Whose High Street is it? Unlocking Creative Futures in Our Own Town Centres
This is a free panel discussion taking place on Zoom – Make sure to RSVP your online tickets
Our High Streets are transforming, what is creativity’s role in this change? This panel discussion will address this question bringing together voices behind cultural action in our town centres.
The High Street is a place for connection; to meet with others, dress up, celebrate individuality and feel part of the historical and cultural heritage of the town. As centres grapple with societal change, like the rise of online shopping, and the aftermath of lockdown, there is increasing interest in the role of arts, culture and design working with communities to redefine our civic spaces.
Find out more about the speakers below:
Wayne Hemingway MBE, Hemingway Design.
Wayne Hemingway MBE co-founded HemingwayDesign with his wife Gerardine in 1981 Their first success was in founding the iconic Red or Dead brand .Since then it has grown to become an award-winning multi- disciplinary design studio with a portfolio of successful projects that traverses disciplines and sectors, and with clients including international brands and household names as well as numerous towns, cities and places across the UK.
The company has helped to redesign the Dreamland pleasure park in Margate, advised House of Lords select committees, publicly shamed the house building industry then demonstrated (by master planning and designing an award-winning housing scheme in Gateshead) that a better way is possible, co-designed a new uniform for Transport for London, rebranded FTSE 100 companies and thrown a 24 hour non-stop multi-arts festival for 30,000 revellers on a sandy beach in Suffolk. It has formed new creative communities in Blackburn and Bognor Regis, reimagined heritage buildings in Portsmouth, Preston and Plymouth, and influenced the urban fabric of Bournemouth, Dartford, King’s Lynn, Maidenhead, Manchester and Whitehaven, all with great acclaim.
Neil Harris, Business Manager for culture, arts & heritage, Wigan Council.
Neil has over 25 years’ experience working across cultural organisation and public sector delivery at a national and local level, specialising in the development of cross-sector partnerships and policy development, with a particular interest in co-commissioned approaches to cultural development.
Ellen Harrison, Head of Creative Programmes and Campaigns, Historic England.
With more than 15 years’ experience in arts, culture and heritage, Ellen specialises in community-led arts programmes and campaigns. From lighting up St Paul’s and Coventry cathedrals with poetry and animation, to working with the public to create the “Picturing Lockdown” photographic archive, her work brings the wellbeing and social benefits of culture to people and place. She directs The High Street cultural programme, which supports a broader £95m regeneration scheme across high streets in England. It is the biggest ever community-led arts and heritage programme in the public realm and provides £7.4 million of funding to cultural activity locally, helping people rediscover pride in their high street again. This is supported by a programme of national commissions from short stories to film, photography to performance, that bring high streets together.
Casey Orr, award winning photographer and artist.
Casey Orr is a photographer and artist. Since 2013 she has travelled throughout the UK with her award winning photographic portrait studio Saturday Girl. In towns and cities on Saturday afternoons all fashionable folks are invited to be photographed. The series explores identity and self expression through fashion and portraiture. In 2024 the portraits will be part of an important national body of work developed across England with Open Eye Gallery.
The panel will be moderated by James Lawler, curator and events organiser working behind the Saturday Girl About Town project. James works alongside Martin Green as one half of DuoVision whose main aim is to highlight undervalued artists, older artists & LGBTQ+ artists. They successfully ran The Gallery Liverpool where they showcased work by Jarvis Cocker, designer Pam Hogg, Caroline Coon & Marc Almond. They have recently curated exhibitions in London, Paris, Belfast & Stoke-on-Trent.
Image © Casey Orr, on set of Saturday Girl.
This is a free panel discussion taking place on Zoom – Make sure to RSVP your online tickets
Our High Streets are transforming, what is creativity’s role in this change? This panel discussion will address this question bringing together voices behind cultural action in our town centres.
The High Street is a place for connection; to meet with others, dress up, celebrate individuality and feel part of the historical and cultural heritage of the town. As centres grapple with societal change, like the rise of online shopping, and the aftermath of lockdown, there is increasing interest in the role of arts, culture and design working with communities to redefine our civic spaces.
Find out more about the speakers below:
Wayne Hemingway MBE, Hemingway Design.
Wayne Hemingway MBE co-founded HemingwayDesign with his wife Gerardine in 1981 Their first success was in founding the iconic Red or Dead brand .Since then it has grown to become an award-winning multi- disciplinary design studio with a portfolio of successful projects that traverses disciplines and sectors, and with clients including international brands and household names as well as numerous towns, cities and places across the UK.
The company has helped to redesign the Dreamland pleasure park in Margate, advised House of Lords select committees, publicly shamed the house building industry then demonstrated (by master planning and designing an award-winning housing scheme in Gateshead) that a better way is possible, co-designed a new uniform for Transport for London, rebranded FTSE 100 companies and thrown a 24 hour non-stop multi-arts festival for 30,000 revellers on a sandy beach in Suffolk. It has formed new creative communities in Blackburn and Bognor Regis, reimagined heritage buildings in Portsmouth, Preston and Plymouth, and influenced the urban fabric of Bournemouth, Dartford, King’s Lynn, Maidenhead, Manchester and Whitehaven, all with great acclaim.
Neil Harris, Business Manager for culture, arts & heritage, Wigan Council.
Neil has over 25 years’ experience working across cultural organisation and public sector delivery at a national and local level, specialising in the development of cross-sector partnerships and policy development, with a particular interest in co-commissioned approaches to cultural development.
Ellen Harrison, Head of Creative Programmes and Campaigns, Historic England.
With more than 15 years’ experience in arts, culture and heritage, Ellen specialises in community-led arts programmes and campaigns. From lighting up St Paul’s and Coventry cathedrals with poetry and animation, to working with the public to create the “Picturing Lockdown” photographic archive, her work brings the wellbeing and social benefits of culture to people and place. She directs The High Street cultural programme, which supports a broader £95m regeneration scheme across high streets in England. It is the biggest ever community-led arts and heritage programme in the public realm and provides £7.4 million of funding to cultural activity locally, helping people rediscover pride in their high street again. This is supported by a programme of national commissions from short stories to film, photography to performance, that bring high streets together.
Casey Orr, award winning photographer and artist.
Casey Orr is a photographer and artist. Since 2013 she has travelled throughout the UK with her award winning photographic portrait studio Saturday Girl. In towns and cities on Saturday afternoons all fashionable folks are invited to be photographed. The series explores identity and self expression through fashion and portraiture. In 2024 the portraits will be part of an important national body of work developed across England with Open Eye Gallery.
The panel will be moderated by James Lawler, curator and events organiser working behind the Saturday Girl About Town project. James works alongside Martin Green as one half of DuoVision whose main aim is to highlight undervalued artists, older artists & LGBTQ+ artists. They successfully ran The Gallery Liverpool where they showcased work by Jarvis Cocker, designer Pam Hogg, Caroline Coon & Marc Almond. They have recently curated exhibitions in London, Paris, Belfast & Stoke-on-Trent.
Image © Casey Orr, on set of Saturday Girl.
