Arts Council England IG Takeover: Spotlighting HERchester

Last month we took the reins of the Art Council England’s Instagram for a full day takeover, exploring the incredible HERchesterproject that they so kindly funded.

HERchester was born in 2019 with a goal of bringing together female MC talent. This year we piloted the programme for women, those that identify as women and non-binary people on a larger scale across four cities – Manchester, Sheffield, Morecambe and Blackpool, connecting and collaborating with organisations such as Ritetrax, House of Wingz and More Music to accommodate the participants in their respective cities.

For the IG Story takeover, we invited the project’s leader, Manchester’s finest MC, OneDa, to share her experience as a rapper and she spoke about the importance of creating a safe space for MCs to grow.

Community was one of the many themes at the heart of the HERchester Documentary. Participants reflected on their time over the eight weeks, sharing how skills were developed, friendships were made and how they inspired and motivated one another to grow.

Participant Zari also made an appearance on the Arts Council’s IG Story. The aspiring artist highlighted how there isn’t an awful lot of spaces for a 27 year old female rapper like herself to explore her artistry. So when she came across the HERchester project on Instgaram, she jumped straight in.

We would like to once again thank Arts Council England for supporting this project. Their funding has allowed Reform to create opportunities for the HERchester MCs, whether they were aspiring, established or simply curious.

Watch the full cypher below, the finale performance that perfectly showcases the hard work put in by all the amazing MCs.