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A fully funded two-day programme designed for artists and creative practitioners located in Northumberland and North of the Tyne to explore how we can all, individually and collaboratively, benefit from making the very most of the our industrial heritage.

A fully funded two-day programme designed for artists and creative practitioners located in Northumberland and North of the Tyne to explore how we can all, individually and collaboratively, benefit from making the very most of the our industrial heritage.

The less industrialised Britain is, the more fascinating the north’s internationally important industrial heritage becomes. There may be few nuggets left to dig from the ground but there are plenty to unearth in the archives.

So come along, switch off from the day-to-day routines of running your business, and, invest time exploring how you can make the most of the area’s heritage to develop your creative practice at a free two-day creative enterprise workshop at Woodhorn, home to a wealth of the area’s lesser-known stories.

The area’s industrial heritage is a fantastic source of inspiration for visual arts, music and performance, and craftwork. Ashington’s Pitmen Painters are a great example of how the new world built by the coal industry fired their own, and later other people’s, creative imagination in those fields.

The region has an industrial heritage of global significance and, as passenger trains are once again about to roll into town (via Bedlington, the home of the iron rail), it’s the perfect time to add a creative twist to this heritage to produce something saleable that new audiences across the region and beyond will value.

Over the course of the two days you will:

• Explore the potential of the area to inspire new creative and commercial opportunities
• Generate ideas for creative products and services with different audiences in mind
• Find out how other artists drawing inspiration from their community’s assets have successfully developed their practice and new income streams
• Develop entrepreneurial know-how to critique and exploit ideas
• Link with creative and commercial networks that may add value to your propositions
• Find out about funding opportunities
• Meet representatives of the major cultural and creative organisations in the area
• Find out about upcoming creative and commercial opportunities

There’ll be contributions from local specialists, and the day will be festooned with opportunities to spend time with other creatives and build your networks.

The course is funded through the Rural Design Centre Innovation Project. To access the training you will need to complete a registration form. Places are free but limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.