Our relationship with the East Midlands’ city began in early 2019 when created temporary art studios in repurposed retail units, working closely with local artists to meet their needs for studio space. This work saw units used for contemporary ceramics and workshops as well providing a venue for FORMAT International Photography Festival.
This highlights our on-going commitment to revitalising high streets through artistic and cultural endeavours, and from there we worked closely with local developers, providing advice on space in large city development plans and consulted with local arts organisations while working with the University of Derby and City of Derby Council to access opportunities for graduates, local artists and makers.
This connection to the city saw use appointed to support the City Makers feasibility study alongside Creative Space Management, supporting Derby’s growth and development as a place for artists and makers to thrive, while pumping life back into a local high street adversely affected by the economic situation.
The plans for the City Makers project are still in development but safe to say it’s an ambitious and visionary proposal. Drawing on Derbys’ rich heritage of innovation and manufacturer, it’s significant array of cultural partners and city centre properties being ripe for development the project aims to create a place for artists and makers to thrive and develop.
In a recent press release, Marketing Derby said, “Derby’s Economic Recovery Task Force has put forward ambitious plans which target vacant retail units in St James’s Street, Market Place and Iron Gate.
“The project aims to encourage makers, artists, designers and those in creative digital businesses to cluster along the route, linking with the development of the new £17m Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill, which forms part of Bondholder Derby Museums portfolio.
Councillor Matthew Holmes, Deputy Leader of Bondholder Derby City Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration said: “This will help to reinvigorate the city centre and create a cultural destination for tourists and local communities. St James’s Street and the Museum of Making will provide the bookends for the scheme and the route, signaled through public art installations, will run through the spine of Cathedral Quarter.”
Look out for more updates from us as the project develops! Please get in touch if you’d like to get involved.
Other things!
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Artists
I'm Gonna Find You White Rabbit! by Silvia Liebig
Silvia Liebig's artist book I'm Gonna Find You White Rabbit!: Being Beeston Projekt 2019-2023 is now available to buy.
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Event
Reproductive Futures: Creative Workshop
Join artist Herfa Thompson and academic Zoe Tongue to explore your reproductive health experiences, responding to the duo's Reproductive Futures exhibition, in this visual art workshop.
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News
Welcome to our new trustees
We’re thrilled to welcome two new trustees to our Board following a recent round of open recruitment.
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News
Artist selected for Taipei artist residency
Leeds-based artist James Thompson has been selected for a sought-after six-week residency at Treasure Hill Artist Village in Taiwan, from August to September 2024.
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Commission
Making Public Art - a new interview series
We worked with some wonderful artists throughout 2023 to bring large-scale mural pieces to various locations across Leeds. We’ve been catching up with the artists, in a new series that looks at working with communities, sustainability, and their working process in creating public art.
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Artist support
No Going Back: exploring the archives
Here are some of our favourite images from last month's No Going Back exhibition, for anyone who may have missed it.