Under the Edge Arts - History of Under the Edge Arts

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16 March

Wotton Arts Project presents ... Under the Edge

History of Under the Edge Arts

How did Wotton Arts Project get established?

In the autumn of 2002 a group of local people came together to take forward the idea of establishing an arts centre in the Chipping Hall in Wotton under Edge. Local people realised that the hall in the centre of the town, no longer needed by a local primary school, had the potential to become a venue for a range of arts activities. A core of interested people formed a steering group (Wotton Arts Project) to develop the plans. From the start, the steering group recognised the importance of involving local people in the project. It organised an event, to take place in the hall, which would test the level of interest and potential support in the town for the project. This 'Have your say day' took place on the 29th March 2003.

The event was billed as a 'Have your say day' with twelve continuous hours of activities from nine in the morning to nine in the evening. A number of local businesses supported the event with goods in kind. We planned activities as a mix of participative workshops and performances. There were also displays of work of local visual artists. We used both the large hall and the smaller space at the back of the hall. We targeted different age groups at different times of the day and we aimed to include activities across the spectrum of different art forms. We kept a record of the number of people participating in the day, as well as photographs of activities and video interviews. Everyone who attended was invited to complete a questionnaire. The day concluded with a focus group session when participants discussed their aspirations for the project. Buoyed up by the success of the event and with the support of the Town Trust and local donors, the steering group went on to develop a schedule of regular classes and events starting in the autumn of 2003. Our first AGM took place in October 2004.

In late 2004 a programme of work was started by the Town trust to upgrade the building and the projects activities moved to different temporary venues around the town for the duration of the works. At the end of the building works, a group of volunteers gave the main space a much needed uplift with a fresh coat of paint and we re-opened in the hall in March 2005.

In the autumn of 2005 the project succeeded in becoming a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. At its second AGM in December 2005 it set out its plans for the future.