St Paul's Carnival and Trinity Community Arts have joined forces for an ambitious project

St Paul’s Carnival and Trinity Community Arts have joined forces to create an ambitious project that aims to pilot a new people-led model for culture. 

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch) has committed funding for this research and development project, to test a process in which citizens could lead the creation and design of a cultural strategy for Bristol and the surrounding region.  
Over the next year, the pilot will explore tested models such as Citizens’ Assemblies - used in Bristol in 2021 as part of the city’s post-COVID19 recovery planning - to input and shape democratic decision making in Bristol; a city known for its arts and culture.  

St Paul’s Carnival and Trinity are both grassroots, independent organisations based in East Bristol. Alongside delivering citywide events, both work with local communities to design and deliver creative and cultural provision throughout the year. 

LaToyah McAllister-Jones Executive Director of St Pauls Carnival said; “as cultural organisations who are embedded in local communities, we want to explore a different approach - one in which the very people who make and enjoy culture have a voice to express what this means for our city.” 

Emma Harvey, CEO of Trinity said, “Gulbenkian are a funder who support communities to build coalitions to tackle complex global problems. We are excited to work with them and others to develop a bottom-up approach within the city  that speaks of the collective experiences of our diverse communities, in order to better shape future decision making. I’d personally love to see this work culminate in a people-led bid for Bristol as a City of Culture”.  

This research phase will run until Summer 2023 and will involve a series of targeted workshops and open sessions, that will explore different ways of co-creating with communities. The project is a collaboration with David Jubb of Citizens In Power.  
 

If you would like to get involved, or for more information, please contact esther@trinitybristol.org.uk