A new programme of artist talks is launching in Berwick-upon-Tweed this summer, bringing contemporary artists from across the UK to the town. The series of free, informal evening events is designed to inspire conversation, connection and creative exchange.

Speakeasy: Artists in Conversation will take place typically on the last Thursday of each month from 7pm – 9pm at The Straw Yard, offering audiences the opportunity to hear from invited artists working across painting, public art, socially-engaged practice, installation and more. Additional artist workshops will also be held during the programme with the first one scheduled for September.

Speakeasy is programmed by Berwick creatives Samantha Cary and Chris Adriaanse, who are inviting artists with practices that resonate with them to share insights about their career, art and creative practice, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Funded by Create Berwick, the series has been created to strengthen connections within Berwick’s creative community, while introducing an enriching range of artistic practices and perspectives.

Peer support and creative exchange

A distinctive feature of the programme is its focus on peer support and creative exchange. Following each artist’s talk, audience members can book short ‘slots’ to share work-in-progress, creating opportunities for feedback and conversation. Berwick artists will also be able to book one-to-one studio visits with visiting speakers, offering valuable opportunities for professional development.

Micro-commissions by Berwick artists

All the publicity materials are being created by Berwick-based artists as micro-commissions. There is an open call for artists and creatives to get in touch with the organisers and create one of the twelve posters.

The organisers hope the events will become a regular meeting point for creative practitioners – as well as anyone interested in contemporary art in Berwick and the wider region. All events are free to attend.

The line-up

The first season of speakers includes:

• Luke McTaggart, painter and co-director of innovative community arts initiative, Dovecote Street Arts (25th June)
• Alice Walter, a painter based in Bexhill on Sea, whose unconventional works are painted and assembled, often using studio offcuts, creating ambiguous scenes (23rd July)
• Virginia Bodman, whose painting practice is grounded in the relationship between place and lived experience (27th August)
• Kerenza McClarnan, a producer with extensive experience in delivering large-scale, outdoor, public art projects (24th September)
• Rachael Champion, New York-born artist whose site-specific installations explore relationships between ecology and the built environment (29th October)

Additional speakers to be announced.

Speakeasy: Artists in Conversation aims to create an open and welcoming environment where ideas can be shared, creative networks strengthened and new conversations sparked across disciplines. By bringing established artists to Berwick while creating space for local practitioners to present their own work, the programme seeks to support a thriving and connected creative community in the town.

Andrea Oliver, Create Berwick Manager, said: “We are excited to be able to support the creative community in Berwick through this programme. We hope many new conversations, discussions and partnerships are created as a result of bringing together creatives and artist from withing the town and beyond.”

For event updates and speaker announcements, follow @createberwick on Instagram. Check thestrawyard.co.uk to book.

(Image above: Virginia Bodman, Mostra, (4), 2016, oil on cotton, 198 x 305 cm)