East Sussex College supports Emerging Sussex with creative opportunities for young people
East Sussex College is proud to be supporting Emerging Sussex: Curious Minds as part of this year’s Artwave festival (5th - 20th September), helping to create opportunities for young people to exhibit their work, explore their creativity and learn more about careers in the Creative Industries.
Now in its 33rd year, the 2026 festival brings together more than 170 venues, with free-to-visit exhibitions taking place in private homes, artists’ studios, potteries, disused windmills, farms and churches, with many venues opening their doors for the first time.
The College is sponsoring the Emerging Sussex Youth Open Call, open to 14-25 years old creatives, hosted by Hospitable Environment in the BN9 Gallery in Newhaven’s Marine Workshops. This exhibition will celebrate the work of young artists and provides a platform for emerging creatives across Sussex.
ESC degree alumna Kim de Paolis also designed the poster for this year’s Emerging Sussex event, following her successful return to art after graduating from East Sussex College.
As part of the event, East Sussex College’s Newhaven campus will open its doors on Saturday 19th September, giving visitors the opportunity to take part in a programme of creative activities, hear from professionals working in the Creative Industries and find out more about studying creative subjects locally.
The programme will include a talk from designer Bethany Plummer on getting into the Creative Industries, followed by individual portfolio clinics. Young artists’ collective Worm Factory will also lead a day of drop-in creative activities.
The following day, Sunday 20th September, there will be a prize giving event, with prizes of mentoring, courses, exhibition opportunities and art materials donated by Sussex-based arts organisations. East Sussex College will also present a PROUD Award to one chosen artist, celebrating a piece of work that reflects the College’s values of Positivity, Respect, Opportunity, Unity and Diversity.
The award will be judged and presented by the College’s Deputy Principal, Nick Backstrom.
“We’re excited to support the Artwave festival this year,” said Meg Sullivan, Director of Higher Education at East Sussex College. “Being able to open up our Newhaven campus as part of the event is going to be brilliant. We have so many talented students studying with us and so many talented lecturers teaching them, so this is an excellent opportunity for young people across Sussex to see all the fantastic opportunities there are to get into this sector.”
The event will also give prospective students the chance to find out more about East Sussex College’s new creative degree opportunities at its Newhaven campus, based at the Marine Workshops.
From September 2026, students can study BA (Hons) Animation or BA (Hons) Design, with both courses validated by the University of East Anglia. Both degrees cover areas including graphics, illustration, photography, motion, story-telling and web-based design, in preparation for careers across the Creative Industries.
The College’s Newhaven campus will be open to visitors from 10.30am to 3.30pm on Saturday 19th September, providing an opportunity to explore the facilities and find out more about studying a creative degree locally.
The College’s involvement in Emerging Sussex reflects its commitment to connecting students with the creative sector and supporting young people to develop the skills, experience and confidence they need to progress into creative careers.
Lizzie Lower, Co-Director Hospitable Environment CIC & Artwave Festival, said, "We are thrilled to welcome East Sussex College as a partner in Emerging Sussex this year, and are excited that young people can now study for creative degrees here in the riverside campus in Newhaven. Newhaven has a thriving creative community, and there are many brilliant creative businesses moving here all the time. Highlighting the talent of young artists and makers from across Sussex in our open call for Artwave, running workshops with local arts organisations, and building the skills and confidence to equip young people for careers in the creative industries is central to our work at Hospitable Environment.
“It is great to share those values with our sponsors, too. Both exhibition spaces at the Marine Workshops will be filled with a vibrant display of amazing work through Emerging Sussex, and everyone is warmly invited join us for a celebratory open event on the 17th (from 5-8pm), the open day on Saturday 19th, and for the prize giving event on Sunday 20th (12.30-2.30pm)."
The Emerging Sussex Youth Open Call forms part of Artwave, the annual festival celebrating visual arts across East Sussex. This year’s Emerging Sussex programme, with the cover designed by former East Sussex College BA (Hons) Fine Art alumna Kim de Paolis, runs from 17th to 20th September, with the exhibition open to visitors throughout the weekend.
More details about how to get involved with the Youth Open Call can be found here: https://www.hospitable-environment.com/youthopencall