Shoeburyness Artist Commission at Essex Cultural Diversity Project

Essex Cultural Diversity Project is inviting proposals from creative practitioners for a commission exploring Shoeburyness near Southend, in partnership with the Cart & Wagon Shed community and heritage space run by Shoebury Coastal CIC. The site's past as a military testing ground for ordnance is a starting point, with the focus on community, heritage and care.

The commissioned artist will run a community engagement project that gathers historical and present-day stories from local people, especially less heard and marginalised voices, and turn it into one or more artworks. Outcomes may feed into a new interactive museum and exhibitions drawing on the Shoeburyness Archives.

The freelance contract has a whole-project budget of £10,000, with flexible hours set by the artist across about eight months. The artist is appointed in early December 2026, delivers between January and August 2027 and evaluates in September 2027. The full brief and application route are on the ECDP website.