Opportunity – Buckinghamshire Culture

artists looking at objects from NDACA — Archive Stories workshop with NDACA

We are inviting organisations and creatives across Buckinghamshire to join an online meeting to explore our proposal for Stories 2, an innovative developmental partnership that explores co-creation as a way to share local stories through creativity. Building on the success of Together We Build but continuing to explore creative approaches to stories and storytelling, this model will see heritage and cultural organisations paired with artists and creative practitioners to explore and share local stories in fresh and engaging ways. This project does not yet have funding, but Bucks Culture is proposing to lead a partnership application for funding.

This project will support innovative collaborations that bring personal stories and community memories to life. Oral histories are a rich source of information and inspiration, and we want to put them at the heart of this project. The Stories 2 project will enable organisations to connect with, and amplify, hidden stories and under-engaged audiences through creative approaches to storytelling, participation, and interpretation. Projects may explore existing oral history collections or generate new recordings, co-creating outputs with communities that could include exhibitions, installations, performances, digital works, workshops, or public events.

Programme Aims

Reveal and celebrate diverse voices and lived experiences within our county through inclusive creative practice.
Engage under-represented or under-engaged audiences in shaping, interpreting, and sharing heritage.
Test creative methods for working with oral histories and community memory.
Foster meaningful collaboration between heritage organisations, artists and communities.
Build skills and confidence in cross-sector partnership working.

Who Can Apply

We are beginning this process by inviting anyone interested to attend an introductory meeting, where you can learn more and explore the idea with us. A formal application process will follow. We welcome applications from arts, heritage, and culture organisations that want to explore stories and oral histories. Each application must outline a collaboration for a heritage partner and a creative/artistic partner working together. Eligible applicants include formally constituted organisations and community-led heritage groups. To apply, groups must have:

A governing document (e.g., constitution)
A committee or Board
A bank account in the organisation’s name with two signatories

Applicants may apply either:

With a creative or heritage partner already confirmed, or
Without a partner, in which case the project team can help broker a suitable collaboration.

All collaborations must work with at least one under-engaged audience group—people who currently have limited access to or participation in heritage activities due to factors such as geography, age, ethnicity, disability, socio-economic background, or cultural relevance.

Support Available

Assuming our funding application is successful, each selected partnership will receive:

Project grant: £2,000-£10,000 tbc (to cover artist fees, materials, production costs, engagement activities, and evaluation) for a 6-12 month delivery period
Overarching Project Co-ordinator to keep everyone on track and assist with troubleshooting and engagement
Training and professional support for both heritage and creative partners – likely to cover co-creation, inclusive practice, oral histories, ethics
Access to a learning network of participating organisations and artists
Opportunities for showcasing and shared dissemination at regional and national level.

What We’re Looking For

Successful proposals will demonstrate:

A clear oral history focus, whether based on existing collections or new recordings.
A compelling idea for creative collaboration with an artist or collective that empowers communities and creates vibrant local storytelling.
Identification of a specific under-engaged audience and a thoughtful plan for reaching and involving them in co-creation.
Evidence of commitment to inclusion, ethical practice, and community voice.
Organisational capacity to host and support the project.

Projects can be of any scale appropriate to your organisation and community and should be achievable within the available budget and timeframe.

Indicative Project Timeline

Information/Exploration Meeting – 9th February 2026

Call-out opens – Spring 2026

Expression of Interest deadline – Late Spring 2026

Funding application submission date – Summer 2026

Decision-making period – 8 weeks

Project delivery period – Autumn 2026-Summer 2028

Find Out More

Join us on 9th February, 11-12.30 on Teams to find out more, RSVP via this link: Stories 2 Discussion – Fill out form

news

Seeking an Administrator

13th March 202517th March 2025 buckinghamshireculture

We are looking for an Administrator to join our small team. This is a role for someone with good organisational skills and who enjoys helping to make events and projects happen. It would be a good role for some one just starting out in the cultural sector, someone returning to work, or someone looking to be a vital part of a small creative team.

The Administrator will support essential elements of Bucks Culture’s business, including operations, finance, data collection and impact measurement, sector support and projects delivery. We support flexible working and are open to how the hours are delivered but will require some time at the beginning of each week to be spent at our office within Buckinghamshire New University’s High Wycombe campus.

As well as assisting with the day to day running of the charity, this role will champion Bucks Culture, ensuring excellent communication with partners and potential partners, raising the charity’s profile and reach.

To apply, please start by reading through the Administrator Job Description:

BC Administrator Feb 25 Final X Download

Application Process

Application deadline: 22^nd April 2025.

To apply please email the Director (Lallie@buckinghamshireculture.org) sharing:

A covering statement sharing what you would bring to the role and how your skills and experience would benefit Buckinghamshire Culture
Your CV

You may apply in writing (covering statement to be no more than 2 A4 sides) or by sharing a video (no longer than 10 minutes) or audio recording (no longer than 10 minutes) covering all of these points.

Interviews will take place 28^th and 29^th April.

Please feel free to contact the Director (Lallie@buckinghamshireculture.org) if you would like to discuss this opportunity before applying.

Culture

Bucks Culture seeks new Co-Chair

22nd July 2024 buckinghamshireculture

Do you have the passion, expertise and collaborative approach to help steer our charity into it’s next phase?

Bucks Culture is seeking a new Co-Chair to serve alongside Julius Weinberg, leading our Board of Trustees. We have a model of two Chair-persons serving together, each bringing different knowledge and experience to the role. Bill Morris joined Bucks Culture in 2019 and has been a fantastic support, a knowledgeable guide and a great person to work with – we will miss him! However, Bill’s other commitments require more and more of his time and he is keen to handover his role as Co-Chair around the end of 2024.

We are seeking a collaborative person that can be a champion and guide for Bucks Culture as it evolves from a fledgling charity into its next phase.

If you think you might be interested in this role, please take a look at the Role Description below. We are requesting expressions of interest by: 9am, 16th September 2024.

BC Co-Chair Role June 24 Download

If you would like to speak to Lallie, our Director or Julius, our ongoing Co-Chair about the role, please email Lallie: Lallie@buckinghamshireculture.org to arrange a conversation.

Culture

Seeking Artists for 2 Bucks Commissions

18th July 2022 buckinghamshireculture

Photograph of pebbles. One pebble, bigger than the others, has a question mark drawn on it.

Buckinghamshire Culture has teamed up with two local organisations to develop two co-commission opportunities:

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

We are working with Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust to appoint an artist/creative/collective to work with patients and staff on site at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire, in order to create a new 2D or 3D art installation for the site. We are seeking an artist with experience of creative arts supporting wellbeing and working with people in a healthcare setting. We are looking for someone capable of inspiring people and encouraging them to get involved and create and shape new work together or individually. We want to see a final piece that shows pride in Buckinghamshire and the BHT community.

We are opening an expression of interest process, from which we will select 3 artists to receive £350 in order to visit the BHT site and explore the available spaces for their work before submitting a more detailed proposal.

A budget of £7,640 inclusive of any VAT to be charged is available to the final selected candidate for the community engagement, development, fabrication and install of the artwork.

Delivery period: September-November 2022

Deadline for expressions of interest: 9am, 10th August 2022.

For more information please download the full artist’s brief.

Co-commission brief BHT Jul 22 Final Download

Wycombe Homeless Connection and Aylesbury Homeless Action Group

We are working with Wycombe Homeless Connection and Aylesbury Homeless Action Group (WHC/AHAG) to appoint an artist/creative/collective to work with homeless, or previously homeless clients and WHC/AHAG staff in High Wycombe and Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in order to share stories of homelessness through art/cultural means (this might include visual arts, photography, poetry, performance, sharing/displaying objects). We are seeking an artist with experience of working with people with disordered lives and who is able to flex ideas and approaches according to need. We are looking for someone capable of inspiring people and encouraging this cohort to get involved and create and shape new work together or individually. We want to see a final piece/performance/installation that shares experiences of homelessness in interesting ways.

A budget of £7,640 inclusive of any VAT to be charged is available to the final selected candidate for the community engagement, development, fabrication and install of the artwork.

Delivery period: September-November 2022

Deadline for expressions of interest: 9am, 10th August 2022.

For more information please download the full artist’s brief.

Co-Commission brief WHC AHAG Jul 22 Final Download

These co-commissions have been made possible with funding from the Rothschild Foundation.

Culture

Opportunity: Project Co-ordinator

25th January 20227th February 2022 buckinghamshireculture

We are hiring text with image of umbrellas

Buckinghamshire Culture is excited to be able to share this opportunity to join our small team.

We are looking for a Project Co-ordinator who can help us steer and grow our organisation, help develop new projects that benefit Buckinghamshire residents and be part of implementing the Buckinghamshire Cultural Strategy. Working with a wide range of partners and stakeholders across the county to build new initiatives and develop the creative and cultural offer, this role is perfect for a creative and strategic self-starter with lots of ideas. This role provides a great opportunity to join a new charity and help to shape it.

The Buckinghamshire Culture Project Co-ordinator will support projects and initiatives relating to Buckinghamshire Culture’s business including delivery of the Cultural Strategy. The Project Co-ordinator will assist with organisational, financial, programme and commissioning (of work and services) activities. Taking a proactive approach, they will develop and deliver specific projects and programmes, in particular projects to empower under-served groups and communities through creativity and culture. A collaborative working relationship will need to be developed and maintained with all stakeholders and partners.

This is a part time, fixed term, employed role until December 2024.

The role will be based at Buckinghamshire New University’s High Wycombe campus, with home-working as appropriate.

The full Job Description is available here:

Buckinghamshire Culture Project Co-ordinator Job Description Download

To apply, please submit:

A letter of application outlining how your skills and experience and approach align to the Job Description, Values and Person Specification – this can be written (no more than 2 A4 pages), filmed or audio recorded. If filmed or audio recorded and files are large, please submit using WeTransfer, Dropbox or similar.
Your CV
Details of 2 referees.

Applications should be sent to: Lallie@buckinghamshireculture.org

Deadline for applications: 21st February 2022, 5pm

Interviews: 2nd/3rd March 2022.