Currently in it’s first year, The AntiMA Brighton is a peer-lead, collaborative arts education programme based in Brighton. Meeting monthly at Coachwerks, a gallery, workshop and artist studio space, members of the programme deliver workshops, talks and experiences to the rest of the group as well as participating in crits, research and event planning that encourages peer learning as well as personal practice development.
The AntiMA was founded in 2019 by artist, writer and curator Grace Madeleine Slater with the aim to target loneliness within the arts and explore arts education free from institutional restraints and “box ticking” modules. Slater was also inspired to start The AntiMA due to the apparent lack of opportunities for artists in Brighton. Although Brighton is a popular city for creatives and plays host to a range of festivals and fringes, there seemed to be a short supply of open calls, free art classes and groups, even exhibitions at local art galleries and museums. Using her own time and money, Slater began to reach out to local art spaces to find a space to host the monthly meetings and launched an online open call for participants. There was a selection process in which members were put together to form a group of artists, designers, musicians and writers who could educate, encourage and inspire each other. This created the first cohort of The AntiMA.
For now, The AntiMA “Class of 2020” are working out what their mutual and individual goals are for the year, but have already established an exciting timetable of workshops, lectures and exhibitions, with more to come! In the future the programme will focus on sourcing funding from external sources to enable the growth of the programme and provide a more accessible and inclusive learning environment for current and future participants. For now, The AntiMA continues to grow as a collective that highlights the benefits of collaboration and community within the arts.