Kieran Spiers, Creative Producer
We are 9 months into our inaugural year of our Outdoor Arts Development Scheme. This is the first time SO Festival has created a bespoke scheme for artist development dedicated to local artists across the county
The programme addresses the lack of cultural development opportunities in the region by empowering locally rooted creatives to produce new work driven by an outdoor/community context that reflects the identities, stories and voices of Lincolnshire communities.
Since October our supported artists have undergone mentorship sessions led by professional artists of their choosing.
Ryan Gilmartin has undergone 1-2-1 mentorship from Cat & Mouse Theatre, focusing specifically on his approach to engaging communities and rebranding his website and portfolio towards a higher standard.
Samuel Pearson has taken part in Harlequin Puppet Theatre Long String & Cabaret Marionette Training led by Ronnie Le Drew and Michael Dixon. He has also attended the Skipton Puppetry Festival and undertook a collaborative session on building confidence as a performer at the Lincoln Arts Centre with Ben Glover from Feasible Ferret Theatre.
Jane Crawshaw has utilised support from us to successfully match and receive a grant from Create NEL to run a series of co-creation workshops with schools and community groups as part of her Chalk Streams Project in 2026.
We are supporting three Lincolnshire-based creatives who have received mentorship sessions delivered by professional artists of their choosing, alongside funded access to UK-based workshops, creative conferences as well as national and international Go-Sees at recognized festivals.
Through this scheme we are seeing an increase in confidence and strengthening of professional networks and enhanced creative practice.
Link to read more about the Outdoor Arts Development Scheme
