Stories from the Shed Call for Creatives Brief - Sutton STEAMS Ahead
Call for Artists, Performers, Facilitators: Stories from the Shed - Sutton STEAMs Ahead
Overview
Artists and creatives including storytellers, performers, science soapbox stars, musicians, animators and craftspeople, are all being sought for ‘Stories from the Shed’, a public events series being curated as part of Sutton STEAMs Ahead 2023.
What's on offer
16 individual commissions to develop and present a performance or engagement activity which uses STEAM themes and which addresses one or more of the following ideas:
- Sutton’s STEAM history - people, places, landscapes
- Science in Sutton
- Sutton of the future
Where
London Borough of Sutton, various locations
Fees / Benefits
£1,000 fee per commission; development and public engagement opportunities; social media campaign to support project
Timeframe
Public events to be delivered in May - September 2023
Application process
The application window for these commissions will open between 15 February - 31 March 2023. A panel will meet regularly during this period to review submissions, with the potential for commissions to be awarded to strong proposals before the application window closes. We therefore recommend all interested parties submit as early as possible, or contact us as soon as possible to express their interest or to discuss ideas. All those wishing to apply for funding to develop and deliver their Stories from the Shed must complete the application form and checklist, ‘Stories from the Shed - Application Form - Sutton STEAMs Ahead’ (downloadable word document).
Completed applications and/or all enquiries should be emailed to: suttonsteamsahead@sutton.gov.uk. Please mark your submission ‘’Proposals for Stories from the Sheds-creative commission’’.
Completed applications and/or all enquiries should be emailed to: suttonsteamsahead@sutton.gov.uk. Please mark your submission ‘’Proposals for Stories from the Sheds-creative commission’’.
Full Brief
Background
Sutton STEAMs Ahead
In 2023, as part of the London Mayor’s ambition to put culture at the heart of local communities, the London Borough of Sutton is delivering an ambitious programme, Sutton STEAMs (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) Ahead, uniquely blending arts and science.
National Lottery Heritage Fund
Additional funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) brings an associated programme of activities, events and workshops showcasing the exciting and surprising relationships between science, heritage, culture, residents everyday lives and the environment.
Commission Outline
Shed Loads of Happiness: Stories from the Sheds is a community engagement and activities programme that explores Sutton’s connections to the scientific achievements, people, places and landscapes that have helped to shape life in the borough.
Artists and creatives are invited to apply for 16 x £1000 individual commissions, for performances or public engagement activities to be hosted within specific areas / micro venues at the Borough’s museums and libraries. Included in these venues are two semi permanent sheds which are being used as part of the associated Shed Loads of Happiness initiative - a direct to community group engagement programme.
The sheds and micro venue sites for this programme are located across the London Borough of Sutton at the following sites:
Sheds and micro venues will vary in size, but all performances must be deliverable within a 200 x 200 cm space (minimum).
The Stories from the Sheds programme will wow audiences on the untold stories and imagined futures of our communities, and allow them to discover the science of everyday life through fascinating and innovative ways.
Inspirations, topics and subject matter for these commissions needs to connect to one or more of the following themes - the list below provides examples of acceptable connections that could be made:
Artists and creatives are invited to apply for 16 x £1000 individual commissions, for performances or public engagement activities to be hosted within specific areas / micro venues at the Borough’s museums and libraries. Included in these venues are two semi permanent sheds which are being used as part of the associated Shed Loads of Happiness initiative - a direct to community group engagement programme.
The sheds and micro venue sites for this programme are located across the London Borough of Sutton at the following sites:
- The Happiness Shed, Little Holland House, Carshalton Beeches
- The Happiness Shed, Whitehall Historic House, Cheam
- The marquee, Honeywood Museum, Carshalton
- The bandstand, Wallington Library, Wallington
- The courtyard, Circle Library, Roundshaw
- The gallery, Sutton Central Library, Sutton
Sheds and micro venues will vary in size, but all performances must be deliverable within a 200 x 200 cm space (minimum).
The Stories from the Sheds programme will wow audiences on the untold stories and imagined futures of our communities, and allow them to discover the science of everyday life through fascinating and innovative ways.
Inspirations, topics and subject matter for these commissions needs to connect to one or more of the following themes - the list below provides examples of acceptable connections that could be made:
- Sutton’s STEAM history - people, places, landscapes: A short play about the 1930s aviator Amy Johnson, who was the first woman to fly from London to Australia, departing from Croydon Airport (now Beddington, Sutton)
- Sutton of the future: A performance that brings to life the vision of a net-zero Sutton, taking concepts from Sutton’s Environmental Strategy
- Science in Sutton: Workshop inspired by the pioneering work of the The Institute of Cancer Research
Expectation and Outputs
We are seeking creatives who can:
- Commit to the timeframe and deliver the brief
- Develop a STEAM inspired storytelling activity or engagement event. This could be in any form, examples include performances, writing, photography, visual arts, illustration, animation, poetry, audio, film, craft etc.
- Define audience engagement as part of the activity (families, adult, SEND, etc)
- Provide copy and supporting materials for social media and promotions
- Performances must be deliverable within a 200 x 200 cm space (minimum) with audiences.
- Collect evaluation from attendees (criteria provided by Commissioner)
- Commit to at least two separate public performance dates at one or more of the listed venues over the programme delivery period (May - September 2023)
- Demonstrate their proposal has a strong connection to Sutton and STEAM themes
- Acknowledge they have read and understood the Sutton STEAMs Ahead Guidance
Project Timeline
- 15 February - March 2023: Application period, commissioning commences
- 31 March 2023: Applications close
- 15 February - 5 April 2023: Successful applications confirmed
- February - 14 April 2023: Meetings with successful applicants
- 21 April 2023: Final programme confirmed, promotion commences
- May - September 2023: Programme delivery
- 30 September 2023: End of programme
How to Apply
All those wishing to apply for funding to develop and deliver their Stories from the Shed must complete the application form and checklist, ‘Stories from the Shed - Application Form - Sutton STEAMs Ahead’ (downloadable word document), which requests the following information:
Applications close by 31 March 2023, 11.59pm.
Please note: the application window for these commissions will open between 15 February - 31 March 2023. A panel will meet regularly during this period to review submissions, with the potential for commissions to be awarded to strong proposals before the application window closes. We therefore recommend all interested parties submit as early as possible, or contact Council Officers as soon as possible to express their interest or to discuss ideas.
For all enquiries email: suttonsteamsahead@sutton.gov.uk.
By participating in this project you are agreeing to be part of our public engagement programme. All bookings and promotion for the Stories from the Shed series will be managed by Sutton Council’s Cultural Services, all partners in the project will agree to support promotion by sharing details of the events with their audiences, friends and followers.
- A written or verbal description of your work on a website, in articles or on social media platforms (instagram, Twitter etc.), with reference, where possible, to experience delivering public activities or services. . If you would prefer not to share online links please provide a PDF document with visual or written examples of your work - no more than 10mb.
- A supporting statement (500-1000 words max. or 5 mins film or voice recording), which includes:
- An outline of your interest in taking up this project, and what you hope to achieve from the project
- Details of how your project meets the brief, expectations and output. Please include details of your business or charity registration if you have it but this is not mandatory.
Applications close by 31 March 2023, 11.59pm.
Please note: the application window for these commissions will open between 15 February - 31 March 2023. A panel will meet regularly during this period to review submissions, with the potential for commissions to be awarded to strong proposals before the application window closes. We therefore recommend all interested parties submit as early as possible, or contact Council Officers as soon as possible to express their interest or to discuss ideas.
For all enquiries email: suttonsteamsahead@sutton.gov.uk.
By participating in this project you are agreeing to be part of our public engagement programme. All bookings and promotion for the Stories from the Shed series will be managed by Sutton Council’s Cultural Services, all partners in the project will agree to support promotion by sharing details of the events with their audiences, friends and followers.