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ICA Creatives: Youth Forum
Institute of Contemporary Arts


Who is art for?

How can art spaces better reflect and serve the needs and realities of young audiences?

At ICA, we recognise that young communities are often excluded from the arts, with their perspectives and priorities underrepresented. This programme seeks to address that gap by fostering creative skills, sparking intergenerational dialogue, and exploring how young people can shape the cultural landscape. Together, we’ll work to change how audiences experience, understand, and connect with art at ICA.

What does youth voice sound like at ICA?

ICA Creatives Youth Forum is a six-month programme offering paid opportunities for young people aged 16–30. We are seeking five members to join this initiative, designed to amplify youth voices and increase their visibility within arts institutions. As a member, you’ll collaborate with artists and ICA staff to shape the interpretation and perception of ICA’s artistic programme through responding to the exhibitions here with alternative ways of understanding art.

We will explore creative interpretation through artist interviews, creative writing, archive practice, and artist-led audio and sonic approaches.  Members will delve into how opinions, conversations, feelings, and collaboration shape the meaning of artworks. They will also have opportunities to engage with ICA teams to gain insight into the programme’s different strands and behind-the-scenes operations, broadening their understanding of the institution.

Youth Forum 2025 will run from February to July. There will be 10 sessions in total with members meeting on Wednesday evening from 5-7pm (sessions 1-6) and 6-8pm (sessions 7-10). Each session will be led by an artist or creative lead and will be both discussion and skills based to support the development of a response to a major upcoming exhibition at ICA in July 2025.

Please see our exciting programme schedule and for more information or with any questions contact our Talks & Engagement Producer Hannah Geddes (Hannah.Geddes@ica.art)
Artist and Creative Lead Biographies
 
Dr. Hannah Catherine Jones (aka foxymoron) is a London-based artist, multi-instrumentalist, researcher, eductor, broadcaster/DJ (BBC Radio/TV, NTS - The Opera Show), composer, conductor, founder of Peckham Chamber Orchestra – a community project established in 2013 and founder of Chiron Choir - a queer diasporic choir established in 2022. Jones completed her AHRC DPhil scholarship at Oxford University for which the ongoing body of work The Oweds was presented as a series of live and recorded, broadcast, audio-visual episode-compositions, using disruptive sound as a methodology of institutional decolonisation and was awarded with no corrections in 2021.Dr. Jones has performed, exhibited and lectured widely, internationally, including: National Gallery, Southbank Centre, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Oxford University, Trinity Laban, Cafe Oto, Nottingham Contemporary (UK), Sandberg Institute (NL), University of Bayreuth (GER), Beirut Art Centre (LEBN), Oi Futuro (BR), Eyethu Centre (SA), New York University, Harvard University (U.S.), NIRIN: 22nd Biennial of Sydney, Liquid Architecture (AUS), amongst others.
 
Vasundhara Mathur is a writer, research and curator currently working in Tate Research. She curated and convened the programme ‘The Archive is a Gathering Place’, a two-day programme exploring futures of community owned archives. The programme brought together artists, activist and digital practitioners to discuss the futures of collectively owned archives and community generated content.
 
Dalia Al-Dujaili is the online editor of BJP and an Iraqi-British arts writer and producer based in London. Bylines include The Guardian, Dazed, GQ Middle East, WePresent, Aperture, Atmos, It's Nice That, Huck, Elephant Art and more. She's the founder of The Road to Nowhere magazine.
 
Sophie Nibbs is an Exhibitions and Interpretation Curator at Royal Museums Greenwich, who has previously worked at Tate, and smaller arts organisations including the South London Art Map, Artangel, SAND Journal and Campagne Première Berlin. Sophie focuses on developing engaging ways to tell complex stories and improving the accessibility of museum displays. Alongside exhibition curating and programming, Sophie is involved in content strategy groups and advisory panels at Royal Museums Greenwich, playing a role in supporting the future of the organisation.
 
Marie Smith is a neurodivergent visual artist and writer born, living, and working in London. Smith graduated in 2017 with an MA in History in Art with Photography at Birkbeck, University of London. Being a neurodivergent person with dyspraxia and anxiety has informed how they navigate the world. Marie’s practice incorporates audio, digital, and analogue media alongside text as a form of visual language that addresses identity, the body, nature, sustainability, mental health, and well-being. Marie’s lens-based approach incorporates low-toxic plant, food, or herb-based developers to process their analogue film. Marie is a Lecturer at Kingston University London and has previously lectured at Goldsmiths - University of London, and London College of Communication.
 
Montez Press Radio is an experimental broadcasting and performance platform founded in 2018 with the goal of fostering greater experimentation and conversation between artists, writers, and thinkers through the medium of radio. The platform invites different corners of the art world to interact with each other in person and on air—a place where media finally meets flesh. 
 
Programme schedule

1. Wednesday 26 February, 5-7pm
Introduction to ICA and Youth Forum programme

2. Wednesday 12 March, 5-7pm
Explore the archive with Vasundhara Mathur

3. Wednesday 19 March, 5-7pm
DIY Radio workshop with Montez Press Radio

4. Wednesday 26 March, 5-7pm
Creative writing with Dalia Al-Dujaili

5. Wednesday 16 April, 5-7pm
Exhibition Interpretation with Sophie Nibbs

6. Wednesday 30 April, 5-7pm
What does youth voice sound like? Workshop with Marie Smith

7. Wednesday 7 May, 6-8pm
Sound workshop with Hannah Catherine Jones: creating the sonic response

8. Wednesday 14 May, 6-8pm
Sound workshop with Hannah Catherine Jones: creating the sonic response

9. Wednesday 28 June, 6-8pm
Sound workshop with Hannah Catherine Jones: creating the sonic response

10. Wednesday 18 June 6-8pm
Sound workshop with Hannah Catherine Jones: creating the sonic response 


Application Information

Apply here

Recruitment opens: Monday 20 January, 4pm
Deadline: Sunday 2 February, 4pm
Applicants will be notified on Monday 10 February

Please make sure you are available for all sessions before applying.

This is a paid role with a fee of £450. This is set at London Living Wage for the hours of engagement.

Please note that those applying as residents in the London Borough of Westminster will be given priority.

We encourage people from all sections of our community to apply within the ages of 16-30. However, our highest priority is to hear from applicants who come from structurally underserved communities across race, class, gender and accessibility. We also prioritise applicants without previous access to higher education