What kind of things does Art's development do?

Arts Investment Programme
We help fund the four main arts venues in Colchester so they can provide a wide range of activities for local people and visitors to enjoy. The four arts venues (many of which have a national reputation for their work) are as follows:

? Colchester Arts Centre, specialising in dance, live art, music and comedy
? Firstsite @ the Minories, a gallery specialising in the contemporary visual arts
? Mercury Theatre, providing Colchester with a range of high quality drama
? Signals Media Arts, specialising in production of Film and Multi-media work

Community partners
As well as supporting the four venues, we work closely with a range of local community organisations to run projects in Colchester:

? Wivenhoe Engine Shed - assist with the set up of a rural arts venue
? Cuckoo Farm and its annual Open studios programme
? Headgate Theatre – Our local community performance venue

Rural Arts
One of Arts Development’s aims is to develop and encourage arts activities in areas outside the town centre. People from these villages and rural areas of the borough have told us they would like to have a chance to be involved in more arts activities, especially those involving young people. Rural arts projects include:

Essex on Tour - Touring scheme bringing the performing arts to rural areas - look out for activity between September-March each year.

Rec-Create - Arts and recreation project that has been devised across Colchester Leisure Services to use the arts as a tool for engaging rural communites.

To date, the communities of Tiptree, West Mersea and Wivenhoe have been involved in projects to create:
? A new play area for Victoria Esplanade in West Mersea
? Interactive heritage touring cabinet for Wivenhoe
? Art Trail on Tiptree Heath

Rec-Create 2005 is engaging communities in Birch, Boxted, Copford, Tiptree and Wivenhoe to create:
? 7 pairs of unique curtains for Birch Village Hall
? Interactive website inspired by Colchester Museum's costume collection
? New refuse bins for Boxted recreation ground
? 3 community events (Boxted, Copford, Tiptree)
? Health Walks on Tiptree Heath