FESTIVAL OF HOPE
The Festival of Hope is a celebration and exploration of hope and heritage led by young people working in collaboration with museums around the North West.
It is part of Curious Minds’ Hope Streets project. Over five years (2018-2023), five museum partners (The Atkinson, Southport; Bolton Museum; Lancashire Museums; Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle; and West Cheshire Museums) will transform the ways in which they are working with young people. Hope Streets has been made possible thanks to a £977,000 grant from National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Kick the Dust programme.
We were bought in to design and deliver a digital festival due to Covid restrictions cancelling the live events.. This Included a branded series of festival websites for all 6 regions involved with the project, managing transfer of the projects to online alongside Covid safe management, production and delivery of multiple projects.
CLIENT: CURIOUS MINDS, TUILLE HOUSE MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, LANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
PROJECT: PROJECT MANAGEMENT, DIGITAL EVENT PRODUCTION AND DESIGN
FIELD: DIGITAL EVENT PRODUCTION
The websites and media channels were designed and implemented with a final handover in mind to enable the clients full control once live. As soon as the festival platform had been put in place, we media managed all the assets and scheduling until handover. We supplied ‘how to’ videos for the client to reference once they took control.
Production planning of the ‘live’ projects was carefully managed to keep everyone safe (working to strict Covid 19 production guidelines), whilst retaining the integrity of the final creative output. We procured locations, permits and licensing for film shoots and other location based events. Organised film crews, recording studios and also mentored some of the young people on the project.
The Process
Creative Nation planned and structured delivery within a tight delivery timeframe. We designed 6 x regional websites, using festival branded colourways that could accommodate all of the different projects and media assets. We created and managed media delivery and channels to collate, streamline, premiere and archive the projects and productions.
We also produced and delivered numerous youth led projects. Overseeing everything from filming on the top of remote mountain locations to live streamed punk performances and pop up shop experiences. Working with and mentoring the young producers during the process.
The Festival of Hope supported and empowered the next generation of creative producers. It enabled them to demonstrate that they are truly agents of change and that amazing things happen when they have the power to create their own culture.
Hearts for the Arts Award 2021 – Shortlisted for Best Arts project.
What the judges said: “Of all years, 2020 needed a Festival of Hope! By giving the reins of this project to young people, the project demonstrated faith and ambition in the young producers, and showed them that they were valued by the heritage sector. The young people proved themselves worthy of this faith, producing a festival with both online and offline content, which was therefore more accessible to their wider community.“
You can view all of the participants work in more detail here.
I loved working with the team at Creative Nation and would highly recommend them if an organisation is looking for a production or digital partner. Reliable, experienced and with an enviable network that they use to add value to the brief, Creative Nation delivered above and beyond my expectations.
As part of Festival of Hope they were able to support the young producers to realise their ideas and turn them into a high – quality digital product for a digital festival during lockdown.
Committed to supporting young people into the creative industries the insight and opportunities that they are able to offer are authentic, credible and innovative through access to inspirational industry practitioners, resources and software combined with powerful collaboration.
An organisation perfectly suited to help us all to navigate the strange times we find ourselves in and support young people to develop the skills and attributes they will require to see us into a digitally driven future.
Eleanor Chapman, Festival Coordinator and support for Covid 19 response
