And Still I Rise – 2Funky Arts
Vijay Mistry, Director of Leicester’s 2Funky Arts and 2Funky Music café, tells us about their latest project funded through National Lottery Project Grants and the importance of creating an empowering spotlight for Black artists.
National Lottery Project Grants is our open access programme which is supporting thousands of individual artists, community and cultural organisations to make work and have the time to think, plan and test new ideas during Covid-19.
About the project
Our project ‘And Still I Rise’ is a platform which will represent Black artists, giving them an opportunity to express their artistry in response to recent events, such as the killing of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
Each selected artist will be paid to create a 10-15 performance in any art form they wish, so long as it champions Black lives and creates a response to either the Black Lives Matter Movement and/or the impact of COVID-19.
We will help these artists to develop exciting new work for this project, and all performance pieces will be live streamed and showcased as part of Black History Month 2020, at 2Funky Music Café.
It’s extremely important that we provide an empowering spotlight for Black artists, as well as an opportunity to celebrate resilience and unity.
Who’s involved?
Our project aims to engage Black artists from all creative backgrounds, whether it is: rap, all forms of dance, singing, theatre, poetry, spoken word, animation etc. All artists must also be 18 years or older.
The Black Lives Matter Movement has shown how crucial it is to have Black representation, so I’m happy to be able to provide a platform for Black artists, where their artistry can be both expressed and appreciated.
It’s important not to shy away from the racial struggles that the Black community are still facing, and I’m hoping that my project will raise awareness to these problems whilst still celebrating the strong calibre of talent that the Black community holds.
Applying to National Lottery Project Grants
The Arts Council have been very supportive and enthusiastic about our work over the years for various projects. This support encouraged me to apply for National Lottery Project Grants, to create new opportunities such as And Still I Rise, where artists can express themselves whilst showcasing their artistry.
If you have a strong idea for a project and are seriously passionate about it, then take that step and speak to the Arts Council.
Project Grants
National Lottery Project Grants is our open access programme for arts, libraries and museums projects. The fund supports thousands of individual artists, community and cultural organisations.
