IGNITE Festival of Creativity

Connecting emerging talent with industry and the public to ignite economic growth, productivity and employment

To learn more about future plans for IGNITE and how you could get involved, please contact plymcreative@plymouth.ac.uk

Running from 2019–2022 in collaboration with Arts University Plymouth as part of the iMayflower project, the IGNITE Festival of Creativity worked to connect emerging talent with industry and the public to ignite economic growth, productivity and employment.

During this time, the Festival introduced a festival platform featuring graduate profiles and profiled graduate work through activating more than 40 venues and sites across Plymouth including buses, empty high street units, outdoor screens, shopping centres, galleries, banks and spaces on Plymouth’s waterfront.

Key achievements

150 events
30 businesses supported
30 student contributors supporting social media marketing and events
600 student digital profiles showcased
500,000 visitors
shortlisted for the 2020 Times Higher Education Awards for Digital Innovation of the Year.

Learn more about the project via the report, and search for graduate talent.

IGNITE was supported by Plymouth City Council as part of the iMayflower project, and by The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who fund the Cultural Developed Fund, administered by Arts Council England).

The IGNITE Festival of Creativity is an important moment to celebrate, and be inspired by, graduates from both institutions. It shows the strength of Plymouth as a creative hub and is the very heart of the iMayflower programme. This pipeline of creative talent has the possibility to not only fuel our creative industries locally, but to connect with other parts of our regional economy and drive innovation in business, tourism, healthcare and our marine sector. IGNITE provides an excellent opportunity for graduates to engage with business leaders and secure employment opportunities. "

Professor Chris Bennewith, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business at the University of Plymouth

IGNITE is an especially energised, and much needed, initiative. Connecting emerging creative talent with current industry professionals and developing individual employability skills to succeed in an ever-changing world is paramount. I am excited to be contributing live and online to this forward thinking festival and enjoying some fresh and important graduate work. "

Tom Oldham, Leading industry portrait photographer and Arts University Plymouth alumni

IGNITE is the perfect blend of academia and the working world mixing together to help the future of creativity thrive in their careers. Its innovative approach to supporting students is something that I personally wish existed when I graduated from art school! I feel incredibly proud to be able to support IGNITE and to see concepts like this succeed in Plymouth is immensely exciting. "

Jenny Evans, Entrepreneur, Artist & Designer