SPOT: Creative Crawley - Art, Play & Reimagining Our Community

Send us Fan Mail SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we step back from the debate to Spotlight a Social Initiative or in this case a Charity making a huge difference in our local community.Crawley doesn’t need to be “made cultural” from the outside, it needs the spotlight put on what’s already here and the space to build what’s next. We’re joined by Louise Blackwell, Creative Director at Creative Crawley, to talk about how public murals, playful festivals, and unexpected art in everyday places are changing how the town feels to live in. If you’ve walked past County Mall and spotted the changing window installations, picked up the Book of Crawley, or heard people rave about Around The Lake Festival, there’s a good chance you’ve already met Creative Crawley without realising it.We get into the practical work behind inclusive community arts: making events free or genuinely affordable, partnering with Arts Council England and Crawley Borough Council, and designing projects that welcome people with any level of confidence or experience. Louise shares the thinking behind using Crawley as a canvas, from resident-led ideas to collaborations that connect communities through making, including garment projects with women from Afghan and Ukrainian backgrounds. We also talk about what “access” really means, and why bringing culture closer to home can foster a positive, creative vibe to the town.Then we dive into what’s coming up:1) Saturday 20 June: A youth open day by CCYS and Creative Crawley, exclusively for ages 12 to 18 to explore. 10-2pm at the Dormans Youth Arts Centre.2) Thursday 11 June: A town-wide call to 'play' between midday and 2pm as a launch moment for a future National Festival of Play with Hemingway Design. From playing instruments and board games through to playing sport - Creative Crawley would love to recieve your pictures and clips.3) Weekend 25 & 26 July: Crawley Fusion Mela, with Creative Crawley curating Saturday’s programme in County Mall. Find them at @CreativeCrawley and www.creativecrawley.com, send in your play photos and clips, and tell us what you want Crawley to try next. If you enjoyed this, please subscribe, share with a friend, and leave us a review.Episode Picture Credit: Ian GreenlandPlease click on 'Send a text' above & join our Facebook group to share your perspective and suggestions for future topics - Thank you for your interest! Clive.