The Sky's the Limit

Aim: Building skills, confidence, social integration and life chances for Eastbourne's most disadvantaged children and young people.

Who we are:

We are a cultural and community organisation re-animating a network of ex-retail sites in the Devonshire ward, Eastbourne. Our vibrant and long-standing community faces socio-economic marginalisation (ranking in the top 10% Indices of Multiple Deprivation nationally), and is the most ethnically diverse ward in Eastbourne. 

We commission significant first solo exhibition and public realm visual arts projects by emerging, underrepresented UK artists that attune to national debates and speak to the lived experiences of our local communities. In 2023/24, 1,800 people participated in our workshops and creative learning activities, and we welcomed 3,000 visitors to our gallery.

"DC connects with people from all walks of life showing us that when it comes to creativity – we all have a voice." Jenny Williams BEM, Director, Take the Space, and Councillor, Eastbourne Borough Council

Can you help us to deliver our Learning and Participation programme in 2024/25? Every donation, large or small, makes a huge difference and helps us to widen access to culture and creativity for our local communities. Generously supported by East Sussex County Council, every donation you make will be DOUBLED from 27 May to 1 June. 

What we do:

Our intersectional and on-the-ground approach widens access and cultural participation for the most marginalised local residents, including care leavers, refugee and asylum seekers and SEND children. Free weekly creative programmes develop skills, improve creative health outcomes and foster social integration. 

Our programme currently comprises:

• 'Sticky Fingers', a free weekly sensory art and play for 0-4s and their carers from low-income backgrounds in the Devonshire ward
• 'Creative Club', a safe space for refugee children aged 5-11 with complex needs to create and express themselves
• Bronze Arts Award courses for Home Educated and SEND 6-16 year olds unable to access mainstream education
• 'Devonshire Youth Collective', a free open-access embedded creative programme for young people 16-25 experiencing housing insecurity and racism. 

"Devonshire Collective is an essential element of Eastbourne‘s cultural ecology, reaching members of a particularly disadvantaged community and offering vital opportunities for creative expression that are simply not available elsewhere in the immediate vicinity." Joe Hill, Director, Towner Eastbourne