News / CultureBiz Connect
Meet Bristol’s next wave of creative entrepreneurs
Despite our region’s rich and racially diverse population, the creative sector remains unrepresentative, says Sado Jirde, director of Black South West Network.
Jirde was speaking at a showcase, celebrating Bristol’s budding artists and their emerging creative businesses, held at We The Curious on Saturday.
CultureBiz Connect brought its pilot programme to a close with a showcase featuring some 25 creative entrepreneurs from the region.
The initiative received around 100 applications from across the West of England. From these, 15 artists and cultural producers from global majority backgrounds were selected for a six-week incubator designed to help them develop both their creative practice and entrepreneurial skills.
15 creatives participated in the CultureBiz Connect Incubator Programme – photo: Bobbi-Jo O’Gilvie
The programme culminated in a showcase featuring 25 artists and creators, who presented their works and business models spanning visual art, performance, design and digital media.
CultureBiz Connect consists of a wider mission to reshape the visibility of the global majority in the region’s creative industries.
Developed under Culture West, a £3m partnership aimed at transforming access to arts and culture, the programme provided mentoring, business development and commissioning opportunities to help participants build sustainable careers.
Sado Jirde, director of Black South West Network opening the showcase at We The Curious – photo: Milan Perera
CultureBiz Connect researcher Bobbi-Jo O’Gilvie, who led a study into the lack of representation in the creative sector in the West of England, which preceded the pilot project, spoke to Bristol24/7.
She said: “Today, we’re showcasing the incredible work of 25 global majority artists — 15 of whom took part in our six-week incubator programme to develop skills in branding, intellectual property, contracting and everything they need to build sustainable creative businesses.
“We were able to extend grants to all 25 artists, including the 15 from the incubator and ten additional artists, after receiving more than 100 applications for the programme.
“We have textile and visual art, films premiering today, theatre pieces and written works — an incredible collection that truly reflects the deep well of creative talent we have here in the West of England.”
According to the organisers, the pilot tested a new kind of incubator model, one that helps talented artists move beyond the concept stage, offering the tools and confidence to turn creative ideas into viable business ventures.
Bobbi-Jo O’Gilvie and Derek Tanner, enterprise development manager at BSWN, worked in tandem in delivering the incubator programme.
The showcase was attedned by artists, their families and members of public – photo: Milan Perera
Through workshops, one-to-one mentoring and networking, participants learned how to navigate funding, audience engagement and project management, positioning their work for future growth.
The showcase took place with the participation of artists, their families, members of the public and dignitaries including Sarah James, head of cultural and creative economy at the West of England Combined Authority and Peaches Golding, the lord-lieutenant of Bristol.
Supported by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) and Arts Council England, the event featured performances, installations and presentations developed through the incubator.
Unveiling the showcase, Jirde, said: “The West of England’s creative and cultural sector is dynamic and rapidly growing — its value has increased by 27 per cent since 2010.
“However, despite the region’s rich and racially diverse population, the creative sector remains unrepresentative. The West of England has the lowest level of representation in the country, with only 6 per cent of the creative workforce identifying as Black or from racially minoritised backgrounds.
“The showcase marks the culmination of a process that began in February 2023, when a group of Black and minoritised artists came together to discuss the challenges and barriers they face in developing sustainable creative practices in the region.”
25 creative entrepreneurs featured their works and business models – photo: Milan Perera
Also addressing the event, Sarah James said: “Culture West is the first region-wide cultural programme delivered across the West of England.
“It was founded on creating new, mutually beneficial partnerships and encouraging organisations and creatives to work together — in many cases, for the first time.
“Inclusion and diversity have always been at the heart of Culture West. They’re the golden thread running through everything we do.”
Suigen is the founder of Tuff Cookies Youth Arts, whose inspiration come from Afro-psychedelia, music and nature – photo: Milan Perera
Among the artists featured was Suigen, founder of Tuff Cookies Youth Arts. An award-winning artist inspired by Afro-psychedelia, music and nature, Suigen designs murals, postcards and bags in captivating colour combinations. With many projects in the pipeline, Suigen said to “watch the space”.
Louise Ndibwirende, a Rwandan film director and producer, is strongly drawn to documentary storytelling, as seen in her recent film exploring Black elders’ reflections on legacy and the importance of heritage.
Speaking to Bristol24/7, Louise said: “The six-week incubator programme has been quite transformational. It’s helped me to elevate my career, expand my collaborations, work in a team and connect with other creatives.
“This has been a real platform for whatever comes next, and for me to push myself as a filmmaker and director.”
Another artist who featured was Corinne Willis, an artist, writer, healer and intuitive. With a background in biomedical sciences, Corinne took the less-trodden path of spirituality, healing and ancestral storytelling. As founder of Dawn Woven Books, they bring together authentic ancestral narratives for a wider readership.
The business developed by Rostra Jayasuriya – Flight Six Clothing, transforms surplus fabric into colourful and practical designs – photo: Milan Perera
Although she did not take part in the incubator, Rostra Jayasuriya is another artist making waves.
Inspired by her Sri Lankan heritage, her modular designs are both colourful and practical, featuring details such as clip-on hoodies. The pieces of textile are brought to life in Sri Lanka using surplus material, with the initiative supporting skilled Sri Lankan artisan women.
Speaking of the creative entrepreneurs who took part in the showcase, Bobbi-Jo said: “They’re made of magic — truly wonderful and so talented.
“We have an incredible range in the region — across gender, age and artistic practice — and that diversity is what makes it so exciting. There’s genuinely something for everyone here.”
Main photo: Milan Perera
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