Tuesday night was the Bradford Visual Arts Social run by Bradford Producing Hub. This time it was held at Keighley Creative and what an honour it was!
The event was a great success with lots of positive feedback. Attendees came from across the district to meet other artists, social, network and hear more about opportunities for creatives in our local area.
The focus of the event was on local and national support organisations for visual artists and they explained more about what they do and how they can help. The organisations included ourselves, Bradford Producing Hub, Yorkshire and Humber Visual Arts Network, Axis Web, Curator Space and Keighley Photo Hub.
We shared wonderful food together courtesy of Caterpillar Catering alongside taking part in some creative activities run by one of our studio artists, Carole Griffiths. Attendees got a tour of our building, seeing our artist studios and enjoying the comfort of the fabulous Stockroom Cinema.
We can’t wait to host our next social event for local creatives. Watch this space for more info!
Keighley Creative I Am Brill Disco. Photo: Bob Smith Photography
Last Friday was the I Am Brill disco, a free family event organised by us and held at Victoria Hall in Keighley.
The event welcomed 100s of local families and the aim was to encourage Keighley kids to come together and celebrate their brilliance. The I Am Brill disco was the culmination of numerous creative workshops that we have held around town over the previous few months, where local children were encouraged to make their own unique creations.
A red carpet welcome at I Am Brill Disco. Photo: Bob Smith Photography
The I Am Brill project has been inspired by the work of local artist, Letty McHugh, and her piece “Let Brilliant Talents Shine Forth”, which is currently installed on the front of the library and recognises the important history of the Keighley’s original Mechanics Institute.
Letty McHugh’s art installation, “Let Brilliant Talents Shine Forth”.
The disco was thoroughly enjoyed by attendees who described it as “excellent” “energetic” and “inclusive” as the event was designed to welcome everyone, whatever their age, ethnicity or if they are neurodiverse.
Children made “disco sticks” for I Am Brill Disco. Photo: Bob Smith Photography
Party-goers were greeted on arrival with snowfall, balloons and a red carpet and then spent the evening dancing, crafting, drawing, fishing and limboing.
Limboing at I Am Brill Disco. Photo: Bob Smith Photography
Children were eligible to win prizes for their achievements which included unique I Am Brill T-shirts and posters and sweets donated by ASDA. Performers included drummers, Punjabi Roots, stilt-walkers, Chicks on Sticks, DJs, and local dancers from Unique Cheer and Dance.
Unique Cheer and Dance at I Am Brill Disco. Photo: Bob Smith Photography
Our team used the work of Dr Seuss to inspire the decorations around Victoria Hall and “Seussian” themed snacks were provided by Caterpillar Catering.
Dr Seuss themed snacks from Caterpillar Catering. Photo: Bob Smith Photography
The event was manned by our team alongside lots of enthusiastic volunteers, who provided their time for free. The event was funded by Bradford Council, the Leap, Levelling Up Fund and Toy Lab.
Event Director, Aimee Grundell, said:
“The I Am Brill disco was everything we hoped it would be: fun, inspiring and celebratory. It created an opportunity for local children and families to feel confident, get creative, and recognise that they are brilliant!”
Boy with balloon at I Am Brill Disco. Photo: Bob Smith Photography
The feedback received was overwhelmingly positive with one attendee saying:
“Thank you for such an amazing disco. My seven year old and I loved it! It was such a great way to spend a miserable Friday night in January. You could see so much hard work went into it! As a single parent to two, and a mature student it was nice to be able to do something that good locally that was free also. Thank you :)”
Girl enjoying I Am Brill Disco. Photo: Bob Smith Photography
For more information on our upcoming events and projects, please sign up to our mailing list and follow us on social media.
On Tuesday 16th January, Keighley Creative will be hosting the latest Visual Arts Social, organised by Bradford Producing Hub. This regular event welcomes artists from across Bradford and Keighley and this time is being held in our Cooke Street premises.
Each social includes an activity led by a professional artist and this time sees the turn of our studio holder, Carole Griffiths, with her workshop ‘Rip and Tear – Smudge and Draw’.
Carole is a practicing sculptor and has been an art educator for 25 years. She studied sculpture at Wimbledon School of Art and received her MA through Leeds Metropolitan University.
Her art has been shown at a number of locations in the United Kingdom, including Canterbury, London, Bradford, Halifax, Leeds, Sheffield, Derby, and York. She is a member of the Yorkshire Sculptors Group, which promotes work through exhibitions addressing contemporary themes. Carole has a Ph.D in the Visual Arts at Coventry University, on Sculptural Reconfigurations of the Kitchen Utensil: A Poetic Chaos of Domesticity. Her work depicts an open dialogue of object displacement and its uses, which feeds autobiographical depictions of her own domestic circumstances and echoes through narratives and introspective descriptions of production. The observed domestic object sculptures emphasise the pleasures of making through a poetic reflection of both the method and the content, allowing the observer to perceive and depict the peculiar and intricate relationship between things, subjects, and words.
For more information or to book a place at the Visual Arts Social, please visit the Bradford Producing Hub website:
With the Keighley Creative Presents… project now in full swing and a number of successful events under our belt, new year brings us a chance to review and make plans for 2024.
We already have upcoming events planned such as the I Am Brill disco and Kailey live theatre performance alongside our regular Arts for Brain Health workshops and Artists Get Togethers, but plans are afoot!
Our team already has so many ideas but we are always keen to hear more. So is there anything you would like to see coming to Keighley Creative in 2024? Please do let us know your ideas, no matter how crazy!
To hear about what’s happening at Keighley Creative in 2024 or make your own suggestions, please email admin@keighleycreative.org or visit our social media accounts.
Keighley Creative Maker Faire and open studio day. Photo: Bob Smith Photography
This Christmas, Keighley Creative hosted another successful Maker Faire and Open Artist Studios event.
Saturday 16th December was the date chosen to welcome local artists and makers to come and sell their handmade wares from our premises on Cooke Lane in the centre of Keighley. We also opened the upstairs art studios to allow members of the public to look around.
The event was organised by local maker and artist, Leonie Briggs, and was a great success.
Leonie Briggs – Keighley artist and maker. Photo credit: Bob Smith Photography
Stallholders included Twiggy Curly Creations, Charles Humphreys, Rebecca Buchanan, Black Craft by CK, The Happy Turner, Martin Rose, Missing Peace Wellbeing, Anna Gouws and Curiously Colourful whom sold gifts, artworks and jewellery.
The Happy TurnerCuriously Colourful
Studio artists Dripsy, Martin Cosgrove, Anji Timlin, Jon Britten, Rambling Art and Pippa Croft welcomed visitors and gave them tours around the 1st floor. This was a great opportunity for local people to find out more about what the artists get up to and how they create their unique works.
Jon BrittenDripsyPippa CroftSean Jukes of Rambling Art
The fair was held in collaboration with a festive crafts workshop in Keighley Market and a Christmas event at Keighley’s historical Royal Arcade which included a market, Santa’s grotto and underground tours.
For more information on our next Maker Faire, please email admin@keighleycreative.org, visit our What’s On webpage or follow our social media.
