Bridport 24 – Town of Culture
Bridport-24 Town of Culture: A sunny summer update - August 1st 2024
At the start of July we formally launched Bridport-24 on a balmy weekend that saw a new Government take office and the England football team (the men’s that is) enter the semi-finals of the EUROS.
We celebrated the cultural vibrancy of the town with forecourt performances from Forest and Grace & Growl, the welcome return of the Portrait Challenge (in partnership with The Lyric Theatre) and Kite Making sessions from Karen and Godfrey (Kites for Schools). That evening and in association with ClockTower Records, legendary Greensleeves Records made the Arts Centre literally vibrate and the sold-out audience dance and skank, as JerkHut served up a welcome dinner of rice, peas and jerk chicken. Thank you to everyone who came out to support it!
Brand new creative collective TOCIYA (Town of Culture Initiative for Young Adults) had rather less luck with the weather on the 7th, but have since installed the Piano of Joy in the foyer of the Arts Centre following their Community Jam. They’ve also programmed an event as part of St.Michael’s Vintage Market and are currently crafting a shoal of fish (!) that will debut later this month at Carnival. Scanning ahead to November, TOCIYA will be curating two days of performances on the 16th and 22nd – search and follow TOCIYA across the social networks to keep tabs on their development.
This month across the area, there is an abundance of fine art and exhibitions to indulge your senses, almost all of which directly celebrate the heritage and culture of the town and surrounding countryside. Dorset National Landscape are supporting Town of Culture with the installation of ‘England-on-Sea’ exhibition on the Esplanade, West Bay. You can download more information HERE
We are delighted to be associated with Sladers Yard and their annual Summer Print Show, featuring Laura Boswell, Martyn Brewster, Merlyn Chesterman and many more. The exhibition continues until September. Back in town, George Biles, ‘King of Sign writer’s’ Exhibition with installations in The Royal British Legion Hall, Bridport Arts Centre and the Museum, will be open to all across the whole of August.
With a nod to the heritage of the town, Bridport-24 has been working with Becca of the Fabric Larder to realise local creative, Karen Gamble’s vision of banners and flags installed across town to celebrate the cultural diversity of your town. With inputs from local designers, children and groups, the flags are in the process of being hemmed and prepared for installation later this month. And it simply wouldn’t be August without Carnival and the magical treat that is the final torchlit procession: there is a week of fundraising that you can take part in before the big weekend – click HERE to find out more and support this annual cultural jewel.
We are also pleased to report that additional funding has been secured to support the Town of Culture’s ambitions, alongside some additional funding awards to our delivery partners The Lyric Theatre and Small World Festival, a brand new event that will be taking place in Arts Centre and The Orchard on September 14th. Thanks must go to funders Dorset Council, Arts Development Company, Bridport Town Council and Arts Council England, our delivery partners Lyric Theatre and everyone who has supported us on the journey so far.
Email [email protected] for more information or media enquiries
Celebrating the town and placing Young People at the heart of our cultural offer
Bridport is the inaugural Town of Culture in Dorset, a brand new initiative created by The Arts Development Company. Funded by Dorset Council with match funding from Bridport Town Council, we’re one of a number of delivery partners, championing new partnerships and facilitating new collaborations, whilst promoting the myriad of cultural offers that makes our town so unique.
From July to December, Bridport – 24 will nurture partnership working and support the advancement of a new ‘company’, led by young creatives from the town who will bring to the public realm their vision of what culture means.
As one of the delivery partners of Bridport-24, at the Arts Centre we’re supporting some new cultural initiatives whilst also reaching out into the community to the numerous creatives to see what we can do to advance their ideas, be those new ones or some of the most established events that we have every year.
Bridport24 will launch on the first weekend of July featuring performances in Buckydoo Square from Grace and Growl; the return of The Portrait Challenge (in partnership with The Lyric Theatre); music at The Arts Centre from London’s iconic reggae label Greensleeves (with Dorset based Jerk Hut serving authentic Jamaican food); and an art and performance take-over of the forecourt on Sunday 7th from the new TOCIYA collective.
Tag what culture means to you #OnlyInBridport as we head into the most eventful time of the year and celebrate the town for everything that makes it so unique.
For more information about the initiative email Michael Armstrong
[email protected]
Greensleeves DJ DubPlate Pearl
Carnival, Chris Hilton