Arts Development
The Arts service develops arts and cultural activity through strategically developing and commissioning projects and activities across the community which include dance, drama and film development.
The service delivered the Job Drain statue in Barking and was responsible for commissioning the internationally acclaimed A13 Artscape and Barking Town Centre public art initiatives, which include the Sporting Legends sculpture and the Lighted Lady of Barking. For further details of these and other public art projects in the borough please visit the Public art pages.
The service also funds and works collaboratively with three key local arts organisations The Broadway theatre, Arc Theatre, Studio 3 Arts, which provide opportunities for local people to see and participate in the arts.
Arts Development is the foundation of our work and we aim to increase the breadth of arts activity taking place in Barking and Dagenham and the numbers and range of people taking part.
This work is realised in the form of projects and events to raise awareness or involve a specific community group, ongoing activity such as dance and drama clubs, aimed at developing levels of skill and achievement, public art projects and large scale platform events. All of our work aims to raise the profile of the arts in the borough and involve a diverse mix of people directly in its organisation and presentation.
The Arts Development programme is coordinated annually in response to council and community priorities and local issues and needs to ensure that we put on events, courses, projects and activities for all members of the community to enjoy and benefit from. Projects and activities take place at a wide range of venues and locations across the borough and for all different ages and backgrounds.
The Arts Development programme underpins the development of our arts infrastructure, by supporting the community in accessing arts and cultural activity and in turn creating audiences for venues such as the Broadway, employment and support for local artists and organisations and opportunities for people to learn new skills and access new opportunities.
The Barking Learning Centre Art Gallery is programmed by the service to provide exhibiting opportunities to local artists as well as those from further afield. To find out more about the Gallery and the varied exhibition programme, or to enquire about exhibiting please visit the Gallery web page. There will be further exhibiting opportunities at Dagenham Library so keep checking the Arts opportunities pages for updates.
If you are a local artist or would like to find out more about arts activities and opportunities in the borough you can join our mailing list below.
Join our mailing list