Building upon previous work with St Sidwell’s Centre and InExeter, Burn the Curtain are now working towards the establishment of an annual community arts event, Sidwell Street Spring Parade in March 2025. This celebration will host local residents, traders and other members of the community to have a hand in creating together, to help shape a positive narrative around the street. Through a series of engagement events and workshops, Burn the Curtain will co-design and create new carnival images to form the centrepiece of the parade.

The Spring Parade project will work with three different cultural groups from the St Sidwell’s ESOL program (English for Speakers of Other Languages). Each group will participate in a programme of workshops with an illustrator and a lantern artist, exploring mythology from their cultural origins and experimenting with images, shapes and symbols that represent and tell the story they choose to share.

In addition, there will be a series of lantern-making workshops that will be open to the wider community and those ESOL groups not involved in the large image-making sessions. These lanterns will be a simple shape, making it accessible for all ages and abilities. Participants will be invited to decorate their lantern inspired by the theme ‘Exeter City of Sanctuary’.

The project will culminate in an illuminated parade on Sidwell Street in March that celebrates culture, community and the rich diversity of our city. The project will nurture a space for individuals to meet new people, learn new skills and increase their engagement in the creative arts. It will also provide an opportunity for our Global majority groups to tell, share and celebrate their cultural stories with the wider community of Exeter.

https://burnthecurtain.co.uk/