On Saturday 24th August 2024, local engineer and STEM ambassador, Alisha Bell, ran a special event at Keighley Creative.
The event was titled Engineering and Arts Exploration and Alisha and the team welcomed local families to come along and join in the fun activities exploring Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths through arts and crafts.
A highlight of the event was a visit by Toylab, encouraging children to create their own unique creations from reusing old and broken toys.
There were also various other activities and experiments for local children to get involved in, illustrating how fun and exciting science and engineering can be!
The event also exhibited the work of local artists who had created special pieces to showcase the engineering heritage of Keighley, with paintings from Leonie Briggs, Jane Fielder, Nicola Smith, Andrea Shevloff, Andy, Anne Marie, Serena Redferne, Judy Sale and Nicola Storr.
The Engineering and Arts Exploration exhibition is on display in our gallery area and will up for the next few weeks. Feel free to pop in to our premises on Cooke Lane to have a look.
The Engineering and Arts Exploration project was funded by The Leap, partnered with the Arts Council England, Creative People and Places and Bradford Council and hosted and supported by Keighley Creative.
Keighley Creative Maker Fayre and Open Studios event. Photo: Bob Smith Photography
On Saturday 17th August 2024, our studio artists were thrilled to welcome more people than ever before to their open studio event.
Nearly 100 people came to visit, had a tour, met the artists and viewed their huge range of artwork and creativity.
Sean Jukes aka Rambling Art (R)Jane Fielder (L)Naseem Darbey (L)Bill Parker (R)Visitors enjoying exploring the studios
The artists that hosted included Jane Fielder, Dripsy, Naseem Darbey, Jonathan Britten, Martin Cosgrove, Sean Jukes aka Rambling Art, Bill Parker and Leonie Briggs.
The first floor studios were opened up to the public whilst a makers fair went out downstairs. Local creatives had stalls selling their handmade products and visitors enjoyed browsing and shopping.
Black Craft by CKDripsyCharles HumphreysMiss Hue DesignsHoping SewOakfield CraftsAnna Gouws ArtworkKat Rose Illustration
Goods on sale included jewellery, paintings, quilts, prints, homewares and gifts. Stallholders included Black Craft by CK, Charles Humphreys, Miss Hue Designs, Oakfield Crafts, Anna Gouws Artwork, Dripsy, Kat Rose Illustration and Hoping Sew.
Due to the success of the previous events another one has already been booked in for Saturday 30th November 2024. The event will again include artists opening up their studios as well as a makers fair, perfectly timed for Christmas shopping.
To apply for a stall at the next one, please follow the link below:
Pippa Vellacott, four, shows off the wind chime she made at the creative nature event at Cliffe Castle organised by Keighley Creative Photo: Bob Smith Photography
On Saturday 17th August 2024, 100s of Keighley people came along to Cliffe Castle park and joined in some fun, creative sessions run by Keighley Creative that focused on learning about the environment.
Families who attended were given the opportunity to join in with all sorts of activities and everyone was welcomed to get stuck in, no matter what their age or ability.
Approximately 350 visitors took part in various activities using and celebrating nature including making journals, sharing stories, making wind chimes, taking a story stick for a walk and adding their self-made pom-poms to the “Blanket Bog Blanket”.
Some of the comments from families that attended included:
“My kids really, really loved it all. It was so nice to see so many people getting involved.”
“Pom-pom making is so satisfying and calming.”
“I made a journal and I’m going to record in here every day of the summer holidays.”
“Making wind chimes was a very therapeutic activity.”
The creative nature event at Cliffe Castle organised by Keighley Creative Photo: Bob Smith Photography
Local artist, educator and project lead, Naseem Darbey, was thrilled that the event was such a success and said:
“It was a family celebration enjoyed by all and we got so much positive feedback evidencing how much the workshops were loved. People left with their nature gift bags stuffed full of all their own fabulous handmade goods including journals, wind chimes, pom-poms and recipes, and even stories to share. Cliffe Castle park was buzzing and it was fab to see so many smiles.”
The Pledges to the Landscape event was a celebration of a ongoing project run by the charity alongside Yorkshire Peat Partnership (YPP), and funded by West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Community Climate Grants. Local school children from Year 5 at Eastwood, Victoria, Riddlesden St. Mary’s, Worth Valley, Holycroft and Merlin Top primaries were involved as classes were given their own “micro-peatbogs” to look after and then took part in interactive art workshops in the classroom.
The aim of the Pledges to the Landscape project and the event was not only to get creative but to help educate participants about the environment around them and particularly the importance of Yorkshire’s peat bogs, their plants and wildlife.
Lucy Lee from Yorkshire Peat Partnership with the “Blanket Bog Blanket”. Photo: Bob Smith Photography
Spokesperson from YPP, Lucy Lee, said: “Our unique landscapes, peatlands and their plants are truly beautiful but they are also critical to the preservation of our natural environment. It’s important that we all learn about how important bogs are so we are keen to get children involved from as young an age as possible.”
The workshops have been designed and delivered by Naseem, who visited the schools and helped children study their own classroom “micro-bog”. She encouraged pupils to be inspired by the plants that were growing in the bog and to study them using hand-lenses and identification cards. They then used their senses to observe and their drawing skills to record what they had discovered.
Naseem said: “The children that have been involved in the classroom project learnt about the importance of the plants and landscapes around them and how their preservation is essential. We looked at the past, present and future of these environments to help the children understand how they work and they documented the peatbogs using drawing materials. They tried different drawing techniques which helped the children really engage with the bog and they created some beautiful art in the process.”
Showing off the Worth Valley Primary School bog at the creative nature event at Cliffe Castle are, from left, Naseem Darbey, Victoria Townson and Lucy Lee. Photo: Bob Smith Photography
As Naseem continued: “The sessions provided by YPP and I were designed to engage the children by having fun, being creative and sometimes getting messy! This hands-on approach really helped the children understand their local environment and has hopefully inspired the next generation to contribute to the conservation of our peatlands.”
The project has been funded by Bradford Council, the Mayor of West Yorkshire and West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Community Climate Grants.
Newly appointed Creative Director, Paula Clark finished by saying: “As a newcomer to Keighley Creative I am so excited by the energy and enthusiasm of the people of Keighley to get involved in this creative and collaborative community project. It’s also fantastic to see the commitment of the talented Keighley Creative team and Yorkshire Peat Partnership to make meaningful projects like this happen. I’m looking forward to everything that is to come next!”
For more information on your local peatlands, please contact Yorkshire Peat Partnership. For more information on arts and crafts workshop offerings from Keighley Creative and Naseem Darbey, please email admin@keighleycreative.org
This weekend a big community event was held on Church Green in Keighley.
The Eid on the Green event featured a host of activities including an arts and crafts stall hosted by our fab team as well as soft archery, rodeo football and face painting.
There were also stalls by Keighley Lions and Pawperfection Rehoming and housing association, Incommunities, ran a competition for the best henna designs.
An amazing performance was put on by local musicians and dancers Punjabi Roots and Cecil Green Arts held a circus workshop and show.
Thank you to Keighley Town Council for organising and hosting the event which took place on the Church Green car park on Saturday 22nd June 2024.
For information on Keighley Creative hosting an arts and craft workshop at your next event, please email admin@keighleycreative.org
Eid celebrations were a great success at Keighley Market this year.
Local artist and experienced facilitator, Emily Parkin, designed and led a fun Eid themed craft activity on Saturday 13th April. The families who attended made Eid cards to pass on to loved ones.
Lots of Keighley people got involved and it was a real celebration!
Thank you to Keighley Market for hosting and for Bradford Markets and Bradford Council for their support.
To find out about our next family-friendly arts and crafts workshops, please follow @keighleycreative on social media or check on our website.
And that’s a wrap!!! Last week we were privileged to have the play, KAILEY, performed in the Stockroom at Keighley Creative.
This live performance was written by Kerry Wright and directed by Tess Seddon and is part of Kala Sangam’s On Tour series taking performances to alternative venues around the district whilst their Arts Centre undergoes major redevelopment and gets ready for Bradford City of Culture 2025.
Following great success showing films on behalf of Leeds International Film Festival in the Stockroom set-up as a cinema space, it’s great to show off its versatility and potential use as a small theatre.
Thanks so much to the huge KAILEY team for putting on a fabulous show and thanks to all those who came to watch.
Watch this space for more news on what’s happening in the Stockroom in 2024 as we hope to welcome more local animators, dancers, poets, actors, musicians, filmmakers and creatives to use the space.
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.
Keighley Creative and The Unit have been chosen to host a pop-up cinema for the upcoming Leeds International Film Festival and will be screening a number of films from our base on Cooke Street in Keighley town centre.
A key part of the festival is showcasing local stories so at our all new Stockroom Cinema we will be screening the Yorkshire Short Film Competition on Saturday 18th November at 4pm. And we will have other film screenings that day and on 15th November.
To host the event, we are specially building the Stockroom Cinema, within our current premises, which will welcome up to 32 attendees with access to a tuck shop and specially brewed beer courtesy of Kirkstall Brewery.
Tickets are free but very limited. Visit leedsfilm.com for more info.
