Our Partners
The Freedom Festival Arts Trust is proud to be supported by so many brilliant groups, associations, businesses and people. Read more about who makes all of what we do possible.
The Freedom Festival Arts Trust is proud to be supported by so many brilliant groups, associations, businesses and people. Read more about who makes all of what we do possible.
We believe that the best way to support artistic and creative professionals is to develop their best ideas and to work with expert partners. That is what we mean by a ‘network’ - a group of people from different contexts but with the same intentions.
IN SITU is the European platform for artistic creation in public space. It is led by Lieux publics, European and national centre for artistic creation in public space, located in Marseille (FR). Since 2003, it has supported more than 250 artists and brought together 16 partners from 13 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. IN SITU also gathers 12 associate partners from Belgium, France and 8 additional countries: China, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. The project (UN)COMMON SPACES 2020 – 2024 is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. In 2020, it has been granted by the European Commission to develop a new cooperation project, called (UN)COMMON SPACES, running from November 2020 until October 2024.
Global Streets is a 12-partner national network that co-creates & presents international outdoor arts events with communities living and working in places which are under-served by the arts. We are focused on working with local people to deliver free, spectacular and participatory international productions which lift people’s spirits and bring communities together. Global Streets partners are working with communities (including eight Arts Council England Priority Places) in Birmingham, Doncaster, Gloucester, Hull, Leicester, Liverpool, Luton, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Slough, Barking & Dagenham, Woolwich, Hounslow and Newham. Since 2015, the 12 partners of Global Streets have brought 220+ performances of 33 different international productions to high streets and public spaces across England, reimagining them as accessible outdoor theatres for which nobody needs a ticket.
The University of Hull support our work year round through a long-term partnership offering opportunity to work with students and academic expertise through internships, research projects, content co-creation, sand box events and artist led participatory and residency projects. We collaborate with multiple departments across the university. The key to our relationship with UofH is knowledge exchange and working together to embed an innovative form of arts based research where appropriate. The Wilberforce Institute House has been key to our relationship with the university through work relating to our roots by shining light on the history, systemic legacy and impact of slavery and other modern day social issues. And this year we will be holding 2 days of Freedom Talks on campus at Middleton Hall. The shared learning which we can achieve between the arts and the academic sectors is something we are hugely committed to and excited to develop further.
Freedom Festival Arts Trust are members of Cultural Collisions. Cultural Collisions brings sector leaders together to strengthen cultural activity in our region, advocating for arts and culture through a shared voice. Our members are representatives of current and recent National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) and Local Authorities from Hull, the East Riding, North and North East Lincolnshire. If you would like to hear more about Cultural Collisions, reach out to our current Chair Paul Smith on paul@middlechildtheatre.co.uk
CircusCentrum: As part of the 2023 project ‘Flemish circus showcase in collaboration with UK’, funded by VLAIO, Circuscentrum and Freedom Festival put a spotlight on Flemish circus creations and bring professionals together around the topic of Circus and Wellbeing. Freedom festival and Circuscentrum share an interest in engaging the public in the arts and believe in the potential of circus to connect people. Being a partner of Freedom Festival will create possibilities to engage in a broader (artistic) dialogue. Circuscentrum was founded in 2008 in order to connect, stimulate and support the Flemish circus sector. Its core tasks are support and development of the sector, image building and promotion. Through tailor-made advice, training and info sessions Circuscentrum ensures a solid foundation on which the sector can continue to build. We invest in communication on the sector through publications such as the quarterly Circusmagazine and the trilingual website www.circusinflanders.be. We work together with international partners to promote circus made in Flanders and Brussels and by setting up cross-border exchange between circus and non-circus professionals.
The Warren Youth Project provides vital support services to many young people in Hull and uses creativity as a key element of all their important work. This year for their 40th Birthday, we are working together to feature a powerful line up of local young musical talent in the city on our music stage (page 34) and we’re also supporting the work they’ve been doing with Middle Child Theatre on the Three Minute Monologues project.
The British Council support us to find new ways of connecting with international partners and to better understand each other through the arts. The work hard to assist the building of creative and collaborative global communities that inspire innovation, knowledge, prosperity and peace. The connections they support and build through arts and culture transform lives and create positive change.
Freedom Festival Arts Trust and its year-round events are made possible by the contribution of funding, support and resources of many teams and people who believe in what we do. From local to international, we have so many people on our side.
Our Core Partners are those who have agreed a long-term partnership and/or proportionally contribute to a major part of what makes Freedom Festival possible. They work with us on a deeper level to create a lasting relationship which benefits the city, our artists, our team and our ideas in a big way, and equally, they get our support and resources in return. They work with us on shouting about our projects, creating a wider benefit to our communities in the local area, and spotlighting key topics and focuses that matter to our audiences.
Our Funders and Partners are a fantastic bunch who give us the opportunity to focus on particular projects, artists and ideas. They have committed to helping us make more and do more with the resources we have. Some contribute specific support to acts and artists at our festivals, some invite us to form valuable relationships within their community with other Arts Trusts and Festivals, and others contribute to the bigger picture and wider reach. Our work with local partners not only enriches what we do, but supports a much broader city-wide ambition. We also work with multiple social enterprises and community groups, sharing skills and increasing access to the arts.
Our partners are friends and fans of what we do, who go out of their way to create opportunities for us to go above and beyond. They partner with us on a specific project, offer us their valuable time and resources, see value in working with Freedom Festival Arts Trust, and help to keep everything we do at the highest level of standard.