Hebden Bridge Web

Monday, 17 April 2017

Young artists go supernova

Young artists and performers in Hebden Bridge have created a new collective to support and develop emerging creative talent across the town. 

The Nova Collective is aimed at anyone who may be an artist, performer, writer, designer, choreographer or exploring other artistic avenues, and would benefit from being a part of a supportive network with access to practical resources. 

The budding artists might need help finding a performance platform, making a strong application for funding or just need a mentor who know exactly what they are going through. The Collective’s founder, Hana Osborne, gained valuable experience working as a Young Producer with Hebden Bridge Arts Festival. 

Hana Osborne said, “There is a huge amount of talent in Hebden Bridge, across a whole range of disciplines. We wanted to come together to pool our skills and resources, identifying need and responding with concrete opportunities. It has been great to get in touch with local businesses and artists and have them respond in such a positive way. 

The Nova Collective

“The Nova Collective is an open forum so we want people to come along to offer opinions or ideas to how we can grow and what would help them, as this will be an ongoing project that will provide year-round support to young talent in Hebden Bridge.” 

The collective are already looking at possibilities for open studio spaces, a market stall on Saturdays from April to provide opportunities to showcase new creations and advice on funding applications. There are opportunities to take on responsibilities during Hebden Bridge Arts Festival if they have an interest in Events Management/Production Management. Outside opportunities are shared as and when they present themselves in the Nova Collective group. 

Nova Collective is also being supported by the Arts Festival, who are offering their network of artists to help create a New Producer database and a sustainable network. 

Arts Festival Artistic Director Helen Meller said, “Every artist we work with had to start their careers somewhere so we want to make that process as painless as possible which means that young people in town can focus on their creativity. 

“But there is more to being a great artist that just raw talent, so we want to help the collective members think about things like applying for funding and how to find other practical advice that could help them get their work in front of people.” 

Nova Collective meet second Tuesday of every month and find out more go to the Facebook page for more info and to get involved.