Southbank Centre and Apple unveil plans to support Black creatives

Arts venues in Birmingham and Manchester will team up with the Southbank Centre and technology giants Apple as part of an initiative to support emerging Black and Black Mixed heritage creatives, it has been announced.

The REFRAME programme, unveiled by Southbank Centre and Apple in September last year, will run a 12-month pilot project this year working with 80 Black creatives from low-income backgrounds and hundreds of secondary school children in 21 schools across London, Greater Manchester and Birmingham.

It has been announced the programme will be run in partnership with arts venue Factory International in Manchester – which is due to open in June – as well as Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham, and Birmingham City University’s STEAMhouse.

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The programme is part of Apple’s global Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, which aims to support emerging Black talent, and help provide the tools and resources for aspiring creatives to develop their own voices and "position themselves for long-lasting careers in their chosen fields".

It consists of two strands: a residency programme and collaborative work with local schools.

The Residency programme is open to 80 talented Black and Black Mixed heritage creatives, aged between 18 and 30, who have less than two years experience in their chosen field of film, photography or music. 

There will be 30 places available at the Southbank Centre, 25 at STEAMhouse and 25 at Factory International with registration opening on 1 February.

The free course runs for 14 days and consists of hands-on creative sessions as well as sessions led by Apple creative experts. It will focus on equipping young creatives to use digital tools needed for the future and preparing them for the practicalities of a career in the arts. 

Their work in film, audio and photography will be presented at the Southbank Centre in August as part of its summer season of multi-artform programming focussing on the climate emergency.

Meanwhile, 21 secondary schools based in communities that are historically underserved by cultural organisations in London, Greater Manchester and Birmingham, will work with artists, graphic designers, illustrators and climate experts to design their own response to the climate emergency and its effect on them and their communities. 

Alexandra Brierley, Director of Creative Learning at the Southbank Centre, said: "We’re honoured that the Southbank Centre and its partners in Manchester and Birmingham will be the first Apple REJI funded partnership in Europe. We believe that everyone should have equal access to art and creativity."

She added that the onward journeys of the 80 participants involved in the Residency will be tracked following the end of the project as part of efforts to ensure that at least 85% have been signposted into further education or employment opportunities.

"We will build a network of relevant cultural and skills development partners who will support this legacy,” she said.

Alisha Johnson Wilder, Director of Racial Justice Equity Initiative at Apple, said: "We’re thrilled that the Southbank Centre’s REFRAME programme continues to take shape with the selection of new partners in London, Manchester and Birmingham.

"We believe the opportunities for young Black talent are boundless. This new program aims to unlock their extraordinary creative potential and will help them develop new skills that will benefit them well into the future."