CRIPtic Arts is excited to launch our call-out for work for Liberty Festival 2025, taking place 24th to 28th September 2025. The call-out closes on the 1st May 2025.
We are looking to programme bold, innovative, and thought-provoking work by disabled artists for Liberty 2025. The festival will take place in venues / spaces across Wandsworth (London), with Battersea Arts Centre as the central hub.
The work commissioned could include:
- Creative performances presented live to audiences
- Screenings
- Interactive events
- Exhibitions or installations
- Talks
- Workshops
- Discussions.
It could be aimed at a general audience or a specific audience.
We are anticipating programming the below number of projects. This is just a guide to help with applications. The number and scale of the acts in the confirmed line up may vary.
- 1 x headline: up to £20,000
- 2 x large-scale: up to £10,000
- 4 x mid-scale: up to £5,000
- 3 x small-scale: up to £1,500
- 5 x micro: up to £500
What is Liberty Festival?
In April 2025, Wandsworth will be taking the title of London Borough of Culture, as awarded by the Mayor of London. As part of this, Wandsworth will host the Mayor’s flagship Liberty Festival, a vibrant and inclusive series of events that celebrate the best of disabled artists. The festival will take place from 24-28 September 2025 across venues in the borough, creating a joyful, radically inclusive space where everyone is welcome.
Artistic Vision for Liberty Festival
As the Mayor’s flagship disability arts festival, Liberty is a bold platform for work by some of the most exciting disabled creatives. CRIPtic’s vision as producing partner in 2025 is to embed these artists at the heart of the Wandsworth community – interconnecting with schools, collaborating with local groups, and bringing artistic work into community spaces across the Borough.
We are passionate about presenting work that explores the disabled experience—past, present and future—celebrating our existence and advocating for our rights. Equally, we seek work that emerges from a crip lens and addresses topics far beyond disability, challenging perspectives, questioning norms, and defying expectations. We welcome work that pushes artistic boundaries—across form, theme, and style—moving beyond tropes and traditional narratives to create something fresh, resonant, and vital.
In 2025, Liberty will fill Wandsworth with the richness and diversity of disability arts, with work that speaks to everyone—from children’s workshops to dementia-friendly performances, from community engagement projects to groundbreaking creations—and with access for disabled people existing at the heart of it. It will reach new audiences, bringing disabled-led art to local businesses, venues, and partners. The artists and projects will be central to making this a reality.
For artists, participating should also be an opportunity – for growth, learning and development. Our commissions will support disabled creatives at every stage of their careers—from emerging talent to established artists
What work are we looking for?
We want to hear from disabled creatives working across all artforms and disciplines. Work from live performance and digital art to community engagement projects and large-scale public works. We want work that is ready for presentation or exhibition, with minimal development required. Your idea should be delivered at a high quality, within budget.
Liberty Festival is committed to supporting a diverse range of work. Art from intimate storytelling to large-scale productions, panel discussions to interactive workshops, craft events to art installations. Whether you are an emerging artist who has just created their first piece, or an established creative with a major new work, we want to hear from you.
We welcome proposals that:
- Go beyond tropes of disability — whether exploring the disabled experience past, present, or future, or using a crip lens to engage with broader themes that challenge societal norms and redefine artistic possibilities.
- Work that is immersive, engaging and accessible, especially for disabled people.
- Take a creative approach to accessibility, ensuring work is inclusive and engaging.
- Advocate for disabled people’s rights, highlighting issues, experiences, and triumphs through art.
- Attract new audiences to disability arts, reaching beyond traditional spaces and engaging the wider community.
- Work that has the potential to tour across other UK and international arts festivals.
This opportunity is open to both individuals and organisations working in any artform. The creative lead on the project must be a disabled person.
Please note that only one application will be accepted from each lead artist or organisation. However, artists and organisations can be mentioned in multiple applications, as long as they are only leading on one application.
We are particularly keen to support disabled individuals who continue to face significant barriers in accessing opportunities in both mainstream and disability arts.
All applicants must have the right to work or operate in England.
How do I apply for Liberty Festival?
To find out more about Liberty or apply for the opportunity, visit the Wandsworth Liberty website.
