FOUR FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR THE AMATEO AWARD 2022
Exceptional amateur arts groups are having a profound impact on their communities across Europe! Projects from 14 countries applied for the Amateo Award 2022, led by people who share a strong passion for arts and creativity. Featuring a great mix of art forms, these projects demonstrate resilience and original ways to tackle inclusion of refugees and LGBTQ+ communities, climate action, age accessibility, mental health issues (such as dementia) and much more…
Although the jury members had a difficult task, four of the long-listed projects really stood out in the end.
The 2022 finalists are:
- Laugh-Able Comedy Night (England) – Accessible comedy performances to tackle mental health issues, set in various venues, from libraries to art spaces.
- Kulturanova (Serbia) Many Perspectives, Many Experiences: Oral Histories – Storytelling project including oral histories and multimedia art by local community members.
- Clydeside Singers (Scotland) It’s Still Me Inside – Original Song. Partnership Project of Clydeside Singers (c/o Greigarious CAS SCIO SC043756) and dementia friendly singing group called Musical Minds Inverclyde (MMI).
- Grassa – Grupo de Ação de Solidariedade Social de Antas (Portugal) Por um Galho – Social and Artistic Intervention for Nature – An interactive environmental art project, located in Antas – Esposende, Portugal, which promotes the involvement of the senior population in the design, performance and presentation of nature-based art installations.
The jury members who selected the four finalists were composed of president and members of Amateo board: Almuth Fricke (Centre of competence for Creative Ageing and Inclusive Arts (kubia), Germany), Michelle Sweeney (Fife Cultural Trust, UK), Kaja Savodnik (Slovenia) and Piet Roorda (LKCA, Netherlands).
The finalists will be represented at the announcement of the winner in the 5th annual Amateo Award ceremony, which will be held online, on December 15th.
ABOUT THE PROJECTS
Laugh-Able Comedy Night is an accessible disability and mental health comedy night set up by autistic comedian Mark Nicholas- Stand Up Comedian for the sole purpose in making comedy more accessible for those with additional needs. He has been running successful nights physically at Redbridge Libraries in Redbridge East London for over 3 years, and online (via Zoom) during the pandemic. Following a recent collaboration with One Place East, a local disability and mental health charity, Mark won a successful grant from Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan Culture Seeds Project to deliver free comedy workshops to local people with disabilities and mental health. He continues to deliver workshops and showcases up and down the country through partnerships and hosts a regular free monthly night at Vision Redbridge Libraries… [Vision Redbridge Culture & Leisure]. Watch the short video presentation.
Kulturanova initiates intercultural and intersectoral dialogue in society, encouraging the creativity of young people through art education, production of cultural content and improvement of public policies in the field of culture and youth. One of their recent projects – Many Perspectives, Many Experiences: Oral Histories – aims to open a dialogue between young people in Kosovo and Serbia and raises questions about the possibility of coexistence, cooperation and building a common future. After documenting 10 different stories about the memory of life in Kosovo, made by participants, mostly young people from Novi Sad (members of different national communities) and the surrounding area, they organised a training on the Oral Histories method of documenting and interviewing. Then, they worked with various artists from Kosovo, trying to open up dialogue around what Kosovo mean for people in Serbia in their everyday lives and other important aspects. The project was accompanied by a survey for young people in Serbia and Kosovo in interethnic relations. They hosted public consultations in Prishtina, Caglavica, Kikinda and Novi Sad and produced three podcasts. And this is not all! The project is very complex and engaging on many other levels…Watch the short video presentation.
“It’s Still Me Inside” is an original song recorded on 31/05/22 in The Watt Institution in Greenock, Scotland. The songwriting project commenced prior to lockdown by a combo of Clydeside Singers (c/o Greigarious CAS SCIO SC043756) and dementia friendly singing group called Musical Minds Inverclyde (MMI). What was great about this initiative was being back together again with Musical Minds Inverclyde after lockdown. The song was recorded at a new Alzheimer Scotland Inverclyde Dementia Cafe in The Watt Institution on 31 May 2022. Some of the folks there heard the song for the first time and, after a few practices, joined in. The participation in the songwriting project was fantastic. Out came the flip chart and suggestions for lyrics was overflowing. The whole group participated in forming the song. Within 2 weeks the song was already drafted. Watch the short video presentation.
‘Por um Galho – Social and Artistic Intervention for Nature’ is an interactive environmental art project, located in Antas – Esposende, Portugal, which promotes the involvement of the senior population in the design, performance and presentation of nature-based art installations. These installations are built with 100% natural materials, especially invasive plants from the Litoral Norte Nature Park, and are inspired by the stories and experiences of the community. Participants highlight as positive aspects the diversity of activities that the project fosters, preventing it from becoming repetitive and tiring. These activities include exploration walks, artistic experimentation workshops, environmental and educational activities, project discussion sessions, community stories sessions, field trips, performance preparation sessions, among others. They also emphasize the importance of conviviality, the friendship relationships that are created as well as the acquired knowledge and artistic experiences provided. ‘Por um Galho‘ engaged participants in other community initiatives as they volunteered to support and/or participate in other local projects. This project is delivered in partnership with Rio Neiva – Associação Defesa do Ambiente, Litoral Norte Nature Park, Município de Esposende and the Antas Parish Council. Watch the short video presentation.
ABOUT THE AMATEO AWARD
The Amateo Award celebrates excellence in the voluntary and amateur arts, meaning those activities led by the community for their own benefit. Over the past four years, we have been shining a light on various groups and projects tackling social inclusion, innovation, diversity and local heritage through arts and creativity.
Last year, 59 applicants projects from all across Europe applied for the Amateo Award 2021. Featured a great mix of art forms, these projects have demonstrated resilience and innovative ways of delivering creative activities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Five groups were shortlisted by the jury. Read more about the 2021 finalists.