WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER! #SiAContemporary2022
Empower.Culture.Connect
As we come to the close of another eventful but challenging year at Sunshine International Arts it seems appropriate to reflect on our developments and achievements this year, and share these with you, our community, who made it possible. And most of all give a big thanks for the continued support from Arts Council England Arts Council England | and Lambeth council Welcome to Lambeth | Lambeth Council. #letscreate!
Despite the limitations the pandemic placed on our outreach, accessibility, and the continued cancellation of key events such as Notting Hill Carnival, we were able to engage with long-term collaborators working with past and new partners, as well as launch a variety of new and exciting projects.
Here’s some of the highlights of our year…
#BigWeeKendS
With funding from the ACE project grant we were able to launch our new project in alignment with our commitment to involve our local community and emerging artists. This involved hosting a group of local, emerging artists to develop and present public workshops, which engaged the local community in a variety of stimulating activities, ranging from Dance lessons to Mindfulness sessions. Home – SIA BIGWeeKendS
Carnival (Reimagined)
S.i.A had to reimagine and develop new ways to engage with and share the spirit of Carnival.
This resulted in the development of various new projects, collaborations, and our new way forward; “THINK LOCAL’. We co-hosted adult, children, and family Carnival themed workshops and delivered new local carnival parades.
Additionally, by adopting and developing our digital media platform to deliver to a wider audience funded by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Culture Recovery Fund (CRF2) Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) S.i.A was able to connect with, and engage, further communities. This involved the presentation of talks regarding the History of Carnival, to a diverse set of participants, ranging from the University, schools, community groups and arts organizations.
THINK LOCAL– bringing carnival to the local community! 
This summer we created our ‘Rainbow of Hope’ photography project – a range of environmental portraits where we photographed S.i.A’s carnival band members, as well as new participants trying our costumes for the first time, in front of iconic scenes local to Loughborough Junction.
Our main partners in this project were Ebony Horse Club Brixton, The Platform Community Cafe and Loughborough Farm; L.J.A.G.
We also continued our weekly Mas Camp sessions and took the art of carnival to new venues such as show windows and local spaces.
Whats Next?
2022 brings S.i.A to a pivotal point in the companies’ life as 2022 will see S.i.A celebrating its 20th year as an arts organisation and 10 years of our art centre; C.A.F.E (Carnival Arts For Everyone). We intend to celebrate these milestones through a set of exhibitions which will showcase our work over the years.
We are excited to continue to expand and develop our #BigWeeKendS project, to focus on our campaign to Think Local and to push our mantra of Empower, Culture, Connect. This is in effort to maximise our engagement with, and support of, the incredibly promising creative landscape of our local community and its emerging artists.
To learn more and get involved for future collaborations and workshops in the new year, please email us at admin@sunshineiarts.co.uk or visit our websites at sunshineiarts.co.uk
S.i.A will reopen its doors to our art centre in April 2022. We look forward to seeing you then, and we wish you a very happy new year!
A VERY BIG THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL THE SUPPORT!