Swale regeneration awarded further Art at the Centre grant
Art at the Centre has been given £100,000 by Arts Council England, South East, towards the second phase of partnership funded activities to cultural regeneration projects across Swale, including the creation of new affordable artist studios in shipping containers on Isle of Sheppey.
Art at the Centre is an award scheme from ACE, South East, that seeks to embed creativity within regeneration practice. The other funding partners for the extended programme in Swale, which covers the North Kent coast, include Swale Borough Council, Kent County Council, and SEEDA.
The Art at the Centre phase two plan for late 2009-11 consists of three elements:
• A Mobile Space acting as a gallery, consultation and workshop space.
• A series of innovative temporary public art interventions.
• Workspace for artists (a new studio complex created from converted shipping containers) for early career artists working in any media/art form in Queenborough, Isle of Sheppey.
This two-year programme, with a £245,000 budget, is designed to embed creativity in the regeneration of Swale, develop the growing local creative community and provide a delivery model for future council cultural regeneration schemes. The areas of focus for project delivery are Queenborough and Rushenden, Leysdown, Sheerness and Milton Creek.
Mobile space: Once commissioned, the mobile space will travel between locations every few months, running a series of public engagement projects that directly involve the people of Swale in the creative regeneration process.
Studio Spaces: There are opportunities for artists to become part of a thriving artist hub at the Queenborough workspaces, as well as potential commissions as projects progress to delivery stage. If you are looking for affordable artist studio or creative business space, please register your interest with Nicole Mollett at Art at the Centre now - email: nicolemollett@swale.gov.uk. A professional studio provider will be commissioned to install the studio spaces by August 2010.
For more info on all aspects of the programme, go to Swale Borough Council, Art at the Centre.
To find out more about Arts Council England, South East's Art at the Centre programme, go to: www.aatc.org.uk. The Art at the Centre project evaluation document for the 2005-2008 programme, which gave grants of £45,000 to Swale Borough Council, Maidstone Borough Council and Isle of Wight Council, is now available to download from the site.
Date posted: 15th December 2009
