Applications are now open for a brand-new £6,000 Research and Development commission

Thanks to the Cultural Recovery Fund we are inviting Bristol based organisations or artists to apply for a new commission  to support a Young Audiences Research and Development project. The successful company/artist will work toward creating a live performance or experience made for Young Audiences aged 3-10 years. We welcome artists of any practice and working in any art-form to apply.

Trinity is a cultural-hub for the city, where people of all ages and backgrounds come together. As well as hosting 600 capacity live music performances we also programme theatre and dance in our flexible studio space.

Our building sits at the meeting point of three distinctive and diverse Bristol wards - Easton, Ashley (St Pauls) and Lawrence Hill - whose residents make up Trinity’s local community. In these difficult times, we believe that the arts can bring together communities and we want to commission a piece of work that will do just that.

We’re looking for a Bristol based (within a 20 mile radius of Trinity Centre) artist or organisation, who will Research and Develop/ Create an experience for young audiences that is welcoming and accessible to people from all walks of life including young audiences who may not speak English as a first language and young audiences with disabilities.

The Research and Development period must take place before 12th March 2021.

This commission is for R&D but we expect that the results of the R&D will be shared or showcased in some form.

We will provide:

-£6,000 commission fee (Please note that you must have a bank account in your organisation’s name or be registered as self-employed)

-Opportunity to use our Trinity building space as in-kind support to develop the project

-Advice and guidance from relevant members of staff at Trinity and relevant partners

-Opportunity to share progress of the project with community members, industry professionals and other artists. We particularly welcome applications from artists whose experiences are less visible in 'mainstream' arts programming.

Please note.

All work carried out as part of the commission must adhere to current Covid-19 regulations and guidelines.

We will be hosting a Zoom call on 8th December at 4pm for an informal Q&A session around the commission.

This opportunity is now closed

Created and hosted by the sublime and distinctive Talia Randall, this BSL interpreted and captioned poetry cabaret features a kaleidoscope of performances, from comedians to sign language artists and rising stars of the spoken word scene.

This is brought to you by Trinity Presents. Click here to see more arts, community, well-being and education content or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Trinity are working with external artists, partners and organisations as part of Trinity Presents Online to provide exciting content, relevant to Trinity's diverse audiences and in line with our Equal Opportunities and Free Speech Policies. Click here for more information about our Policies. While we endeavour to ensure content we share is relevant and appropriate, Trinity is not responsible for individual content created by third parties.

Exploring madness, masculinity and how to recover from both. The Unmaster is in a genre of its own: an honest gig; a dance; an unflinching poem; a story of a mental breakdown assembled from Dizraeli's own diary entries and frightened scribbles. Featuring the new Dizraeli band, playing music from Dizraeli's album of the same name. Visuals from Chris Allen of The Light Surgeons (The Orb; Splice Festival) and direction from Stef O'Driscoll (Nabokov Theatre) and Nina Santes (Hymene Hymne; La Fronde).

This is brought to you by Trinity Presents. Click here to see more arts, community, well-being and education content or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Trinity are working with external artists, partners and organisations as part of Trinity Presents Online to provide exciting content, relevant to Trinity's diverse audiences and in line with our Equal Opportunities and Free Speech Policies. Click here for more information about our Policies. While we endeavour to ensure content we share is relevant and appropriate, Trinity is not responsible for individual content created by third parties.

Making Tracks is a life-changing music making project for young people, aged 16-25, delivered by Trinity in partnership with ACE and Basement.

The first Steering Group meeting was held on Thursday 15th October. The Steering Group gives Making Tracks participants a chance to share their opinions to help shape the programme and opportunities to connect with others on the programme.

The meeting was led by Steering Group Producer, Amber Watsonn, who is on a work placement through BE IT - a radical leadership programme run by Rising Arts Agency.

Amber is dedicated to improving representation in thearts sector and is bringing her passion for empowering and championing young people's voices into the steering group.

With the help of project intern, Thomas Meadley, Amber invited four young people to take part in this meeting that aimed to be an accessible space and allow for all voices to be heard.

The first part of the session focused on understanding the purpose and aims of the steering group. The session was briefly joined by Dave Thomas, Trinity’s Youth Activities Manager. His contagious enthusiasm for Making Tracks and Youth Music helped spark young people to share their love for the programme.

Young people shared their thoughts on how the Making Tracks project is accessible to them; how it caters to everyone no matter their skill, home life or musical interests. The group shared how much taking part in the project helps support mental health and confidence building. They also commented on the supportive staff that show how much they want to be there and help in any way they can.

Amber then supported the group to share how they may want to shape the project in the future. This included:

- an online forum for young people to network, share their music, and see news and project updates

- more studio access to record music

- more online resources

- how they can help support the project

The meeting ended, as all good meetings should do, with pizza and an opportunity to discuss the next meeting's agenda.

Want to get Involved?

The steering group is always open to new members. Please email amber@trinitybristol.org.uk if you would like more information or have any questions.

Making Tracks is supported by Youth Music and using public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England, as well as support from match funders.

Trinity's Dave Thomas and Noods Radio's Leon Patrick and Jack Machin take a socially distanced delivery of the new equipment

Noods Radio, the independent radio station broadcasting from Bristol's Stokes Croft, have raised money for new equipment for Trinity’s life-changing music making programme, Making Tracks.

The release of the 11 track Hypha compilation CD, earlier this year, saw all profits being donated to the youth music project; with South West cider Thatchers providing match funding for the purchase of mic stands, mics and other technical equipment.

The new equipment means the young people who take part in the project have access to professional equipment to gain skills and confidence through music making.

We are really grateful to Leon Patrick and Jack Machin, owners of Noods Radio, who contacted us to offer their support to the project.

Making Tracks is supported by Youth Music, using funds from the National Lottery

The Prime Minister has announced a second national lockdown for England beginning 5 November, in an effort to limit the transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Click here to read more about what this means.

The Trinity Centre will be closed for public events and gatherings from 5 November, until such times as restrictions ease. Trinity has been and will continue to closely monitor Public Health England guidelines in relation to the COVID-19 situation, in order to respond as necessary.

We will be working to adapt and deliver some activities online as part of grant funded projects - including the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund - and will liaise with community partners to make sure we support any coordinated responses to support those most vulnerable during these difficult times.

Ticket holders

We will communicate via our website and mailing lists regarding all cancellations or postponed events. All tickets will be valid for rescheduled dates, however if you would like to request a refund, please do so by contacting our bookings team on info@trinitybristol.org.uk and include the event name, date and the email you used to make the booking.

Hirers

Please contact your Booking Coordinator about your planned event to discuss either postponing and rescheduling or cancelling your event.

Advice for the Community

We would urge individuals to follow Public Health England and stay at home unless they have a specific reason to leave, such as education and work which cannot be done from home.

If you or anyone else in your household are displaying any symptoms of COVID-19 - a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste - get a test as soon as possible and stay at home until you get the result.

If you are unsure or need to check symptoms, visit the NHS COVID-19 Self Assessment.

Lullabies is a project by Associate Artist Roxana Vilk, connecting people around the world through lullabies.

Inspired by singing traditional Iranian lullabies to her children at night, Roxana wondered how many other families where singing lullabies in the many languages spoken across Bristol. In 2018, Roxana began to collect lullabies with local families, during her IGNiTE residency at Trinity.

In 2020, the project was selected to be part of the Nationwide Here & Now project, celebrating 25 years of The National Lottery. Roxana continues to collect, record, and share lullabies from around the world, using them to find common ground between different communities and cultures.

You can take part in the project and be part of an online exhibition sharing Lullabies from across the world.  Submit yours online here.

We are pleased and relieved to announce that Trinity has been awarded £329,363 through public funds from the Government's Culture Recovery Fund.

Trinity’s mission is to empower communities through the arts.The grant enables us to invest in the organisation and continue to support over 70 arts and VCS organisations each year, as well as the many communities who use the centre at this critical time.

Over 80% of Trinity's core costs are covered by income generated by our trading-arm. Following the ceasing of trading in March 2020, due to lockdown measures, we faced a substantial financial loss. The grant provides a critical investment for Trinity, providing stability for the next six months helping us remain financially viable beyond March 2021.

As well as covering core costs, such as staff and infrastructure, we will create a programme of Covid secure cultural activities and invest in the freelance cultural taskforce who have been acutely affected by the restrictions.

Working with local musicians and promoters we will create a programme of subsidised socially distanced events. The grant will enable Trinity to offer artists/companies paid opportunities in performance, residencies and micro-commissions. We will continue our online programme, launched during Lockdown, with live stream events.

We will announce our programme of activities online, through our newsletter and on our social media.

Local families took part in nature based activities

Families took part in 'bubbles'

Over the summer we welcomed local families back to our community garden.

Working in partnership with St Pauls Children Centre and Up Our Street, we invited local family 'bubbles' to take part in nature sessions aimed at learning, play and exploration.

In total, 45 people, aged 0–80, took part in activities that included sensory scavenger hunts, bug hunts and potting up fresh flowers. Trinity’s Associate Artist, Roxana Vilk, led lullaby workshops around a campfire whilst the children learnt how to whittle and toast marshmallows.

“We live on the 7th floor in our flat. I was scared to come as I don’t like bees but I love it here now, I can’t wait to come back!” Abdir, age 7

During lockdown, the garden team, with help from a small team of wonderful volunteers, created and distributed activity packs to local schools. With additional funding from Children In Need we were able to pack and send out an extra 121 ‘Nature To Your Door’ activity packs to our surrounding schools and community organisations; including working in partnership with organisations such as St Pauls Adventure, May Park Primary and Rosemary Nursery.

Our Summer Family Garden Days were made possible through funding from Children in Need.

Ten years ago, 116 separate pieces of legislation were brought together in one single Act.

The Equality Act 2010 shapes anti-discrimination law in the UK today. It's the culmination of 800 years of human rights struggles in Britain and a key part of our identity as a democratic society.

By defining protected characteristics within the Act, we set out what matters to us as a nation. Parity, equity, representation and participation are not just things that are nice to have, but elements critical to our individual, social and economic success.

‘Protected’ does not mean we omit these characteristics from our decision making. It’s about giving consideration to and accommodating difference to meet the interests of everyone fully, removing the barriers that enable some to succeed whilst holding others back.

Time and time again, the advancement of these rights doesn't stem from an epic battle of good vs evil. It's born of the actions of ordinary people who find the courage to say no to something accepted as normal at the time - whether that's standing in front of a bus to confront racism or striking to protect workers' rights.

Flash forward to today and it feels like we've hit a bit of a dead end as far as our rights go. Technology has us simultaneously connected and divided. Movements have galvanised the public whilst splintering society into angry irreconcilable fractions. Political discourse has descended into vitriolic one-upmanship, while we’re all stuck playing off protected characteristics against one another like a game of Equalities Top Trumps.

To navigate beyond this we need to hold onto the very purpose of the Act; equality is not a burden placed on us but an opportunity. How many scholars, inventors, engineers, artists and scientists have we lost out on over generations past? To be conscious of difference and to see its benefits helps us to realise the potential of every human mind for the betterment of us all. Each time we fail to include is a possibility for innovation that is missed.

The Act may not be perfect. But reflecting on its anniversary can serve as a reminder of what we can achieve if we stand up for what we believe in and enable everyone to have a fair chance to a healthy, happy life. The surge in volunteering in response to the coronavirus crisis has at least shown us that, in spite of everything that divides us, people are able to unite and mobilise for the good of each other when it matters most.

Provoking change is neither a sprint nor a marathon; it’s a relay. If it feels like we're covering the same ground over and over again that's probably because we are. The bit that keeps it exciting is you never know who’s gonna pick up that baton next in the race for human rights.

That's why we have to reset and see the face of our own struggles in the faces of others - not just in our friends but in the face of our worst enemy. Seeing the limitations of ourselves and our own assumptions and treating cooperation not as a chore but as the tool that's fundamental to our evolutionary success.

The next ten years of equality and what that means for us all is a lap that starts with you today.

Emma Harvey, CEO

Following a competitive open-call for applications, we are very excited to have commissioned Neurodivergent, queer artist Tink Flaherty as part of our Trinity Presents programme. Tink will develop a brand new idea for an online audience called ‘Bed Bloggers,’ a performance aiming to challenge the stigma associated with spending a day in bed, by starting a series of intimate performances directly from their bed.

Tink applied along with 38 other artists to our joint commissioning opportunity delivering in partnership with Cambridge Junction, made possible using Arts Council England’s Covid-19 Emergency Respond Fund.

“I am delighted to be the recipient of the Trinity and Cambridge Junction commission for my project Bed Blogger: Bed Blocker is a person who occupies a hospital bed long-term, the suggestion being they might be overstaying their welcome, blocking the bed from being used by other patients. I am particularly interested in working with neurodivergent artists and engaging neurodivergent audiences, those with long term health conditions and those who experience disability.” Tink Flaherty

Tink will be working with Efi Ntoumouzi, a multimedia artist to design and curate a brand new online experience /exhibition space and artist Katy Baird, who will work alongside Tink to devise and develop the performance element of the work.

The panel that had the tough decision on which artist to award the £3,000 commission to included community partners and participants from both Trinity and Cambridge Junction. Panel member Sam Ross said “Tink’s project is a worthy commission, and promises to fully exploit the creative demands and possibilities of digital performance, in order to rewrite the social narrative around chronic invisible illnesses and the act of being bedbound.” Other panels members included TV scriptwriter and playwright Jane Carter Woodrow, MAYK Co-Director Kate Yedigaroff, Troop member and Performer Sam Ross, Total Arts participant Mary Ellen and Director and facilitator Gavin Dent.

You’ll be able to check out Tink’s project by following us on our social media channels and keeping an eye on our news page. To find out more about Trinity’s Arts programme head here

*Neurodivergent is a person whose brain does not work as generally expected or accepted by society (Oliver, 2019:3)

Trinity Community Arts Ltd has been accredited as a Living Wage Employer – a commitment that will see everyone working at the Trinity Centre receive a minimum hourly wage of £9.30 or higher. The real Living Wage rate is significantly higher than the government minimum for over 25s, which currently stands at £8.72 per hour.

"The future might be uncertain, but we're nevertheless committed to ensuring our lowest paid employees and contractors aren't the ones bearing the burden of the challenges we face.”

Emma Harvey, Trinity CEO

In the South West, over a fifth of all jobs (20%) pay less than the real Living Wage - around 456,000 jobs.

Despite this and the current recession, Trinity has committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.

The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 230,000 people and put over £1 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.

Emma Harvey, Trinity CEO said: “Trinity isn't just a building - it's people who make great things happen. With restrictions on live-performances still in place, there's a lot of precariousness in the arts and culture sector right now - plus, we're a charity still fundraising to support our direct delivery.

"The Centre is based in one of the most economically deprived, ethnically diverse areas in the South West. If we want the arts sector to reach and represent diverse communities, this starts with paying people properly.

"The future might be uncertain, but we're nevertheless committed to ensuring our lowest paid employees and contractors aren't the ones bearing the burden of the challenges we face.”

Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that Trinity has joined the movement of over 6000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.

“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Chelsea and Everton Football Clubs, Lush, and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like Trinity, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay."

Rise Youth Dance take part in Ucnehnna Dance workshop

Trinity has delivered youth arts training since 2005, working with over 250 young people from challenging circumstances annually, giving them a chance to realise their potential through participation in arts and culture.

Trinity has been awarded a grant of £30,000 from The Social Enterprise Support Fund.

With over 80% of Trinity's core costs covered by income generated by our trading-arm and restrictions still in place on live music events and club nights, our model of sustaining a vibrant and diverse community programme has been overturned.

Many people know Trinity as a live music venue, but even with live events not happening, we're still very much delivering our wider community arts programming, which includes supporting other grassroots groups with space and resources and delivering activities such as our youth music and community garden projects, so people can develop skills, build confidence, reduce isolation and improve well-being.

Funding from Social Enterprise Support Fund, distributed by Resonance, will help us to remain solvent and support business development activity, in order to explore other ways to sustain our community arts programme.

The Social Enterprise Support Fund provides essential financial support to help social enterprises during COVID-19.

Since 2009, Trinity has supported 33 YP through paid-internships as part of national programmes including the Creative Employment Programme and The Future Jobs Fund.

It will help social enterprises to meet additional demands, change the way they work, make their spaces COVID-secure, and manage liquidity during the next six months.

Five social enterprise support agencies have come together to deliver the fund. Big Issue Invest, The Key Fund, Resonance, the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) and UnLtd will jointly deliver £18.5 million in grants, with support from CAF Venturesome, the Young Foundation and Ashoka.

This has been made possible thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK. The partnership is one of five The National Lottery Community Fund is supporting as part of its COVID crisis response.

Rhiannon Jones, Programme Director of Trinity said; "These are challenging times, but this grant will help us to continue to deliver our services at a time when they're most needed and rebuild for the future. Thanks to National Lottery players for making this possible."

Lady Like by Ella Mesma, programmed as part of IGNiTE at Trinity.  Photo @Jessica Bartolini

Bristol Dance Futures are offering £8,000 for four Dance Connect Artist residencies. The residencies will see artists work in collaboration with Bristol based organisations, with the aim to see how dance practise could enrich a working environment and to exchange learning.

Dance Connect is an initiative by Bristol Dance Futures and aims to nurture talent, provide continuing professional development opportunities for dancers, and create a vibrant dance ecology so people of all ages can engage with high quality dance.

The Dance Connect initiative will embed four dance artists in Bristol’s arts, cultural and community organisations for 40 days, over a period of up to 11 months from November 2020

To apply now* please complete the Full Partnership Application form addressing the aims and the assessment criteria below.

(*Please note applications will only be accepted from those who have completed an Expression of Interest form. You can also download the Full Partnership Application form as a PDF here and the Guidelines and Assessment criteria here)

For more info please contact Deborah Baddoo - dancefutures@theatrebristol.net

Dance Connect Aims:

• Raise the profile of dance within individual organisations and more broadly within the cultural sector
• Embed the value of dance and the contribution dance artists can make within and across organisations - strengthen Bristol’s dance ecology and lever more support for dance
• Better equip organisations to work with dance artists
• Create opportunities for critical dialogue between organisations, dance artists and audiences
• Provide opportunities to test, grow and change the practice of individual dance artists, people working within organisations and the wider sector
• Create models of working which can be sustained beyond the period of this initiative

Criteria for Assessment:

• Experience in working within their chosen field of activity
• Imaginative and ambitious nature of the application
• Specificity of ideas
• Potential for impact of the residency
• What difference the residency will make to the artists' and organisations' practice
• Potential for legacy after the residency has ended
• Ideas on how they might share the impact of the Dance Connect residency

Full Partnership Application deadline 5pm 13th November 2020

Trinity Presents Garden Sessions. Design by Adam Menzies

Drum roll please… We are ready to welcome you back music lovers! In a specially erected tent in the historic grounds of Trinity, we will be running weekend sessions throughout the Autumn and we cannot wait.

Trinity Presents Garden Sessions will run throughout October, launching its first weekend with Bristol's experimental trio Waldo’s Gift (Oct 16), Livity Sound's Hodge & Danielle (Oct 17), and Dubkasm meets Ashanti Selah (Oct 18).

With Saturday & Sunday being powered by Sinai Soundystem.

“We cannot wait to welcome our music-loving audiences back to Trinity and have worked hard to make sure that we can provide a safe space for our audiences to come and enjoy what they love most - music. We cannot wait to bring well-loved artists, from Bristol and beyond, back to Trinity.” Jamell Ackford, Venue Manager

Ticket buyers can book a table for up to 6 people (from £48 +bf). Drinks will be served via Love My Local and there will be options to purchase food.

Tickets go on sale Sep 16, 10am.

Jamell has shaped a career in event programming at Trinity over ten years, including Benjamin Zephaniah as part of Trinity Presents.

Jamell joined the Trinity team in 2010, as part of the Future Jobs scheme, starting in an entry level role, as Events Assistant. Ten years later, as Venue Manager, he reflects on the importance of the opportunity.

“2009, I was fresh in Bristol and fresh out of university.

I had come from the city of Plymouth, where I studied Fine Art and recorded some of the infrequent club events. I wanted to continue my new passion within the arts. I refused to get a job I had no passion for.

One day, I passed Trinity. I loved the look of the place and had to find out what happened there. Luckily for me, Trinity was involved in a 6-month Future Jobs Fund programme through the Job Centre.

I started my journey as the Events Assistant and helping with the Youth Music Programme. During this time, I learnt so much about the amazing work that Trinity does and the passion the team has for each project.

I didn’t want this dream job to come to an end and was elated to be given the opportunity to stay on. I learnt so much from the team; from community bookings and weddings, to developing my skills enough to organise our own NYE events and annual Garden Party - which is the most notable accomplishment, growing the audience every year, with a diverse line up of Bristol talent.

With the development and progression of the role over the years, I am honoured to say I am now the Venue Manager of this wonderful organisation and look forward to what the future holds for the Centre.”

Jamell was able to pursue a career in the creative industries through the Future Jobs Fund. Opportunities like this, and the newly announced Kickstart Scheme, work towards diversifying the workforce in the sector.

We continue to create internships and employment opportunities as part of our project activity. Through our youth programme, Making Tracks, young people enhance their employability through music making. With the economic impact of Covid-19 still to be fully experienced, opportunities like this are even more important.

Read more on our thoughts about the importance of creating opportunities in the creative industry here.

Students and professionals take part in a Making Tracks sector sharing day. Making Tracks is a  life changing music making project delivered by us, in partnership with leading youth services providers Basement Studios and ACE. Photo Paul Blakemore

With the DWP's announcement of the Kickstart Scheme, Trinity explores what such jobs might mean for the Creative industries

People from lower socio-economic backgrounds make up just 12% of the workforce in the creative industries, despite being 44% of the UK population and the Creative Industries Federation highlight the inherent inequality within the creative and cultural workforce across almost every protected characteristic.
Covid-19 will mean high unemployment for young people, as well as having profound impact on the cultural and creative industries.Diversifying the creative industries remains high on the agenda with the Creative Industries Federation citing lack of diversity still a persistent failing across the sector.

Possible redundancies may only serve to harm representation through the loss of junior workforce.

At a time when we need to do more to create alternative pathways, the challenge has been compounded by the pandemic with more experienced people willing to volunteer time or remain in lower-paid roles and less job-mobility at senior or executive level.

The announcement of more detail about the Government's Kickstart Scheme in September 2020 offers some hope - with opportunities created for paid employment for unemployed 18-24yr olds.

But it is by no means a magic bullet and must be accompanied by strong youth provision to ensure that those who stand to gain most from such placements are given every opportunity to access and succeed in any roles created.

Though many will know Trinity as one of the most loved and iconic music venues in the city, what many don't know is that Trinity has delivered youth arts training since 2005, providing creative courses for young people, with a focus on working with those Not in Education Employment or Training (NEET), in partnership with Education Unlimited, City of Bristol College, Weston College, as well as Bristol’s wider youth sector.

Personal development through creative expression can be a critical factor in a young person's success.

Since 2018 we have led a Youth Music funded consortia with Basement Studio and Aspiration Creation Elevation working with 250 young people from challenging circumstances annually, giving them a chance to realise their potential through participation in arts and culture, giving access to free music-making which has truly been a life-changing opportunity for those who come through our doors.

Through our a decade of delivery, we are now part of a network of specialist providers who support with referrals, pastoral care and progression. Being part of this network who work to support the needs of NEET young people is a combined effort it is clear that, in most cases, multiple cross-sector agencies are involved in supporting a young person on their journey. The success of Kickstart in really changing the lives of those who need this chance the most rests on the ability to mobilise a cross-sector approach and support employers to help them realise the potential of a diverse young workforce.

Trinity has been part of a number of youth education and employment schemes historically, including The Future Job Fund, cited by NIESR as one of the most successful back-to-work schemes in history. Schemes such as FJF and the Creative Employment Programme have meant that we have been able to provide 33 young people aged 18-24 through with paid-internships since 2009, providing alternative pathways into creative industries.

Though not always perfect, they show us that this investment can provide a critical pathway into the creative workforce - over 1/4 of young people taken on via an internship remained employed at Trinity beyond the grant-funded post, including our Venue Manager Jamell, who started with us in 2010 on a 6mth FJF placement.

Read more about Jamell's story, here.

The toppling of the Colston statue has put Bristol under the global spotlight.

“2020 could not be timelier for the launch of Art of Resistance: we’re really pleased to be able to launch this two year project, made possible by National Lottery players, at a time of great public movement in the city. We will work with people across the city to document the unofficial histories that are often lost over time and capture Bristol’s creative and activist spirit by exploring the art that underpinned movement that have shaped our diverse city and country.”

Edson Burton, Heritage & Engagement Curator

This, along with the wider Black Lives Matter movement, has led to an outpouring of creative responses - from poetry, to illustration to performance. But this is by no means a new occurrence in Bristol, which has been a city noted of radical art and activism for decades.

Capturing that spirit, The Trinity Centre, Old Market, are launching the Art of Resistance project - awarded funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund in March 2020, prior to lockdown toward a two year programme - will explore the history of protest and activism in Bristol and the art that underpinned each movement.

Over a two year project, the project team, led by local historian, writer and director Dr Edson Burton, will celebrate the creative responses of key movements over the last 100 years - including Women’s Equality, Workers Rights and Anti-Fascism.

A grant of £150,000 will support a broad programme of research, talks, events, artist commissions, exhibitions and the creation of an online archive to chart these untold stories.

Trinity will be working with a number of research partners to realise the project.

“From Bishop Wulfstan to Jen Reid, Bristol has had a long and distinctive tradition of calling out injustice. The arts and music have helped to rally differing groups to ally together against self-serving privilege and callous greed. Given its own history, Trinity is especially well placed to showcase the many ways in which the city and the nation can come to know itself in a more honest and dynamic way.” Dr. Madge Dresser, Honorary Professor of History with Department of Historical Studies at Bristol University.

The Trinity Centre, Bristol is to release a new podcast series created by young people who take part in the life changing music making project, Making Tracks.

“Thomas explores the roots of creativity, ways of seeing the world, ways of connecting, in his own sensitive, playful way... Thanks so much for having me!” Eli Carvajal

The podcast features interviews with leading musicians about their musical and personal journeys. Upcoming guests include Dizraeli (World Music Awards nominee), Sam Brookes (Sunday Times ‘Breaking Act’) and Kathryn Williams (Mercury Prize nominee).

The Making Tracks Podcast is hosted and created by project participant Thomas Kam Meadley. Diagnosed with leukaemia in 2017, Thomas Kam Meadley spent 9 months in isolation, during which time he took part in a Making Tracks outreach session in hospital.

“My experience made me realise the important of music in our lives, how it helps through hard times and how it connects us to others” says Thomas. The podcast will be released and available to listen to on Anchor FM, Spotify, and all other major podcast platforms, from 14th August 2020 with the trailer available to listen to now via Anchor FM.

We are proud to be the programmers of the Bristol Dances stage at the annual Bristol Harbour Festival. This year, as we couldn't celebrate and dance with you in person, we hosted a special day highlighting some of the UK's most exciting dance and circus artists with premiere streams excerpts from shows and especially curated short performances. Watch part of it again here.

Vogue workshop

Don your sparkles and warm up those voguing muscles and start your day right with Darren Pritchard Dance's Vogue workshop! Darren will take you through a gentle warm up followed by a beginners workshop on the five elements of Vogue Femme including Hand Performance, Catwalk, Spins and Dips, Floor Performance, Duck Walk.

This is brought to you by Trinity Presents. Click here to see more arts, community, well-being and education content or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Trinity are working with external artists, partners and organisations as part of Trinity Presents Online to provide exciting content, relevant to Trinity's diverse audiences and in line with our Equal Opportunities and Free Speech Policies. Click here for more information about our Policies. While we endeavour to ensure content we share is relevant and appropriate, Trinity is not responsible for individual content created by third parties.