A new cultural programme, ‘Now Then!’, with an ambitious aim to bring arts events and activities to three towns in North Yorkshire – Selby, Tadcaster and Sherburn-in-Elmet – has recently been awarded a national fund of £350k. The Arts Council England has granted the Place Partnership award through the National Lottery to support the scheme, which has been led by the culture and archives team and steered by a partnership of community and cultural organisations. The project is expected to create joyful, memorable and authentic cultural experiences reflecting the communities’ needs and aspirations, commencing in the spring of next year for two years.
Moreover, the project is also receiving financial support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and North Yorkshire Council’s Cultural Development Fund. The project aims to create a programme of commissions such as artworks and experiences that will instil civic pride and help to drive regeneration within the towns. The project will tell stories about places and people.
Cllr Simon Myers, the Executive member for culture and leisure, said that this cultural and place-shaping project would offer people pride in where they live and focus on people’s deep roots in the district. Additionally, it will provide young people with new opportunities to work with art practitioners and participate in creative activities, aimed at enhancing their creative skills and inspiring them to pursue higher education in creative subjects. A new curator will be appointed to create training opportunities for local creatives, commission multiple new artworks, including two large-scale works in the public realm, and assist with recruiting volunteers.
In Selby, the project’s plan is to commission a series of new artworks in and around the town’s abbey, marketplace, park, and connecting streets. In Tadcaster, members of the community arts company, ARCADE, will collaborate with children and young people to create new, predominantly town centre-based works. In Sherburn-in-Elmet, local communities will help select the creative practitioners they would like to work with and co-devise and deliver creative activities.
Finally, Cllr Myers mentioned that the project would offer fresh eyes on the towns to local people and visitors, showcasing the towns as places of unique cultural experiences. This new cultural programme is a great initiative to rejuvenate the towns in North Yorkshire and help promote the region and its fascinating history to the world.
