Arts Festival Succeeds against the odds
SADIE PITCHER
Every year without fail Coastal Currents Arts Festival opens the doors to artists’ studios along the southeast coast with a programme of unique events, exhibitions and performances. The festival is a key weekend in the hectic Hastings calendar celebrating the creative networks of the region.
Tina Morris, Director, Coastal Currents Festival
Running over two weekends, 31 Aug-1 September and 7-8 September, the festival stretches as far as Eastbourne. The programme includes exhibitions at Electro Studio Project Space, the Observer Building, the blackShed Gallery in Robertsbridge, and an exhibition of works by volunteers at Hastings Contemporary, called Out Front.
However, staging this extensive festival doesn’t come without its challenges. Tina Morris, director of Coastal Currents since 2017, is the tour de force behind the festival, battling, alongside her full-time job, for funding, advertising and people to participate every year, and organising the weekend.
Originally working at the De La Warr in Bexhill, Tina ‘accidentally’ became involved in running the festival, bringing her marketing and publishing experience and her passion for grassroots culture. “It’s been an interesting ride, because there’s been no guaranteed funding, but the public still fully expected the festival to happen. I think a lot still perceive it as an official council-run organisation, and a lot of what I’ve tried to do is maintain that” she explains.
THE CURRENT POSITION
Coastal Currents aims to celebrate and connect creativity on the coast. But since the beginning of the festival, funding for local arts initiatives has massively dropped, directly impacting the festival. Every year Tina needs to reapply for funding. Luckily, she has secured funding for this year, so it lives to see another day.
A recent report, published by Campaign for the Arts and the University of Warwick, states that the UK’s culture spending was lower than most of Europe and reveals the significant decline in arts and culture spending in the UK at both national and local levels between 2009-10 and 2022-23. The State of the Arts report reveals that between 2010 and 2022 local government revenue funding of culture and related services decreased by 29% in Scotland, 40% in Wales and 48% in England. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s core funding for cultural organisations decreased by 18% to only 0.17% of total public spending per person. This sustained decrease means that events like Coastal Currents are at risk of not being able to run.
“During COVID, [the Government] realised the importance of art and culture for mental health, but now it all seems to be funded secondarily. You can go through health care into arts funding. You can go through crime into arts funding. It’s proven that it’s necessary, anyway” Tina explains.
Alongside the financial challenge is the harsh economic reality artists face today from soaring studio and rental costs. However, undeterred by this challenging reality and spurred on by her passion for culture Tina has “managed to mix care, agriculture and culture all into a big melting pot. And I suppose, that’s led me to where I am now, which is actually using it more as a tool for campaigning for the importance of grassroots-led culture, because a lot of what I’ve done as well is based around the theory of placemaking rather than just popping up arts events here and there – to build a better community, to create more civic pride. To program cultural events from the ground up rather than imposing culture down.”
CONSTRUCTIVE CREATIVITY
Through Coastal Currents Tina is embracing new creatives and driving for the participation of young people in the Arts. By having open studios as the spine of the festival, Coastal Currents has encouraged residents to rediscover the area, with unexpected sites and homes transformed into creative spaces. Alex Brattell, official photographer and local artist, comments: “Coastal Currents is different every year, which is how it’s survived the years of no funding. And the way it has used the environment [here] has been really, really interesting.”
Part of this year’s festival, an open-air exhibition will celebrate the works of local artists. Show Off displays a series of posters in local streets, from the Source Park on the Promenade to Bohemia Road and Queens Road. The works will sit in unusual urban spaces, encouraging people to happen upon, and interact with, wonderful local art. Show Off will run for the entire month of September.
Tina has taken the festival from strength to strength. Ben Browton, a local artist, explains “There is a great sense of community down here… I discovered that it was a very good place to be an artist because people were so open to creativity and it wasn’t competitive.” This community spirit is captured by the festival, as Alex Brattell explains. “Without it being its main intention, Coastal Currents is a really great social season where you just find yourself chatting with people.”
Looking to the future, Tina Morris wants to encourage young creatives to participate and feel brave enough to share their artwork. If long-term funding can be secured, Hastings as a place with great culture.
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