Creative Connections – bringing people together in the Black Country
Creative Black Country have been helping artists, creatives and community groups to make a connection with audiences during lockdown and social distancing.
The Arts Council funded Creative, People and Places project set up Creative Connections at the start of lockdown in late March, for audiences to access projects that could work both online and offline.
20 projects have been set up locally in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton as well as some that cross the entire Black Country.
From creating a ‘play in a day’ with your family, to sharing and hearing brand new poetry written by people from across the Black Country, Creative Connections aims to bring the community together at a time where many may be feeling isolated and alone.
People can make videos about their local football team, or attend virtual storytelling sessions led by a D/deaf stand-up comic – and the whole community can come together to embrace creativity in the Black Country.
Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England said: “It’s fantastic to see the range of cultural activities that Creative Black Country is running, not only to entertain people, but to make them feel involved.
“We know the positive effect that great arts and culture can have on the mental wellbeing of people, especially at challenging times, so it’s excellent to see projects like these, that will benefit people across the region.”
Creative Director of Creative Black Country Jenny Smith said: “We knew that people were struggling at home to find creative pursuits, engage children, and keep connected so we put a call out across the Black Country to see what ideas people might have.
“Creative Connections is a new strand of work that has been developed to support creativity across the Black Country during these extraordinary times. Each project was chosen by a panel of people from the Black Country and includes a wide variety of ideas that have taken place both online and offline, in specific areas and across the whole region.
“We’re delighted by the diversity of ideas that people came up with and have been delighted with the amount of people that have been able to join in.”
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