Vital Sparks brings Holi fesival to Mutley

Six more projects have been given received Vital Sparks funding to put art and creativity into the heart of the community.

The Plymouth Culture project, led by Plymouth City Council and funded by Arts Council England has awarded bursaries to groups that promise to create a buzz in their own communities.
All these new and inventive pieces of work will be realised in the next six months and will provide opportunities for local people to explore their own creativity.

Dom Jinks, Chief Executive for Plymouth Culture, “I am delighted to see the range of work in these six projects. They all demonstrate communities in Plymouth working with artists and organisations in exciting and thoughtful ways and we're now beginning to see more of these projects in Plymouth, thanks to Vital Sparks.”

Deputy Leader Councillor Peter Smith added: “The people of Plymouth are brimming with great ideas for projects that can transform their communities.  Now we have momentum, we need those applications to keep coming in."

Successful applicants include Moor View Park in Mutley which will be the centre of two exciting events including its own Holi festival. Whitleigh will celebrate its heritage through the written word and Union Corner on Union Street will get a creative facelift.Our Way Art - £3,460

The Plymstock-based group has received funding for its ‘Roaming Pin Board’ project to tie in with the Big Draw. Plymstock School pupils want to engage new audiences in seeing, experiencing and creating art through events and creative challenges. They aim to produce a moveable gallery - which could be an art wall or pin board - for community events which will have free illustration or arts workshops.

Whitleigh Arts - £2,842
Celebrate 65 years since the first houses in Whitleigh were built with the Whitleigh Words Festival.  Throughout 2015, word workshops will be held by Whitleigh Arts culminating in a festival later in the year to mark National Poetry Day. 

Friends of Moor View and University of Plymouth Students' Union - £2,500
The friends of the park on Mutley Plain have teamed up with the university to deliver a series of artist-led workshops exploring 'What Life Means?'   Local people, including students, refugees and people with disabilities, will work with artists to produce a piece of art or performance for an event at the park.

Stonehouse Action - £2,400
Stonehouse Action will commission artists to create works for Union Corner on Union Street. Currently a derelict space, Union Corner will be used to test community and business ideas to help regenerate the street. Stonehouse Action would like everything that people touch from door knobs to special chairs to be created by artists with materials sourced from the site.

Tempo £2,390
How would it feel to play a piano on the Hoe facing out to sea?  Liberating? Spiritual?  TEMPO, a group of young people based at Plymouth Music Zone will be bringing 'Piano for a Day' to Plymouth Hoe and the Piazza encouraging locals to have a play!  The experiment will be made into a film and podcast.

Hindu Society at Plymouth University £300
Funding will go towards a Holi festival in Moor View Park. Run by Hindu students at Plymouth University, the event is open to everyone. Holi is widely-known as the Hindu festival of colours and symbolises the victory of good over evil and the beginning of Spring. Festival goers will throw coloured powder and water at each other with the hope of bringing everyone together to celebrate the diversity of the area.  

The third round of Vital Sparks funding is open. The deadline for applications is 31 March 2015.

Photo credit betto rodrigues / Shutterstock.com