'Create To Recover' making a difference for local communities
In response to the impact of the pandemic, Torbay Culture initiated the Create To Recover programme, supported by Arts Council England COVID-19 emergency response funding.
We did this based on a simple principle of ‘we need beauty in dark times’. Artist Walter Bockhorn, who worked throughout his life and continued to produce paintings even as his sight deteriorated, believed passionately in the idea that creating beauty is even more important during tough moments in history. It has been a touchstone for us during this period.
The Create To Recover programme included an open call for local artists to apply for small amounts of funding so they could re-start their practice, creating work that celebrated the places and people of Torbay; recruitment for a creative producer to develop and support the artists and projects; and partnership activity with local organisations including the Palace Theatre Paignton, Torbay Hospital, Brixham and Torquay Museums among others.
The response has been excellent. Projects have included music, performance, film (both documentary and dramatic), visual arts, sculpture, dance, poetry and circus skills. We’ve supported some long-held artist ambitions, helped test new ideas, and enabled some creatives to develop larger scale activity as they play a central role in the Torbay’s recovery.
Local people have been actively involved, as much as possible, within the public health guidance. Some activity has had to move online, but all the artists have carried on creating. Torbay’s fascinating heritage has been a central part of many of the artists’ projects, and numerous films have been made which will provide a record of this moment in time.
We’ll be celebrating the people and projects from Create To Recover in partnership with the Palace Theatre Paignton on 23 November. More information can be found here: Spotlight On Culture.
At the end of the year we will publish a report to illustrate what we collectively managed to achieve, and to remind us how culture and creativity can make a difference in the darkest of times.
More details about the different artists and projects can be found on the Create To Recover pages of the website.
Image: ‘The Shoal Story’ by Vik Westaway installed at Torre Abbey
