsistence, compensated working time, or any other reasonable costs that enable effective engagement with the programme.
Plymouth Culture and Art and Energy are inviting applications from creative freelancers that live or work in Plymouth and can commit to this journey and are interested in exploring themes such as (but not limited to):
Ways to reduce their practice’s carbon footprint (materials/energy/other)
Develop a new collaboration with a cross-sector partner specialising in a climate issue
Work with a new community / audience who have not previously been interested in the environment
Undertake a creative project exploring a new biodiversity theme
Trial new less damaging techniques
All creative practices are welcome including:
✓ Visual Arts
✓ Theatre
✓ Dance
✓ Music
✓ Writing (poetry, plays, novels, non fiction etc)
✓ Performance
✓ Film making
✓ Craft
✓ Design (including graphic design and illustration)
✓ Animation
✓ Libraries
✓ Museums
✓ Cultural education
✓ Cultural Management/ Cultural Development
✓ Heritage
Deadline to apply: Monday, 06 October 2025, 10:00am BST