Dudley Creates 2023

We’re thrilled that Dudley Creates continues through a range of new projects going into Spring 2024 with support from Arts Council England, Dudley CVS (via the platform CoLab Dudley and their team), and of course Creative Black Country.

Thanks to further funding support Dudley Creates has grown from an 18-month cultural programme to a people-led Cultural Compact for Dudley Borough and has received National Lottery Project Grant funding to support more than 20 ‘Cultural Collaborators’ to co-create even more projects with local people.

You can find out more about the Dudley Creates - 100 year strategy in action AND the supported Cultural Collaborator projects and invitations at the dedicated website here.

BACKGROUND

Dudley Creates started as a cultural programme designed to make possible a diverse and locally relevant programme of high-quality creative participation opportunities for local communities across Dudley Borough. The programme included a range of multi-disciplinary arts and creative projects from High Street portraiture and filmmaking, to puppetry making and processions on parks, and animated poetry sessions via Zoom.  

Over 18 months two of CBC’s Associate Producers, Kerry and Laura, worked closely with the wider Creative Black Country team alongside local people, to design and commission a number of high-quality participatory projects.

CoLab Dudley were asked to support elements of the project while researcher, Jo Orchard-Webb, assisted in helping the team bring together key findings and learning that will continue to help the wider cultural eco-system to thrive in future years.

During 2022 Dudley Creates also benefited from a partnership with Dudley MBC who asked CBC to support local people to produce creative projects across the Borough. A Summer of Creativity coincided with the Commonwealth Games activities and offered to kickstart a new legacy of cultural activity going forward.

During this period we also continued to work alongside Dudley CVS, via their innovative platform CoLab Dudley, to help with Dudley’s Cultural Compact; a scheme run by Arts Council England to help Local Authorities to deliver a cultural strategy for their area.

What we learnt from the creative programming - read more here.

You can download our full report here.