Junction Arts is 50!  That’s five decades of creativity, community, and connection — from bringing dinosaurs to life in South Normanton to introducing STEAM innovation to a new generation and creating the UK’s biggest light procession. Junction Arts has been at the heart of the community arts movement since its earliest days. What began as “a bit of an idea” has grown into a National Portfolio Organisation supported by Arts Council England, reaching hundreds of people each year through projects that use art to tackle inequality and inspire change.

Every year, thousands take part in Junction Arts’ free events and festivals — making art and culture accessible to all and growing community engagement year after year.

50 Stories is a year-long celebration of this remarkable journey. The project will capture the voices and experiences of those who have shaped and been shaped by Junction Arts — participants, staff, and artists whose lives have been transformed through creativity. These stories will celebrate the powerful impact of art while preserving the organisation’s rich history for future generations.

Story-gathering events will take place across the region, inviting local people to share their memories and experiences. Oral histories will be recorded, and artefacts, photographs, and films collected. Together, these materials will be preserved in a new searchable digital archive.

Artists will then interpret selected stories to create a moving exhibition, showcased at Junction Arts’ flagship festivals — The Chesterfield Children’s Festival, Tapton Lock Festival, and Bright Winter Nights.

Made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players.