Heather recently visited the Creative Melbourne Gallery to hear more about the launch of “Blossoming”, a programme of creative community workshops for local people supported with funding by an Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grant and a Derbyshire County Council Covid Recovery Grant.
It has been difficult of late to get funding to expand the support currently given to the local creative community, so the launch of “Blossoming” represents a step in the right direction for the revival of local arts.
Arts Melbourne CIC, the not-for-profit organisation that since 2005 has organised the Melbourne Festival, opened Creative Melbourne Gallery & Studios in January 2022 to provide an outlet for regional artists to sell their work. At Creative Melbourne there are three artists’ studios and a mentoring programme, “Spaces to Create”, a hot-desking area supporting emerging artists which has been supported by an SDDC Community Partnership Grant.
Heather Wheeler says: “It was a pleasure to visit the cultural heart of Melbourne to meet some of our wonderful local artists and support one of the many ways we are reinvigorating our local creative community after what has been a tough period. Events such as 'Blossoming' are so important and offer an opportunity to showcase some of our brilliant local talent! Well worth a visit!"
