The programme for the eighth annual Fest West festival has been announced with film and dance in the mix alongside theatre performances.

Fest West sees Wiltshire Creative venues Salisbury Arts Centre and Salisbury Playhouse collaborate with The Pound Arts Centre, Corsham and Town Hall Arts, Trowbridge to present some of most interesting arts from across the South West.

The third season of Getting Together Through Films is coming to an end on Saturday 19 January at 2pm at Town Hall Arts, Trowbridge, with the film screening of the award-winning documentary “Gaza Surf Club” by Philip Gnadt and Mickey Yamine, and the premiere of the short documentary film “Six Days” by Samiha Abdeldjebar, a French-Algerian filmmaker living and working in Wiltshire.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION AT TOWN HALL ARTS, TROWBRIDGE, OCTOBER 6th 2018

For a second year, Town Hall Arts will open its doors to the public to celebrate Black History Month.

This year the Black History Month Celebration will be a tribute to the legacy of the Windrush Generation. It is 70 years since the arrival of the HTM Empire Windrush which was carrying more than 1,000 migrants from the Caribbean who were invited to come to help rebuild war-battered Britain.

The free event will start on Saturday 6th October at 12.00 pm with the opening of the exhibition ‘Wiltshire Remembers the Windrush Generation.’ This exhibition consists of eight panels reflecting the story of those who came decades ago to this county: stories of leaving their birth-place, their integration and their identity. This project has been designed by the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.

Traditional Caribbean food will be served from 12.30 pm and people can enjoy live music. There will be a crèche and activities for children will also be available.
During the afternoon, the popular female Quadrille dance group ‘JANUKA’ will be performing and encouraging the audience to participate in a dancing workshop. They will be travelling from South East London especially for the event.

At 2.00 pm there will be the screening of the classic film ‘Pressure’ (1975) by Trinidad-born director Horace Ové. ‘Pressure’ is considered the first feature-length fiction film by a black director in Britain and the first British film with an all-black cast.

Set in Ladbroke Grove, West London, an area with a large Caribbean population since the 1950s, the film shows the spirit of the 1970s through the life of Anthony, a black teenager born in Britain of parents from Trinidad and his struggles to find his way and identity in a white-dominated society. The film is suitable for anyone over 15 years old.

In addition, two short films will be shown prior to the screening of ‘Pressure’: ‘Hairitage’ (2016) directed by Aisha Sanyang-Meek, and ‘Beneath the Surface’ (2017) directed by Yero Timi-Biu. These short films directed for two talented young women, explore different aspects of black struggles from a contemporary point of view.

Seats are limited so those wanting to see the films should book tickets in advance online at http://www.trowbridgearts.com, in person at Town Hall Arts, Market Street, Trowbridge or by phone on 01225 774306. There is no charge for the tickets.

This Black History Month celebration has been made possible with funds from Heritage Lottery Fund and it is supported by the Film Hub South West through the BFI Audience Network. This organisation has made it possible to run a third season of the multicultural community project ‘Getting Together Through Films’ in October and November 2018 and January 2019.
The Celebration has been organised by a partnership between Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, West Wiltshire Multi Faith Forum and Town Hall Arts.

Playday is the national day for play in the UK, held on the first Wednesday in August each year.

This year Trowbridge celebrated Play Day with a range of free activities provided by Town Hall Arts and Trowbridge Museum at the Town Hall, in Market Street Trowbridge.

Around 150 children joined in with cardboard castle building; traditional games like bagatelle, bar skittles, shove ha’penny and hop scotch; creative fun with chalk, playdough and water, plus artist Jennie Quigley provided face painting, which kept her busy all morning.

Artists from the Town Hall Arts shop have been invited to sell their handmade gifts in the Information Centre within Trowbridge Civic Centre.

Trowbridge Tourist Information Centre is pleased to be selling a range of beautiful art and craft products from local artists who also have a shop within Town Hall Arts in the centre of town. From unique greetings cards to outstanding works in glass and ceramics, you’d be sure to find the ideal gift for a birthday or other special occasion.

Artists from Town Hall Arts Shop will rotate their work throughout the year to make sure there is always something new for visitors to browse.

The Information Centre is open between 8.30am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday, and between 10.00am and 2.00pm on Saturdays. Call 01225 765072 or email info@trowbridge.gov.uk for more information.

To see a wider selection of local artists’ work, you can visit the Trowbridge Town Hall Arts shop between 10.00am and 2.00pm, Monday to Saturday. Call 01225 774306 or email info@townhallarts.co.uk

Subversive Surfaces is the new exhibition of work by artists Gina Baum and Lou Baker currently on display in Trowbridge Town Hall. The diverse and intriguing exhibition features pieces which challenge modern perceptions of the human body, while drawing attention to critical issues such as the barbaric practice of FGM and the hold pharmaceutical companies have over us. A key theme of both artists work is contradiction. Ideas of what is appealing versus repulsive, socially acceptable versus unacceptable and the things that make us feel safe versus vulnerable are magnified for the publics scrutiny.

‘True democracy exists in the election of a leader. It can only succeed by allowing total control by the leader. It has nothing to do, absolutely nothing to do with the weakness of submitting to the will of the majority’

The newly invigorated Trowbridge Chamber of Commerce representing Trowbridge Businesses is creating an event to help raise funds for Trowbridge Town Hall. Town Hall Arts has until the end of June 2018 to raise a minimum of £35000 or close down forever at the end of July. They have set up a  Local Giving Page for their 130 Challenge https://localgiving.org/fundraising/130challenge/

‘In Morocco, as in all Muslim countries, Sex before marriage is against the law, single mothers are despised, illegitimate children are outcasts. But this is no ordinary single mother…’

Bastards is a sometimes shocking, often heart-warming documentary which was shown as part of the Trowbridge Arts Community Cinema programme. This season was curated by Lorena Pino with the central theme of Motherhood at various stages. In the spirit of this, Bastards, and the other documentaries shown as part of this season were directed and written by women.

Funding News

Sadly Town Hall Arts has not been successful in securing ongoing support from Arts Council England. This means that we need to find replacement core funding of a minimum of £35000 per year by the end of June 2018. If we're not successful in this we will need to close our doors at the end of July.

We are doing all we can to prevent this from being the case and are talking to lots of individuals and businesses that may want to invest in our work to ensure we can keep making a difference to the community and the regeneration of the County Town of Wiltshire.  

What you can do...

1. Please get in touch if you, your company or the company you work for would like to discuss becoming a core funder.
2. Write to the Wiltshire Times letters@wiltshiretimes.co.uk   and our MP Andrew Murrison ( andrew.murrison.mp@parliament.uk) about why you think Town Hall Arts is important for the town, the community and why it's important to you.
3. Support us through our Local Giving Page https://localgiving.org/charity/town-hall-arts/
4. ..and keep supporting us in all the wonderful ways that you do as visitors, ticket buyers, volunteers, artists and moral supporters.

Many thanks for your continued support.