Creative Kernow is celebrating 40 years of supporting the Cornish creative community

Creative Kernow are celebrating 40 years of supporting the Cornish creative community this month – they are looking forward to the future with the announcement that they have been granted planning permission to replace the buildings lost in the Krowji fire.

The cultural support organization hosts a 40^th birthday party at Krowji on Friday 28th June from 2.30pm and anyone who has been part of their journey is welcome to join.

The event will bring together many people who have played a part in the evolution of Creative Kernow with creative workshops, music and comedy performances, exhibitions and more.

He will reflect on the achievements of the past 40 years and look forward to new developments for the organization, including new plans for Krowji.

Creative Kernow has been part of the rich tapestry of Cornwall’s creative landscape since the early 1980s, providing invaluable support to thousands of artists, performers, makers and creators from their very beginnings.

The organization has been at the forefront of providing business support and investment opportunities to anyone working in a creative field and has supported countless individuals and organisations. Over the past decade they have secured around £20m of funding to help support and promote the Cornish creative industries and have brought over £30m into the Cornish economy.

Fiona Wotton, chief executive of Creative Kernow, said: “For the past 40 years, Creative Kernow has championed creativity as a force for positive change in Cornwall. I’m so proud of our small team – it’s heavy on the connections, expertise and energy that have catalyzed new confidence in Cornwall’s cultural identity and helped grow our creative economy.

She added: “We have a lot to look forward to with our Krowji Phase 3 development, the launch of our new creative business support program and numerous projects in the pipeline. In these uncertain times, we need creativity more than ever to solve problems and make sense of the world, and I can’t wait to see what challenges we tackle next.”

Originally established in 1983 and now in their mid-40s^th year, Creative Kernow began as the Cornwall Arts Center Trust and was set up by campaigners to save the old Truro Town Hall from being sold to a supermarket.

The campaign began to create an arts venue for Cornwall, which resulted in the Town Hall being saved from developers and reopened as the Hall for Cornwall. ACT began to reduce its promotional work and gradually focused more on supporting the sector.

Their rural touring programme, Carn to Cove, was established in 2001 and the following year ACT began work on their long-term flagship project to develop offices and studios for the Creative Industries – taking over the Old Grammar School in Redruth in 2005, now. known as Krowji and is home to over 200 creative businesses.

Ross Williams, former director of Creative Kernow, said: “I joined the company as a director in 1991 – I started by chance as a box office volunteer just a few months earlier and when the previous director left I was delighted to be there. appointed to what was then a very modest role with only two part-time colleagues. I had no idea that I would lead the organization for almost 30 years and that it would evolve into what it is today – one of Cornwall’s key cultural bodies, supporting creative practitioners and communities across Cornwall in a myriad of ways.

“I am incredibly proud of what has been achieved over the years thanks to the hard work and dedication of hundreds of people – fellow employees, administrators and everyone who has helped develop the Creative Kernow range of services and projects – and it has been a privilege to be a part of that journey.”

Over the years, Creative Kernow – the name adopted by the organization in 2016 to better reflect their work – has expanded its role in the county, with mentorship programs, arts marketing support, rural arts programming, film industry support from Cornish, festivals and the creation of Cornwall’s largest studio center at Krowji in Redruth.

Creative Kernow hosts a variety of programmes, which invest in creative projects that bring together professional artists and their communities and help the cultural and tourism sectors work more closely together.

Now a nationally significant center for the arts and creative industries, Creative Kernow aims to support creativity as a force for positive change in Cornwall.

Anyone who would like to participate in the 40^th The birthday celebration event can find out more and book their place here:

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/creativekernow/1262291?#

To find out more about Creative Kernow’s work, including their current programs and how they support the Cornish creative industry, visit:

www.creativekernow.org.uk