The South West Culture Digest - Summer 2022
For the tenth edition of the South West Culture Digest, we are sharing some of our summer stories from across the region, as festivals return once more and free events for the whole family pop up right on your doorstep.
There are bold new plans to boost creativity and culture across Somerset, and as the holiday season is well under way, we’re highlighting some of the opportunities near you to get involved with creativity and culture.
If you have a good news story or an opportunity you’d like to share with us, get in touch.
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Good News
Headlining from your front garden
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Creative People and Places, a funding programme made possible thanks to National Lottery players. It provides funding to transform access to creativity and culture in places where engagement is significantly below the national average.
To celebrate the anniversary, we caught up with Seed, at the Front Garden Music Festival, which they held across Sedgemoor in June this summer and attracted over 4,500 people and more than 60 musicians from the local area. Staged throughout several towns across the Somerset levels and moors, in private gardens, parks and pub gardens, through to playing fields and National Trust gardens, local creative people were given a platform to showcase their talents, alongside acts that travelled to perform at the events.
Local resident Val, who performed on piano to audiences gathered in her garden, said ‘I’m very keen on the idea of having live music, whether it’s classical, popular, folk, anything, live music is so much better than recorded… It’s satisfying to be able to give people a bit of a laugh.’
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Funding News
A round up of new funding for creative and cultural projects across the region
National Lottery Project Grants highlights
Since June this year, we’ve invested £1.6 million in 55 projects across the south west through National Lottery Project Grants. We have funded creative projects that bring people together and offer people more opportunities to engage in creativity and culture in their local area.
The funding will go towards producing community murals in Southampton with Zest Collective, a series of visual art installations in an urgent treatment centre in Swindon with the Way Forward Programme, and help support the organisation 64 Million Artists to celebrate 10 years of global participation with it’s annual January Challenge.
National Lottery players have made it possible for creativity and culture to reach people of all ages and backgrounds across the whole of the south west. We have been showcasing some of the fabulous projects taking place in our area this season on Twitter. We have seen an epic calendar of arts and culture unfold over the past few months. Look back at some of our local fests from this summer in our thread celebrating the return of festivals.
Take a look at our International Youth Day 2022 thread for projects empowering children and young people, with Ryde Carnival, Cornwall Youth Noise Orchestra and Lightbox Theatre delivering exciting creative activity programmes for youth in the south west.
Wiltshire and Hampshire Libraries to benefit from £40,000 Green Libraries grant fund
Library and Information Association CILIP, with support from Arts Council England, have announced 15 selected projects under the Green Libraries grant fund for public library services in England to support environmental activity in libraries.
The projects, of which include libraries in Wiltshire and Hampshire, will see a range of innovative ideas that will enable libraries to demonstrate environmental understanding and action through local partnerships, community engagement activities and staff, stock and space interventions.
Free events across the South West
With the summer season in full swing, we’re delighted to share some of the wonderful free activity taking place across the region. There’s a packed cultural programme of events, from creative days for the whole family, to a host of high street installations.
This summer, Bristol Libraries have launched Words on Wheels, a book bike project using electric cargo bikes around the city to raise awareness of libraries, the library services and the joy of reading.
Prodigal Theatre in Cornwall launches PAR-Teee on Sunday 4 September, a free, family festival celebrating the communities of Par, St Blazey and Tywardreath, with outdoor dance, parkour and circus performance with arts and crafts activities.
Across in South Devon, a brand new 10-day arts and culture festival Totnes Festival of Arts and Culture has got under way. The programme of visual arts, circus, theatre, dance, film, storytelling, spoken word, music and more, will explore place and belonging. The festival runs until 25 August and is free to attend.
We’ve put together a handful of free events taking place in the south west, supported by us and made possible thanks to National Lottery players.
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Opportunities
Quirk Theatre are looking to cast two performers
Quirk Theatre are seeking performers to join the ensemble for Mary, The Pigeon Who Never Gave Up, performing in Devon in December 2022.
Deadline 5 September 2022
Apply now >
Could you be a Cultural Connector?
Connecting Culture in Southampton are looking for 10 Cultural Connectors aged 16-25 to join a ground-breaking project led by University of Southampton. You will explore how Southampton’s thriving Cultural Quarter can enrich the lives of children and young people as a future creative hub and work alongside a large group of creative organisations and child-focused services.
Deadline 5 September 2022
Apply now >
Marketing and communications support for Tangle Theatre
Tangle Theatre are seeking freelance marketing and comms support to join a passionate and committed team. The role will provide marketing and communications support for their Autumn 2022 tour of Richard the Second.
Deadline rolling submissions
Apply now >
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South West Spotlight: Somerset
County puts creativity and culture at front and centre of policy
The arts and culture sector in Somerset will benefit from the creation of a five-year Somerset Cultural Strategy following a £30,000 grant awarded by Arts Council England.
The cultural strategy for the new unitary Somerset Council comes into being in April 2023 and will consider how to raise awareness and promote the role that creativity and culture can play in enriching communities and improving the quality and wellbeing of Somerset residents, local businesses and visitors. The strategy is also committed to helping create new opportunities and raise the profile of the county’s vibrant sector.
Phil Gibby, Area Director, Arts Council England, South West, said:
We’re delighted that the new Somerset Council are making this commitment to culture and creativity. Exploring what the cultural offer can look like in Somerset for people living and working across the county and intending to embed that at the early stage of this newly formed unitary authority is admirable.
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From the Archives
Five Questions with… Indu Sharma
In celebration of South Asian Heritage Month, we caught up with Indu Sharma, the Founder and Chair of the volunteer-led organisation South Asian Performing Arts Centre (SAPAC), which has been championing classical, folk and contemporary South Asian dance and theatre in Swindon, one of our priority places, for more than a decade.
We discussed SAPAC’s aims, music and dance from the Indian subcontinent, and why it is important to recognise today…
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Looking Ahead
An intriguing Monster has arrived on the shores of Weston-Super-Mare
Commissioned as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, a decommissioned offshore platform from the North Sea is being transformed into one of the UK’s largest public art installations ‘SEE MONSTER’, to inspire global conversations about reuse, renewables and the great British weather. After a five day voyage across the sea by barge, SEE MONSTER arrived in Weston-super-Mare in mid-July. The SEE MONSTER viewing platform is now open, where you can observe the installation taking shape.
For more details and to keep up to date >
See the theatre makers from the South West going up to Edinburgh Fringe Festival!
We’ve put together a list of a few of the National Lottery Project Grant funded individuals and organisations bringing their shows to Edinburgh this year.
Libraries Week coming up…
The theme for Libraries Week running from Monday 3 - 9 October is Lifelong Learning and is a great opportunity to celebrate the much-loved libraries and the central role libraries play in our lives. Stay tuned for stories we will share around this time. Have an idea? Send a message to our contact below.
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Contact Us
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