Artists Commissioned to Celebrate 50 Years of Junction Arts
Artists Commissioned to Celebrate 50 Years of Junction Arts
Two regional artists have been commissioned by Chesterfield-based charity Junction Arts to create a major new artwork celebrating the organisation’s 50-year legacy at the heart of the UK’s community arts movement.
Poet and performer Betty Powdrill and award-winning filmmaker Christopher Bevan were selected to develop The Stories We Weave, a powerful new series of films, poetry, and a travelling exhibition capturing the voices and experiences that have shaped Junction Arts over five decades.
The commissioned work premiered last month at the Chesterfield Children’s Festival, where audiences experienced the first showcase of the project, which involved a special trail around Queen’s Park and an interactive living room. It will be presented again at the Tapton Lock Festival in September, and Bright Winter Nights in November, reaching communities across the region.
The Stories We Weave forms part of 50 Stories for 50 Years, a year-long heritage project launched in January and supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The initiative has gathered stories from Bolsover, Shirebrook, South Normanton, Pinxton and Chesterfield, places central to Junction Arts’ history. Through a series of events and an online search, the team uncovered the people, memories and moments behind the organisation’s evolution.
Drawing on these story-gathering sessions, Powdrill and Bevan created a series of 11 films and poems inspired by common themes and universal archetypes. Through a unifying narrative, the figure of a Willow Weaver, connects stories across generations, reflecting shared experiences of creativity, resilience and community.
Junction Arts began life in the 1970s as South Normanton Community Arts, working with children and families in former mining communities. Today, it is a National Portfolio Organisation supported by Arts Council England, known for delivering ambitious participatory arts projects, festivals and events that engage thousands of people each year.
From pioneering STEAM initiatives with young people to producing the iconic Bolsover Lantern Parade, one of the UK’s longest-running community light processions, Junction Arts has played a vital role in shaping the cultural life of North East Derbyshire for half a century.
Betty Powdrill said: “To work on the 50 Stories for 50 Years project has been a real joy. Hearing the stories of so many people connected to Junction Arts has been incredibly moving. I feel immensely proud of what we’ve created, and hope audiences see something of their own experiences reflected in the work.”
Christopher Bevan said: “To try to capture 50 years of Junction Arts is to capture the experiences of thousands of people. Collaborating with Betty has allowed us to bring poetry and film together to create something that reflects that shared spirit of creativity and resilience. We’re excited for audiences to experience these stories.”
Made possible thanks to National Lottery players, 50 Stories for 50 Years will also create a lasting digital archive of Junction Arts’ impact, preserving the voices of participants, artists, volunteers and communities whose lives have been shaped by creativity.
Following its Children’s Festival debut, audiences will have the opportunity to experience The Stories We Weave at Tapton Lock Festival on the 5th September, and Bright Winter Nights in November.
For more information about the 50 Stories for 50 Years project, visit: www.junctionarts.org/50stories