It's all about Local.
Local talent, local support, local participants, local volunteers, local themes.
It's a little festival full of Big Ideas. We’re challenging everyone involved to explore creative ideas inspired by our festival themes of ‘Past’, ‘Present’ and ‘Future’.
It’s bigger on the inside
- Visual art of every sort, from paintings, drawings and sculptures to graphic art and anime.
- Live music of all genres, from baroque to rock, from brass to bluegrass
- Theatre performances, dance, spoken word
- Poetry, literature, creative writing, history
It’s involving everyone
The Little Arts Festival is a Community Project for everyone involved in, and interested in, the arts - all around Rushlake Green:
Attend - explore the programme as it develops, plan your experience and book your tickets
Contribute - offer an event for the festival or take part in, or help out with, the festival events
Support - become a Friend of the Festival, or demonstrate funding as a Sponsor
Volunteer - register to volunteer your time helping to prepare and run this community project
Gift - offer a service or skill that would help the festival to be a success
It’s a team thing
As the event approaches, the group making it happen will grow and develop
We all work together across the project, but with some focused responsibilities emerging:
Nigel - programming, communication, branding
Drummond - financial planning and management
Mark - visual arts events, theme development
Pam - theatre, performance, spoken word
Kelly - web design, social media
Sue - sponsorship, partnerships
Paula - fund raising, grants, compliance
Monica - friends and membership, volunteers, project planning
It's got heritage
Art exhibitions have been taking place in Rushlake Green for many generations. Little Arts today has as its genesis the ‘Art of the Green’ shows that local artist, singer and song writer genius the late Chris Liddiard started around 15 years ago. And it was Chris who dreamt up the idea of a Little Arts Festival involving not just visual art but also contributions from all the other arts groups in the vicinity -
the Village Players, the Brass Band, the Sussex Harmony Singers, the local Craft Makers, Local Musicians, and many more.
The first Little Arts Festival took place in 2016 and offered a dazzling
programme of more than 25 events, compressed into just ten days - and was a stupendous success.
Sadly Chris succumbed to Parkinsons during the final months of the project but that didn’t stop him completing the herculean task of designing and producing the website and the full printed programme for that event. And who could forget Chris fulfilling his ambition of a weekend’s busking in the Village Store - accompanied by two talented young singers from the village. Chris Liddiard’s authentic originality, creative inquisitiveness and inclusive vitality endures as an inspiration and role model for all today’s Little Arts activities.
Thank you Chris.
