Arts and culture - The Churchill Fellowship
The Churchill Fellowship
become a fellow

Arts and culture

About this theme

This theme covers all aspects of the arts, crafts and creative industries, including their social, cultural and economic aspects. It is one of the eight universal themes which form our grantmaking framework and allow us to address every aspect of society. Fellows’ stories

Blogs & conversations Bringing resilience to life through flax

Zoe Gilbertson looks back on her Fellowship exploring flax and bioregional resilience across Europe. She shares how learning from community-focused projects shaped her understanding of how local production can be rebuilt through culture, creativity, and collaboration. Now, through her organisation Liflad, she is working to revitalise flax and linen production in the UK, with her work being supported by growing networks and shared learning across Europe and beyond.

By Zoe Gilbertson, 2026

Blogs & conversations Songwriting for Confidence, Self-Expression, and Connection

During her Churchill Fellowship, songwriter Hannah Louise Partridge – known professionally as Anna Anise – explored how collaborative songwriting retreats in the United States help musicians build confidence, connection, and lasting creative networks. Drawing on visits to six retreat programmes, she reflects on the power of shared creative space to support wellbeing and sustain musical careers. Now applying this learning through her organisation CHORUS Songwriting CIC, she is developing retreats that strengthen community and widen access to songwriting across the UK.

By Hannah Louise Partridge, 2026

Blogs & conversations A Changemaker Mam: Building Theatre for Survivors

JoJo Kirtley reflects on balancing her Churchill Fellowship with life as a mother of three while exploring how survivor-led theatre can challenge violence against women and girls. Drawing on learning from practitioners across Europe, North America, and Africa, she shares how community-led creative work can build safety, solidarity, and lasting change. Now developing her Theatre of the Survivor framework in the North East of England, JoJo is putting this learning into practice to support women and communities.

By JoJo Kirtley, 2026

Fellows' updates February 2026 Fellows' update: Siân Evans

Siân Evans (CF 2011) recently graduated from the University of Sheffield with a PhD in archaeology. Her multidisciplinary research focused on female-made metal artefacts from the Imperial War Museum - and asked how gender provenance is understood in archaeometallurgy and how the culture of metalworking skills is curated and transmitted.

By Sian Evans, 2026

Newsletter Sign Up