Arts and Culture

Arts Programme and Cultural Development

Arts Development|

Projects, partnerships, events and activities for the community.

Public Art in Barking and Dagenham|

A13 Artscape, Barking Town Centre and other public arts in Barking and Dagenham.

Molten Festival|

An exciting and educational festival of arts activities for the whole community.

Venues and Resources|

Galleries, theatres, workspace and artist resources.

Organisations, Clubs and Societies|

Local arts providers and community groups.

News, Events and Opportunities|

Courses, training, regional events, vacancies and support networks.

Key Documents and web links|

Arts Strategy, Local Cultural Strategy and links to other providers.

Courses and Training Opportunities|

Professional courses, further and higher education in the Arts.

Barking and Dagenham is taking great strides in developing its cultural and artistic offer, within its wider regeneration programme.

The borough is best known for its industrial heritage, especially through its links with Fords, rather than its cultural heritage.

However, since the adoption of the Arts Strategy in March 2002, launched with a month long programme of community based arts activity, the profile and diversity of the arts on offer has gone from strength to strength, supported by the borough's Regeneration and Community Learning priorities.

The Arts Strategy set out an action plan to build on foundations established by community arts groups and locally based arts organisations such as Studio 3 Arts and Arc theatre for change.

We remain committed to the main actions to develop participation in the arts through the community organisations, clubs and societies, and Arts Development projects whilst developing the infrastructure through facilities and resources needed to help them flourish and grow, attract new investment, artists and performers and a cultural offer for the wider community and visitors to the area.

Our work to date includes the redevelopment of a former Assembly Hall into a flexible and modern performing arts venue - The Broadway, with a new auditorium and an education suite housing Barking College School of Performing Arts. Adding to facilities for the arts is Castle Green Complex with its theatre space, music, dance, drama and recording studios.

The Barking Learning Centre, has an art Gallery. Its exhibition programme managed by Arts Programme and Cultural Development. We are also looking into the feasibility for a new Arts Factory in Dagenham, for the research, production and presentation of visual, media and live arts.

Plans are also underway to develop Barking as a Cultural Hub and The Malthouse and adjacent buildings as a cultural and creative industries complex alongside the London Development Agency and Creative London.

One of the highest profile and most challenging arts projects to date, for the borough, has been the A13 Artscape project, a partnership with Transport for London, which led to the involvement of some 17 artists and organisations to improve the environmental impact of the A13 on the surrounding areas.

The success of this project has enabled the borough to generate further funding for public arts in the borough and a large sum from Communities and Local Government and private developers to implement Barking Town Centre Artscape, a public arts programme to complement the public realm and Town Centre regeneration, a key project within the Thames Gateway.

A13 Artscape logo

A13 Artscape|

Contact

Tracey McNulty

Group Manager - Arts Programme and Cultural Development

4th Floor

Maritime House

1 Linton Road

Barking

IG11 8HG

Tel: 020 8227 2482

Fax: 020 8227 3254

Email: artsadmin@lbbd.gov.uk|