New artist commissions announced for So Festival in Skegness and Mablethorpe

SO Festival has awarding funding to nine Lincolnshire artists and creatives to develop new projects in Skegness and Mablethorpe.

The artists were announced as recipients of the festival’s latest Community Engagement Research and Development Commissions.

“The commissions support artists at the research and development stage, enabling them to test ideas, build local partnerships and explore how creativity can strengthen communities, celebrate local identity and improve wellbeing,” a SO Festival spokesperson explains. “Significantly, all commissioned artists have strong Lincolnshire connections, ensuring investment remains within the county's creative economy.

The successful projects focus on themes including community storytelling, local heritage, wellbeing, identity, migration, intergenerational connection and creative participation.

“Together, the commissions explore the stories, people and experiences that help shape life across the Lincolnshire coast,” the spokesperson adds.

The commissions are worth between £2500 and £5,000 each - with the aim on supporting the delivery of community-led creative projects in Skegness and Mablethorpe.

The Successful Recipients

• Kaiya Plant - The Human Connection Project. Lincolnshire photographer Kaiya Plant will explore how photography can bring people together through playful, collaborative activities. The project will test creative ways of encouraging connection, conversation and a sense of belonging through shared photographic experiences.

• Feixue Huangdu - Mablethorpe, In Our Own Words. Lincolnshire-based heritage curator and digital storyteller Feixue will work with residents to uncover personal memories, stories and places that matter to them, exploring how local voices could shape future heritage and storytelling projects.

• Isobel Murdoch - Creative Community Giving. Artist and wellbeing practitioner Isobel will research a community-wide creative giving project that brings people of different ages together through making, sharing and gifting artwork while promoting wellbeing and social connection.

• Shelley Hayward - Voices of the Coast. Through her award-winning podcast platform, Shelley will explore how local stories, memories and experiences can be captured and shared through an interactive audio map of Skegness, celebrating the voices of its community.

• Benjamin Peel - Voices of the Coast. Working alongside Shelley Hayward, Benjamin will contribute to the development of Voices of the Coast, helping to research and shape a project that captures and shares the stories that define Skegness and its people. Both artists have received individual commissions to support the project's development.

• John Byford - Skegness Belongs to Its Young People. Skegness artist John will investigate how young people can play a greater role in shaping their town through creativity, exploring opportunities for youth-led participation and future public art projects.

• Mel Langton - Piering. Lincoln artist and designer Mel will research a collaborative animation project inspired by the history, memories and future of Skegness Pier, bringing together contributions from younger and older generations.

• Sonya Hundal - Coastal Stories Project. Writer Sonya will explore the stories of people whose livelihoods are connected to the coast, including those working in tourism, conservation, farming and fishing, investigating how these voices could inform future creative work.

• Alexandra Davenport - Migration and Community Histories. Performance artist Alexandra will research historical and contemporary experiences of migration, resettlement and belonging in Skegness, exploring how these stories could inspire future community and performance projects.

The spokesperson added: “By providing time and resources for artists to test ideas, build partnerships and engage with local people, the programme creates opportunities for creative projects to develop into larger initiatives that deliver lasting benefits for residents, visitors and communities across Skegness and Mablethorpe.”

The So Festival takes place in Skegness from June 11-12, and in Mablethorpe on June 13.