Local artists are invited to apply for £1,500 worth of funding to help turn their project idea into a reality.
As part of the award-winning Cultural Hubs: Arts in Libraries programme, St Helens Council’s Cultural Hubs: Arts In Libraries team has launched its 2020/21 artist commissions which looks to financially support creative practitioners working in various art forms.
Since 2013, the team has assisted St Helens-based artists by providing the money needed to get their work off the ground, with the chance to then showcase their project in libraries across the borough.
One local artist to reap the awards of the initiative is Stephanie Fry from Billinge – whose project ‘Threads of History’ about an abandoned underground Cold War bunker on top of Billinge Hill – received funding for 2019/20.
Steph said: “The opportunity to develop my artistic practice following my Cultural Hubs commission was greatly enhanced by the money made allocated to my project, both in terms of production costs and the time taken to create the artwork from start to finish.
“I’d encourage other local artists in my position to apply for this funding because it will help them to support the development of their creative ideas.”
St Helens Council’s portfolio holder for arts and culture, Councillor Anthony Burns, said: “We’re really proud of our Cultural Hubs programme and how it has positively impacted communities across the borough, with over 4,000 people engaging with the project last year.
“The borough’s arts scene continues to thrive and this is a great opportunity, particularly at this present moment, for our next generation of artists to secure some funding in order to realise their ambitions.”
Artists have until Friday 8 May to submit their application form which can be downloaded by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/STHCH
If you don’t have access to the internet, please call Thomas Dukes on 07843505090 to request an application form.
Cultural Hubs is funded by Arts Council England and delivered by St Helens Council’s Library Service, which is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.
