We are a group of volunteer professionals planning to repeat our three-day Arts Festival CLITHEROE CONTEMPORARY, in June 2024. Our aim is to establish Clitheroe Contemporary as part of Clitheroe's festival landscape. During the festival, there will be workshops, artist’s talks, classes, installations, performances & exhibitions featuring paintings, films, sound art & sculpture – some for sale, some simply to enjoy. With your pledges & the help of local businesses, leisure & hospitality venues, schools & community groups, we will bring to the town a wide range of UK & international artists as well headlining our local talent. Art is for everyone. In 2024 we hope to involve the wider community taking the festival to the villages to help promote and support the local arts groups, helping the stage local exhibitions in their villages and produce a piece of art as a community to be displayed at the main event.

What we'll deliver:

• A three-day main festival in Clitheroe
• 4-6 village exhibitions
• 4-6 commissioned pieces
• A larger open exhibition showcasing more artists
• A three-day plein air competition
• Artist led workshops, talks and classes
• Art Fair with art works for sale
• Legacy of public artworks for the town
• Ongoing arts projects for young people

Why it's a great idea:

Art & culture can energise communities, inform thinking & inspire change. Our aim is for an open-to-all, volunteer-led festival that will generate a sense of inclusion & optimism in an area where, despite wealth there is also need. Exhibitions across Clitheroe in halls, cafes, pubs & restaurants will serve to support the careers of emerging artists whilst raising the Ribble Valley’s profile & lending an economic boost to its leisure & hospitality trade. A collective effort can help fire the imaginations of everyone, young & old, and especially those who might otherwise not experience art. We ask for your support to deliver a festival of creative arts in an area where there is no municipal art gallery, no community focussed arts organisation & no cultural investment strategy. A pledge of as little as £2 will help.

Steps to get it done:

• 4-6 village-based art lessons
• 4-6 village-based open exhibitions
• 4-6 village-based art commissions
• Three day art festival
• Open exhibition across several venues
• Three day plein air competition

We created Clitheroe Contemporary in order to form a legacy of art within the Ribble Valley, we have ambitions to create a nationally recognised event on a level with Hay-on-Wye. A successful festival will give us a platform to establish the Ribble Valley as an incubator for artists and art led businesses. Increasing participation in the arts for everyone.