Celebratory summer event will shine a light on Hull’s creativity

• A celebration of the creativity and culture that Hull has to offer;
• Collaborative programme includes Absolutely Cultured, Middle Child, Humber Street Gallery, Pride in Hull and more;
• Artist Morag Myerscough to develop an interactive public art commission with the people of Hull, commissioned by Absolutely Cultured;
• 16 pots of £1000 seed funding available for local artists or collectives that want to get involved;
• Local artists, community groups and cultural organisations are invited to submit their activity and be added to the full programme listings.

Creative Hull, brought to you by Absolutely Cultured, is a weekend long celebration of the creativity and culture that Hull has to offer, taking place from the 16 -18 July 2021.

Occupying disused shops and buildings, outdoor spaces, existing venues and taking place digitally, Creative Hull is a moment to celebrate our city’s culture and the role it can play as we emerge from this last year – responding to the changes brought and shaping a new optimistic future.

Stephen Munn, CEO and Artistic Director at Absolutely Cultured said, “There is a wealth of creativity and culture happening in Hull, much of which has been impacted heavily over this last year. We wanted to shine a light on it by facilitating an event that could bring that wide variety of digital, visual art, dance, theatre, music and just people being creative, under one banner. It’s a chance to be part of something bigger, together. We’d originally planned this event for 2020 and whilst it will be a little different than intended, it’s even more relevant now. We’ve worked hard to make sure it can still go ahead in a considered and socially distanced way and we’re really excited to be able to bring some much-needed joy to the city this summer.”

The programme will be shaped with those involved in the coming months, though we can already expect it to feature Hull-based theatre company Middle Child, exhibitions at Humber Street Gallery including In My Room by artists Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings, and Pride in Hull will be hosting a pop-up hangout safe space. There will also be an interactive public art commission erected in the city centre, developed with the people of Hull, by Morag Myerscough and commissioned by Absolutely Cultured. Even more exciting programme details will be announced in the coming months.

Local artists, community groups and cultural organisations who may be already planning an activity that could take place over the weekend, whether that be digitally or live, who would benefit from being part of the wider programme, are invited to complete an online form to be included in the listings and marketing campaign.

To support participation, Absolutely Cultured will provide seed funding of up to £1,000 for eight local artists or collectives who have an existing or new project they want to try out as part of the programme; whether that be within a community, in a public venue or digitally. In addition to marketing, further support will be provided such as use of a venue, production, event management and volunteer support. A further eight local artists will be commissioned to create shop window designs as part of a series, which will be featured across the city-centre. Details on how to apply for each of these opportunities can be found on our website.

Stephen Munn said, “Creative Hull is about celebrating Hull’s creativity in all its forms so we didn’t want to be prescriptive. We want people to join in with their activity whether that’s a gig, an exhibition, a craft fair, a book club event or a children’s activity.

“This is an opportune moment to explore how creativity and culture can be part of our city’s rejuvenation. The pandemic has highlighted how important creativity is for our health and wellbeing, it has also accelerated the closure of high street shops so this is a bit of an experiment in how some of these disused buildings might be used more permanently going forward, and perhaps a reset moment in how creativity and culture can be part of shaping Hull’s future.”

Absolutely Cultured will be working with local artists in Gipsyville and Peel Street on community-based projects and there will be a number of activities for schools and colleges and for people to get involved across the city – whether that be from home or attending in person.

Everyone will be invited to ‘get creative’, do something fun and discover something new through arts and culture.

The programme will be promoted across social media and on the Absolutely Cultured website. If you would like your event or activity to be included in the digital listings, submit your details for free on Absolutely Cultured’s website by 28 May.