Culture in Dorset 2022
What a year it has been for culture in Dorset. The county has witnessed hundreds, maybe even thousands of creative projects in museums, galleries, village halls and living rooms.
Here are ten incredible projects that make up the rich cultural life of Dorset. They each reflect one of the ten ambitions of the new Dorset Cultural Strategy, a pioneering plan to deepen and grow engagement for every citizen in the county.
Did you know:
The value of the arts and entertainment sectors in Dorset is £84 Million.
For every £1 invested in arts and culture, up to £6 is generated for the local economy.
87% of people living in the South West engaged with culture, that’s 330,600 people in Dorset.
Sources: The value of arts and culture to people and society, updated March 2021, The Creative Industries; State of Dorset: Leisure and Culture, May 2022, Dorset Council; Taking Part survey, 2019-2020, UK Government.
Images (left to right): open-air production of ‘Twelfth Night’ by The Three Inch Fools, toured by Artsreach; Nothe Fort; Audience at SW!M by Diverse City and the Mowlem Theatre, still from a film by Pageant Productions
The projects we’re sharing happened right across the county, from our coastline and towns, to villages and hamlets. Artsreach brought 115 performances and 29 workshops to 47 rural communities, and Shaftesbury Fringe had 140 events in 30 Shaftesbury venues in just three days.
Breaking down social isolation and building empowered communities: Swanage
On Midsummer’s Day, 50 local women swimmers came together for a new, one-off performance – Sw!m. This community shared and celebrated their conversations and stories of unity, joy and bravery. These were performed on the stage of The Mowlem Theatre before the audience moved outdoors for a choreographed dance/swim extravaganza. This production showed the power of culture to bring communities together and transform places.
The live performances were accompanied by a photographic exhibition by local photographer Milly Haines of specially commissioned photographs.
Creatives: Claire Hodgson, Deborah Paige
Collaborators: Diverse City, The Mowlem Theatre
Funders: Arts Council’s Let’s Create Jubilee Fund and Dorset Community Foundation .
Image by Millie Haines
Dorset’s culture will be recognised nationally and globally: Lyme Regis
“Kids now grow up knowing who she is; it’s just part of their educational DNA” – Anya Pearson, co-founder, Mary Anning Rocks
Over 85% of statues in the U.K celebrate men and only 2.7% of civic monuments commemorate named women. In Dorset, there are more statues of animals than there are of women. A six-year campaign to install a statue of Mary Anning at Lyme Regis successfully concluded in May this year. It began when nine-year-old Evie Swire asked her mother where the statue of Mary Anning was in their hometown. Realising there wasn’t one, and Anning had been largely forgotten, the pair spent years campaigning and fundraising over £150,000 to create a new statue for Lyme Regis. Covered by national press and TV, this project has inspired a national movement for more historically significant women to be celebrated through public statues.
Creatives: Sculpture by Denise Dutton
Image courtesy of Mary Anning Rocks
Our environment inspires our cultural offer: Badbury Rings
Dorset is rich with history and creative collaborations bring it to life. For this year’s national Festival of Archaeology, 4,000 years of history at Badbury Rings was brought to life through animations and living history. Activities included bronze casting, flint knapping, pottery, textiles and jewellery as past met present in this stunning heritage site.
Creatives: Beth Darlington
Collaborators: The National Trust
Improving health and wellbeing in our communities: Sturminster Newton
To mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, four cultural organisations came together to create a special project. Over three days, a group of learning-disabled adults in Sturminster Newton worked with Paper Cinema, Emerald Ant and Composer Chris Reed to explore the rich archive of the Queen held in Dorset. Each participant created their own art, with music was composed in real time, sharing their own stories and memories in this safe, creative and empowering space.
Collaborators: Emerald Ant, Paper Cinema, Arts Development Company, Dorset History Centre, Chris Reed
Images by Pageant Productions
Embedding access, inclusivity, diversity and equality at every level: Dorchester
The voices often overlooked in history are given centre stage at Shire Hall Museum. The histories of women, refugees, child perpetrators and working people are shared through a programme of talks, events and exhibitions. They also hosted Black History Month Diversity Day, which brought together speakers, stalls, music, art and poetry.
Personal stories were recently on show in an exhibition by the Dorset Community Mental Health Artists group. The exhibition helped to build the confidence of members and provided a supportive space to show their artworks.
Funders: Dorset Council, National Lottery Heritage Fund
Image courtesy of Shire Hall
Nurturing and developing all creative talent in Dorset: Shaftesbury
“The Shaftesbury Fringe served as the springboard for launching the Project Dance Company” – James Bamford, Artistic Director
For one weekend in July, Shaftesbury Fringe Festival brings together 30 venues that host over 140 events in just three days. Pulled together by an incredible dedicated group of volunteers, this festival is free for both venues and performers, and provides a springboard for new creative talent from across the county and beyond. James Bamford, 19 year old ballet dancer and founder of Project Dance is now able to tour his dance production ‘Growing Pains’ as a result of success at the Fringe.
Image courtesy of Shaftesbury Fringe
Reducing our carbon footprint and supporting communities to do the same: Bridport
The climate emergency and affordable housing crisis are being creatively tackled by Raise the Roof. Through collaborations, open conversations, research and community events, Raise the Roof aims to find a more sustainable, community-focused way of building affordable housing that benefits the local industries and economy.
This year, Raise the Roof led an investigation into hemp as a break crop in a regenerative agricultural system. The aim was to explore the potential of growing this heritage crop locally again. A study group of local farmers was formed, and together they developed a funding bid for four hemp field trials, and connected farmers to construction projects using hemp and UK hemp research, including the Innovative Farmers Network.
View a video of the investigation here.
Collaborators: The Arts Development Company, Assemble, Bridport Area Community Housing, Bridport Town Council, Common Ground, Plymouth University, Wessex Community Assets
Funders: Nationwide Foundation, Friends Provident Foundation, Arts Council England, the Connected Everything programme
Image courtesy of Wessex Community Assets
Making Dorset a cultural destination and attracting new visitors and businesses: Weymouth
On Dorset’s south coast stands England’s Small Visitor Attraction of the Year. This June, the historic Nothe Fort won the prestigious award from Visit England, with judges praising its “excellent community work, management during COVID, and its accessibility considering it was originally designed to keep people out.” The venue, run by Weymouth Civic Society, welcomes visitors all year round and is currently planning major developments to their Cold War bunker and Victorian gundeck.
Image courtesy of Nothe Fort
Artists and Freelancers are valued and championed: Rural Dorset
“We were valued, supported and encouraged as artists by them.” – Sharp Teeth Theatre
Through a staggering 150 cultural events, Artsreach brought culture to 47 rural communities across Dorset in 2022. They work with freelance performers in music, dance and theatre, programming around 40 small-scale companies each year. Their door is always open to new talent, which they champion with guaranteed fees, contributing to more sustainable careers in our rural county.
Funders: Arts Council England, Dorset Council
Images: Left – AKA Dance Theatre, right – Norwich Puppet Theatre, courtest of Artsreach
Developing expertise in digital technology: Portland
For one night in September, Portland’s Pulpit Rock was the venue for a piece of artistic innovation. The island’s b-side festival commissioned digital artist Babar Suleman to create ‘Requital.’, an immersive augmented reality artwork. Text was visible only through a phone or tablet, combined with atmospheric audio and a glorious location. The artwork brought together exciting new technology, contemporary art and Dorset’s natural beauty.
Creatives: Babar Suleman
Collaborators: University of the Arts London, Creatives Garage
Funders: Arts Council England, British Council
Images by Steve & Marcus at Portland Bill Watch
Insta tags: @DorsetCouncilUK @acegrams #AceSupported @britishcouncil @bsidefestival @unioftheartslondon