We are on a mission to make genuine sector and cultural change

Our Story – OUR Team – Board & Directors

We are a community interest company (CIC) and not-for-profit creative agency based in Bristol led by young underrepresented creative thinkers aged 18-30.

We use our distinctive ways of working and facilitating, years of production experience and our intersectional community to do things differently and create meaningful sector change. With the aim of filling the world with beautiful stuff by and for everyone.

We’re building a movement and fighting for a better future centering the creativity of young people - join us.

We are Rising Arts Agency

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Rising grew out of young people’s frustrations with how inaccessible, exclusive and exploitative the creative sector can be.

We were founded in 2016 by artist and facilitator, Kamina Walton in collaboration with young people.

After 5 years of stewarding Rising as Director, Kamina intentionally handed over the leadership to two young people in 2021, Jess Bunyan and Euella Jackson.

Our Story

As Rising approaches it’s 10th birthday in 2026 we’re preparing to transition the leadership for a second time so that more young people are given the opportunity to lead Rising and shape it’s future in their image.

With 5 year terms baked in we will remain youth-led and continuing to prove the success of young people leading NOW.

As a creative agency co-led by young people, we increasingly use our unique processes, ways of working and facilitating to advocate for liberatory practices, transformational governance and inclusivity for the rest of the sector to truly thrive.

Our Why

our TIMELINE

We launch OnBoard, a programme born out of the sector's need for more young people in governance. OnBoard supports organisations to embed young people at the heart of organisations, to set the strategy and be heard.

A yellow poster with bold black text that reads 'RISING IS BORN'. Below the text, there is a large, distressed black letter 'R'. Underneath, smaller text states, 'Out of conversations with young people, Kamina Walton goes from working in institutions to creating a place where young people truly have agency.' At the bottom, there is a hashtag '#WeAreRising' and the year '2016'.

Our ongoing creative action research project, Whose Culture, officially launches - challenging inequalitiy in the sector and creating community with young creatives of colour in Bristol. It creates a new framework for how we questions the sector.

A green poster with large white text asking 'Whose future are we building?' Below there is a photo of several young people standing in front of a billboard that reads 'We are rising' and 'Young people are leaders now.' The poster also contains a paragraph about activism for social issues and the hashtag #WhoseFuture, dated 2020.

A group of young diverse people smiling, posing together at a cultural arts event, with a banner in the background that reads "Rising Arts Agency" and the words "Transforming Leadership" above the photo. The image is part of a flyer about a leadership program funded by Arts Council England in 2019.

Two people smiling and laughing together, standing in front of a pink banner with white text that reads "TO CARE FOR YOU IS TO CARE FOR ME". The person on the right wears a yellow headscarf and pink bandana, and the person on the left has dark curly hair and wears a yellow patterned shirt. The background includes a sign with messages about community care and racial justice.

A flyer with a yellow background titled 'Creating Dreamspace'. It features a photo of green tree branches and blue sky, with text about taking an intentional 'August of Rest' to focus on values, reflection, and spending time together as a team and individuals. The flyer includes the hashtag '#AugustOfRest' and is dated 2022.

A poster titled 'Young Leaders Now' featuring a photo of two young women, Kamina and Jess, on stage with a colorful art background. The poster mentions their transition to leadership at Arnolfini and lists hashtags and year 2021.

Our team

“Young doesn’t mean inexperienced or unprofessional… in fact, it’s quite the opposite”…

We advocate for young people to be present and have agency at every level of decision-making, starting right here.

Our team is made of young artists, creatives, producers, facilitators and members of our community who help bring our ambitious projects and commissions to life.

We are 25% LGBTQ+, , 25% neurodivergent and 100% artistic bad b*tches.

Together, we support our community to genuinely take up space in the sector as creative leaders and change-makers.

Selected work

Mitoshka Alkova (she/her)

Co-Director
mitoshka@rising.org.uk

I’m a curator, typewriter artist, documentary filmmaker and sonic explorer. Originally from Bulgaria, I’ve practised in the UK, Malta, Saudi Arabia and Italy. Navigating place is my practice- discovering connections and adapting them visually is how I interpret the world!

As a Typewriter Artist, I create images using a ‘?’, ‘L’, or ‘Q’. I am interested in how the page gathers new meaning because it has been typed key by key- ink on metal on paper- in a world of digital takeover.

I have been an Access Support Producer for a few years, so reach out to me for any advice or assistance with your creative practice!

Ellayah May (she/her)

Co-Director
ellayah@rising.org.uk

Ellayah is currently transitioning from Community Producer to Co-Director

More coming soon!

Group photo of the board. The group is outside on a sunny day, and they are all dressed in casual clothes.

Group of people sitting and talking at tables in a brick-walled room with a colorful quilt hanging on the wall.

BOArd & NON-EXECs

Our Non-Exec Directors and Advisory Board is made up of a mix of independent creatives and those working for larger cultural organisations who support us to stay true to our mission and hold us to account.

They are 65% under 30 and come from a range of lived experiences that reflect our community. They model new forms of leadership and are responsible for ensuring we prioritise the interests of the community, the agency and the team at all times and strive towards creating social change.