The South West Culture Digest - July 2021
Today is an important milestone for the creative and cultural sector. After many difficult months, organisations across the south west can reopen fully for the first time in a long time. We know that we still must be cautious, recognising the barriers still faced by many, and are pleased to see so many organisations ensuring measures remain in place to enable an inclusive and safe return for colleagues, audiences, and participants.
One year on from the launch of the Government’s £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund, we’re taking this moment to recognise and reflect on the real and lasting impact that the lifeline investment has had for many organisations across our region, as well as the artists, freelancers and supply chain companies involved in making magical experiences happen. Culture is thriving in all corners of the south west – from the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare to the cathedral city of Gloucester – and we’re here to celebrate it!
In this month’s South West Culture Digest, we’re highlighting some of the major cultural openings we’re looking forward to this summer, made possible thanks to the Culture Recovery Fund, which demonstrates how public investment in culture can enrich our lives by making people happy and proud of the place they live.
If you have a story you’d like to share with us, email us at sw.comms@artscouncil.org.uk and we’ll do our best to include it in a future issue.
Summer openings we’re excited about
Plymouth’s new immersive dome opens
Last week Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of the Arts Council, cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the new Market Hall in Devonport, Plymouth. The new creative space opened to the public this weekend, putting the south west even more firmly on the global map as a leader in immersive creative technology. The Grade II listed building has undergone an extensive and cutting-edge capital renovation led by the team at Real Ideas, funded in part by a £394,135 grant through the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund: Cultural Capital Kickstart.
The building comprises of a 360 degree immersive dome, the first of its kind in Europe, as well as dynamic co-working spaces, a production suite, events space and a café. The spectacular dome measures 15m diameter, 210 degrees over the top, with a flat floor and will have a VR and AR cultural programme. The only other like it in the world can be found at SAT in Montreal, Canada – so we expect cultural experience hunters to come from far and wide, giving the local economy a boost with tourism too!
Watchet’s East Quay opening soon
The Onion Collective will soon be opening East Quay in Watchet, West Somerset – a powerful, community-led development project on the harbour. Later this summer, the ambitious project will open to the public, giving a real boost to the coastal town, with economic benefits and social opportunities ready to bloom. East Quay will encompass galleries, an education space, workshop and studio spaces for artists, places to eat and stay, and a renewed quayside realm for locals and visitors to enjoy all year round.
The Onion Collective received £389,000 of funding through the Culture Recovery Fund: Cultural Capital Kickstart programme, which enabled them to continue with the development and open this summer. This follows initial investment of £389,000 through our Small Capital Grants programme. Last year, we caught up with Jessica Prendergrast, one of the Onion Collective’s five executive directors, as part of a series of interviews with inspiring women across the sector.
The Music Works’ inclusive new music hub
The Music Works specialises in working with young people in challenging circumstances in Gloucestershire to help them reach their full potential through music and learning that they are passionate about - whether that’s pop, rock, urban, indie, blues, metal, dance, techno, hip-hop, punk, dubstep or reggae. Opening this summer, the Music Works’ fully inclusive music hub in the centre of Gloucester will transform the cultural scene of the city and improve access and progression routes for over 5,000 young people a year. Facilities will include new fully equipped recording studios, a sensory music space, a learning pod and first-class music equipment.
The opening of The Hub has been made possible thanks to £128,500 of funding through the Culture Recovery Fund: Cultural Capital Kickstart programme, which has enabled The Music Works to complete the project and make up for costs incurred due to Covid-19. This follows initial investment of £400,000 through our Small Capital Grants programme.
Find out more >
Good news
On:Song hit the high notes
Last month, our South West Area Director, Phil Gibby, joined Siobhan Baillie MP, Stroud, to visit On:Song, a brilliant music organisation in Stroud that promotes the benefits of group singing to support physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. On:Song was awarded £76,000 through the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund, and this investment enabled them to do vital outreach work during lockdown through their regular HUM workshops, such as offering singing for social prescribing through NHS trusts. We were thrilled to see Siobhan Baillie celebrating On:Song’s success, made possible by the Culture Recovery Fund, in the House of Commons.
Find out more about the visit >
Major Australian exhibition comes to The Box
The Box in Plymouth has announced that it will be hosting the European premiere of the National Museum of Australia’s award-winning exhibition Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters from (21 October – 27 February 2022). Featuring over 300 paintings and objects by more than 100 artists, it will be the first time Songlines has been exhibited outside Australia. The exhibition forms part of the UK/Australia Season 2021-22, a major programme of cultural exchange taking place across the two nations. The exhibition continues The Box’s track record of collaborating with First Peoples around the world and follows recent exhibitions co-curated with the Wampanoag of North America – including its inaugural exhibition Mayflower 400: Legend & Legacy and Wampum: Stories from the Shells of Native America.
Gloucester’s Great Places Scheme comes to a close
After four years, Gloucester’s fantastic Great Places Project has reached its finale. The £3 million Scheme included £1.49 million support from Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Lottery Fund, thanks to National Lottery investment. Gloucester Culture Trust’s goal was to transform Gloucester through arts, heritage and creativity, and put Gloucester on the cultural map. Through collaborative working with Gloucester City Council, the project will certainly have a lasting legacy in Gloucester, creating a vibrant cultural offer that has made the city a really great place to be.
See the project highlights in this short film >
Funding news
New funding for creative and cultural projects across the region
In June, we awarded £1.74 million to 69 incredible projects across the south west through National Lottery Project Grants, made possible thanks to National Lottery players. The funding will create cultural experiences which will unite communities, reconnecting African Caribbean residents with their roots in Bournemouth; celebrating Indian heritage stories in South Gloucester; amplifying the voice of transgender artists in Portsmouth and supporting post-pandemic cultural recovery in Basingstoke, and new opportunities for creative practitioners will be created by an artist-led gallery space in North Devon and for young artists via The Future is Collective project in Bristol.
Check out our Twitter thread for details >
South West Spotlight
Creativity’s in the air at Weston-super-Mare
It’s an exciting time to be in Weston. The North Somerset seaside town is buzzing with creative activity as outdoor arts fill the streets and cultural venues welcome people back through their doors. Local artists and creatives are putting into practice our belief that creativity and culture transforms lives and communities. Whether it be Bristol’s Upfest, the outdoor street art festival which for the first time expands to the coast, or Culture Weston’s artist-designed newspapers for hospital patients creativity is boosting the emotional and physical wellbeing of communities and spearheading a culture-led recovery.
