First Art

Yesterday was absolutely joyful! ☀️ ❤️ I had the most amazing day at the Festival of the Arts at Bolsover Castle with @junctionartsuk & @derbyshiremakes . I loved performing poetry with @rottenpoetryemporium again, I got to watch my hooded drummer girl perform with her band Wild Ivy on the @doeleacentre stage, I ran a workshop alongside @luciemaycockartist to help people find their own poetry and I told the world about @creativerevolutionchesterfield , I also got to see and hear so much creativity and talent …. life doesn’t get much better than that really. Thanks to everyone who organised and participated in such a wonderful event - especially the Bolsover Castle Dream Team @tylerturnerwrites @jo3l_w 👏 #creativerevolution @ourbolsoverstoryuk @artsderbyshire @aceagrams @emilyjbow @sgresswellart @cathirae @openhus @dizzyruptive @bolsoverdc @visitbolsover @oldbolsovertowncouncil @cppfirstart @platformthirty1 @weare.local #poetry #poet #bolsovercastle #bolsoverchampion

Join us tomorrow for Derbyshire Makes Festival Bolsover! We can't wait. We'll be there with our Interactive Portraits. You can find us on Castle Street by the Cenotaph. Create a backdrop of what your favourite Derbyshire looks like and have a photo with your crew. Plus, take home a little piece of Derbyshire with your own customised Jacob's Ladder, the county flower. Sat 16 May 2026 Bolsover Town Centre 10am - 3pm A vibrant day celebrating Bolsover’s creativity, community and imagination. 🔗For more details follow the link in our bio Portrait backdrop illustrations by @sam.firecatcher . Image ID: An illustrated background shows a wall of picture frames and shelves from a front room. There are icons of Derbyshire dotted about in the background. In the foreground are a man with a beard and glasses in a bright yellow top and cheering. A woman with short blonde hair stands next to him making the peace sign and cheering. She's wearing a bright orange top. Video description: An animated video showing different illustrated items like pictures and ornaments making their way onto the wall and shelves of an illustrated backdrop. A man and woman then pop up posing for a photo. Promoting First Art's Interactive Portraits at Derbyshire Makes Festival Bolsover. @derbyshiremakes @junctionartsuk @artsderbyshire @aceagrams @bolsoverdc #DerbyshireMakes #oldtownbolsover

🎉 Derbyshire Makes Hub Festivals go out with a bang this weekend in Bolsover with a huge day of creativity, performance, music and making across the town centre! 🏰✨ From Bolsover Castle to Castle Street, you’ll find hands-on workshops, live performances, exhibitions, heritage crafts and activities for all ages happening throughout the day. You might find yourself making a willow lantern inspired by Bolsover’s famous lantern parades. Or creating silk paintings, woven artworks, fossil impressions or miniature worlds. You could try heritage button making, printmaking, embroidery or craft your own copper ring. There’s creativity around every corner, with local artists, makers and community groups sharing skills, stories and traditions throughout the town. ✨ Highlights include: ✨ Bolsover Festival of the Arts at Bolsover Castle 🛍️ Teenage Market showcasing young creatives and makers 📸 Made in Bolsover exhibition and film experience 🧵 Lantern making workshops 🏛️ English Heritage Conservation in Action Van 🎶 Live Music Stage at Bolsover Castle featuring local performers, Mind and Melody Music Group and community samba band Bolsover Beats 🎭 Parade – The Giant Wheel by Autin Dance Theatre 🚐 The Makory’s dragonfly fossil workshops inspired by Bolsover’s geological history 🎨 Craft workshops, weaving, collage, silk painting and more ♿ Accessibility is an important part of the festival, with 2 x BSL interpreters available throughout the day. ✨ Come for an hour or stay all day. Wander, make, listen, watch and join in - there’s no right way to take part. 📆 Sat 16 May ⏰ 10am - 3pm 📍 Castle Street / Bolsover Library / Bolsover Castle / The Pillar of Rock 🎟️ FREE 🔗 Head to the website for full details and to plan your visit Let’s make something together in Bolsover 💛 @junctionartsuk @platformthirty1 @englishheritage @cppfirstart @autindt @oldbolsovertowncouncil @bolsoverdistrictcouncil @ourbolsoverstoryuk @weare.local @derbymuseums @englishheritage @autindancetheatre @artsderbyshire #DerbyshireMakes #DerbyshireMakes2026 #Bolsover #CreativeDerbyshire #FreeFestival #Making #TheMakory #HeritageCraft #FamilyActivities #Festival #Thingstododerbyshire

🚨 ASHFIELD - DON’T MISS THIS 🚨 SHED STORIES by @cassonandfriends is touring across Ashfield next week! Seamlessly blending theatre, movement and documentary, SHED STORIES shines a light on the growing phenomenon of ‘Men’s Sheds’ and the communities around them. 🎟 Tickets £5 📅 Performances in your local community centres start from the 16th May 👉 Book now via link in bio 📷 1 & 2 Alisa Boanta, 3 Jenny Harper

🎭 TOURING IN ASHFIELD THIS MAY 🎭 We're excited to bring @cassonandfriends to you with their funny, thought-provoking and uplifting production, 🛠️ SHED STORIES 🛠️ Uniquely blending theatre, movement and documentary, SHED STORIES is a heartwarming performance that brings to life the world of ‘Men’s Sheds’; community groups where people can come together to make, repair and repurpose as well as improve their wellbeing and mental health. Combining real-life interviews with compelling movement, it shines a light on the characterful communities around this growing phenomenon - with over 1200 sheds across the UK and counting! SHED STORIES shines a light on community, connection and the little things that keep us going - friendship, laughter... and a nice cup of tea. ⬇️ TOUR DATES & LOCATIONS ⬇️ Sat 16 May – JACKSDALE, Jacksdale Community Centre Sun 17 May – KIRKBY-IN-ASHFIELD, St Thomas’ Church Mon 18 May – HUCKNALL, St John’s Community Hall @stjohnscentre Tue 19 May – TEVERSAL, @teversalvisitorscentre 🎟 Tickets £5 🔗 Find out more & book now via the What's On link in bio! SHED STORIES was originally commissioned by Lincoln Arts Centre (@lincsartscentre ) & Applause Rural Touring and is supported byArts Council England (@aceagrams ) and partners across the UK including UK Men's Sheds Association (@ukmenssheds ) 📷 Alisa Boanta #ShedStoriesShow #CassonAndFriends #RuralTouring #MensSheds #DanceTheatre #UKTheatre #CommunityArt #ShedStories

Send us your support wish lists! ✨ Artists, creatives, cultural businesses and venues of Ashfield - we want to hear from you! 📣 We’re so excited to be launching our support offer for the cultural sector in Ashfield: THE CREATIVE COHORT. 💪 A programme of workshops, masterclasses, networks, socials and much, much more. We want to hear from YOU to understand what you need to enable your creativity to THRIVE. The Creative Cohort is open to everyone who identifies as working in the arts and cultural sector, so whether you’re an independent artists, company, community arts group or venue, we’d love to hear from you! Our survey is open until 5th May at 10am and can be found via our link in bio.

First Art x Girl Outdoors A privilege to be the Videographer for this project - protecting women and girls against violence in public spaces. Screen grabs above, footage coming soon 🎬 ❤️

Have the best weekend, peeps, Hit up the squad and get yer grapevines on!

🚨CALLING ALL MANSFIELD🚨 As they say, 'you've got to be in it, to win it' and that's exactly what we're doing. @cppfirstart @unanima and a host of other partners involved in Mansfield's cultural scene are putting together an Expression of Interest (EOI) to become the first ever UK Town of Culture. This is a new national competition with £3 million for the winning town, and £250,000 for category finalists. It could result in a six-month cultural programme for 2028 and with it bring major investment and lasting positive change to Mansfield. This is a rare opportunity, so if we don’t go for it, other towns will. Here's the catch. We've got a small window of time to pull this all together with the EOI due in at the end March. The most important part of this is hearing from you, the local community. The voice of the community is central to the bid. We want to hear your thoughts on Mansfield's identity, along with ideas, and ambitions. How do you get involved? We've got several ways. 👉Answer the short online survey via the link in our bio or at https://forms.gle/Td6rSDZgoFVdjgPj6 before 20 March 2026. 👉Get the word out and ask your friends, family, colleagues and anyone else you know in Mansfield to complete the survey. 👉 Come along to one of the sessions for local residents and partner organisations to chat about your thoughts and ideas: 📅Mon 16 March 11am-1pm (online) 📅Tues 17 March 1pm-3pm (in person - venue in Mansfield town centre tbc) 📅Tues 17 March 6pm - 8pm (in person - venue in Mansfield town centre tbc) 📅Wed 18 March 11-1pm (online) If you’d like to attend, please email [email protected] with the date and time you wish to join; we’ll then send the meeting link or venue details. Please share this information with anyone else who may want to attend. So, we urge you to hop on board and help us get this thing on the road. Thank you! Images: 1. The Full Shebang Festival, image First Art © Lamar Francois 2. OneFest, image Unanima © Tom Platinum Morley 3. Unity Festival, image Inspire Youth Arts © Neil Pledger 4. Takeover Youth Festival, image Captivate © Lamar Francois 5. Mansfield Town Film Festival, image Mansfield Cultural Services