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With investment from Fonds Soziokultur, Arts Council England, Arts Council Northern Ireland, British Council, Wales Arts International, Creative Scotland and Goethe Institute in London. The programme will build new relationships to support intercultural exchange and dialogue in the field of participative arts and culture between Germany and the UK.

The seven projects will be awarded up to £20,000 to work in partnership with at least one participating German organisation and with one UK partner from England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The projects kick off in November 2021 to share learning, exchange expertise and develop new approaches to socially engaged practice.

The following seven bilateral partnerships have been awarded funding in this pilot phase:

• ENTER – Kulturvilla Nellie, Lörrach, Baden-Württemberg + Creative Black Country, West Bromwich 
• STAGING THE HIDDEN WORDS – Sommerblut Kulturfestival, Cologne + Writing on the Wall, Liverpool 
• BRIDGIT ‘Building Better Bridges’ – Fine Arts Institute Leipzig (FAIL), Leipzig + Folkestone Fringe, Kent and Alchemy Film & Arts, Hawick 
• NORTHSEA NEIGHBOURS – Das Letzte Kleinod, Schiffdorf, Niedersachsen + Shetland Arts, Shetland Islands 
• ENSEMBLE UPVENTION – S27, Berlin + Govanhill Baths, Glasgow 
• ODE TO EARTH – Die Villa, Leipzig + Beyond Skin and DU Dance, Belfast 
• MIND THE GAP – University of Music Lübeck and Emanuel Geibel-Schule + Valleys Kids, Penygraig 

Simon Mellor, Deputy Chief Executive, Arts and Museums, Arts Council England, said:

“Our investment in international cultural collaboration helps promote understanding across borders and inspires artists and communities in England. With the new Cultural Bridge pilot programme, we are excited to be working with colleagues in Germany and across the UK to support creativity to help drive social change in our communities.”

Nick McDowell, Director International, Arts Council England, said:

“Through cultivating cross-border collaborations, the Cultural Bridge pilot programme will create valuable opportunities for arts organisations from each of the UK nations and Germany to come together, share expertise and explore new ways of working. The arts have a fundamental role to play in strengthening our communities and driving social progress, and we hope this pilot marks the first step in establishing a new framework for international partnership that will develop and continue long into the future”

Mechthild Eickhoff, Managing Director, Fonds Soziokultur, said:

"The Cultural Bridge pilot programme is an important step in strengthening cross-border collaboration between the UK and Germany. With support from the seven lead partner organisations the participating exemplary local cultural institutions have discovered valuable common ground to forge new connections through this pilot. The programme and each of the new partnerships are based on the strong belief that cultural democracy in our societies is needed more than ever. Shared learning and development of new approaches to socially engaged arts practice through the Cultural Bridge is likely to be of benefit to us all.“

Working internationally

To help us achieve the vision of our ten year strategy Let’s Create, we’ve set out the work we’ll deliver over the next three years in our Delivery Plan 2021-24.

Find out more