Julie’s Bicycle Accelerator Programme second cohort announced

Arts Council England and Julie’s Bicycle announce the second cohort for their Accelerator Programme, a strand of work launched in 2018 to foster enterprise, innovation, future thinking and creative perspectives on climate and the environment.  

Abandon Normal Devices are thrilled to be selected as part of the programme and have joined together with FanSHEN and Art Catalyst to explore the environmental impacts and highlight the ecological pros and cons, of digital arts.

The Accelerator Programme provides the space, resources, time and expertise to support organisations in developing innovative approaches to their environmental practice. The insights and learning from the programme will be circulated with the wider cultural sector, forming a critical part of a roadmap for a shared vision for change.

This is the second of two cohorts – made up of ten projects each – to receive expert mentoring from Julie’s Bicycle as well as other industry leaders and a residential training programme adapted from Julie’s Bicycle’s Creative Climate Leadership course 

Two organisations in the cohort will also take an active role collaborating with and mentoring two Accelerator Associates.  Three organisations have been invited to join the cohort as Accelerator Peers; they will work with the cohort to exchange ideas and develop new skills.

Andrew Ellerby, Senior Manager, Environmental Sustainability & Combined Arts, Arts Council England, said: “The Arts Council is committed to supporting the cultural sector’s increasing ambition when it comes to addressing climate change, and through our work, with Julie’s Bicycle we want to nurture their creative and innovative approaches to sustainability practice.  It’s been fantastic to see the first Accelerator cohort’s projects grow and develop over the past 18 months; the proposals set out by the second cohort are equally exciting and I look forward to seeing what they can achieve.”

 Lucy Latham, Arts Council England and Policy Programmes Lead, Julie’s Bicycle, said: “We are delighted to welcome these new and exciting projects into the Accelerator community. Accelerator is proving the point that incubating cultural talent and environmental ambition leads to new intelligence and innovative practice, contributing to a sustainable and future-proof sector”

Find out more about Julie’s Bicycle, here. 

Image: In the Eyes of the Animal by Marshmallow Laser Feast