Barra Culture now has a full cohort of local staff who are putting together an exciting activity plan for the next four years.
The current plans, funded by Arts Council England, will run from now until 2025.
So far, the first round of Boosting Barrow’s Creativity – a twice-yearly programme where local people can get support for their creative ideas – is already underway with 30 different projects from bellringing and painting to samba drumming and DJing workshops.
Four artists-in-residence have already been commissioned by community groups to run land art, digital and visual arts projects with local partners, with another six starting later in the year. Ten such projects are planned each year.
Barra Culture will also produce large-scale arts and cultural events each year, steered by local people, celebrating and showcasing the vast amount of creativity and themes important to residents in the area, such as the Festival of Colours, which will now take place in and around The Forum on April 2 2022.
Barra Culture director Daniel Tyler-McTighe has been joined by a new creative team to help him steer the programme in Barrow.
There are three Creative Community Connectors in the team: Kieran McDonnell – founder of Barrer Cvlt – has a huge amount of experience in working with local young people.
He recently led Barra Culture’s creative involvement with World Skateboard Day, celebrating the creativity of the sport with an art competition for young people; Marisa Crane joins the team as a mixed-media artist and co-producer of the online zine Folded, which celebrates young Cumbrian creatives and Molly Field, a recent theatre graduate and qualified teacher from Walney who, inspired by her own experiences, has a particular interest in promoting and creating art with Barrow’s disabled residents.
Cumbrian artist and project manager Jenna Coulthard brings years of relevant experience to the team, all of whom are supported by Becky Hearfield, the programme’s administrator.
Barra Culture is also working with marketing manager Helen Bartosinski.
As part of the Government’s Kickstart scheme, which helps provide opportunities for young people aged 16 to 24 on Universal Credit, central Barrovian Abbi Knight is working as an assistant to the team.
