Are you an artist aged between 18 and 25 years old?
Have you been in doing your practice for over 2 years? Whether as an arts student or as an early career professional.
Would you like to be a part of the next generation of professional carnival artists?

Cowley Road works, the charity that runs Cowley Road Carnival, has applied for Arts Council England funding to create the Rocket Project, an exciting intensive training scheme for 10 new and emerging artists from Oxford to gain experience working with community groups creating Carnival costumes and structures.

The course will be open to 18-25 year olds and applicants will need to show that they have at least 2 years previous training or have worked within a visual, not Performance, arts based background. The funding application is explicitly to work with artists from Oxfordshire and we encourage people from BAME backgrounds and also applicants with conditions to take part in this inclusive project.

The trainee’s course will include, but is not limited to-
2 days training with the lead artist, learning making skills, systems and best practice when working with schools and vulnerable people, ways to encourage group inspiration and designing for carnival.
5 days training with visiting carnival artists from across the UK
1 day of talks and discussion about the history of carnival, its traditions and how that has influenced the UK carnival scene.
Discussions with the Rocket project lead artist about this year’s carnival theme and the best way to begin interpreting that to take into schools. This year the theme is Space is the Place.
Guidance and training in working with young, vulnerable or people with conditions or impairments.
Trainees will then go on to lead carnival arts projects in pairs, each pair will be allocated a school, 2 of which are SEN schools.
An enhanced DBS check.

The course is likely to take place between April and June and all successful candidates would be expected to attend carnival itself on July the 7th to support the schools/groups that they have been working with.

All artists, from all backgrounds are very much invited, trainees will be expected to work in an inclusive manner and will be given training to be able to do so where necessary.
The trainees will each receive a fee of £500

Please note this opportunity is very much subject to funding, as soon as we know the outcome of our application we will be in touch with applicants for more information and suitable dates for interviews.
Please click on the link below to register your expression of interest for taking part in the project.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_R6Lrdv...