Peterborough Culture Forum
Providing support and a place to connect for those interested in arts and culture in Peterborough.
What started in April 2020 as an online catch-up for Peterborough’s arts network has since grown into a city-wide open group for artists, arts organisations, community groups and individuals who are interested in the arts.
Free monthly meetings about pressing arts-focused topics and sector needs relevant to Peterborough. Connect with others and get support, build partnerships, trust and skills.
Suggestions for speakers and topics are welcome.
To receive notifications about the Peterborough Culture Forum events, including Zoom links for online events, please sign up for the newsletter.
Autumn Culture Forum: Rose Croft
For the Culture Forum, Rose invites us to gather, as hobbits, and reflect on what it means to grow, adapt and belong as artists in Peterborough. Across three sessions, and drawing on the Age-Old wisdom of The Shire, we’ll explore what you need to feel safe and brave in your practice, build a toolkit from what’s already at hand, and how these thoughts can shape a collaborative and generous creative ecosystem.
Each session offers space to reflect, share, connect, and to be ready to step into adventure when the time is right.
SESSION 1 - Concerning Hobbits - From Comfort to Bravery
Tuesday 9 September 12noon - 2pm @ Peterborough Museum
What do we need to grow as an artist?
Reflecting on our immediate needs and what helps us grow as artists, we’ll consider our own practices and the conditions that help us feel safe, supported and able to create. In small groups, we will explore what helps to move beyond comfort and safety into spaces of bravery. Together, we’ll share experiences, notice the needs we have in common and begin to think about how those needs might be met.
SESSION 2 - Lembas Bread - Breaking New Ground
Tuesday 9 September 6.00pm - 8.00pm @ Peterborough Museum
How do we gather what we need to keep going?
The habit of collecting tools, habits and ideas can help us stay creative, especially when things feel uncertain. Together, we’ll think about what we already carry and what we can draw from our surroundings. Through group discussion and hands-on activity, we’ll begin shaping our own “backpack” that we take with us to be grounded in our practice and place. Like any traveller setting out, we don’t need to carry everything, just enough to sustain us on the path ahead.
Jake Smith, Artistic Director and CEO of Eastern Angles, will join this session to share his experience of stepping into the city’s creative ecosystem and what it’s meant to find his footing here.
SESSION 3 - AND MY AXE! - Nurturing a Culture of Generosity and Reciprocity
Monday 3 November, 7.00 - 8.00pm - Online Session (RSVP for Zoom Link)
What does it mean to offer support without losing ourselves? And how do we build creative cultures that are rooted in mutual care?
This final session by Rose invites us to think about how we show up for others. We’ll be playful in naming what we need and what we can give. Then together we’ll imagine what a good adventuring party looks like and reflect on the roles we each tend to take on. Finally, we’ll gather our ideas on a community quest board and write the kinds of invitations that might help us build the parties we need for the journeys ahead.
About: Rose Croft
Rose is driven by a deep attention to process. Her practice moves fluidly between making, facilitating and performing, often rooted in community, and a desire for space where creativity feels possible for all. This is rooted in the belief that deepening attention to the connections between people, places, materials, and stories can inspire joy and nurture resilience even when we are disconnected from each other and the living world. Known for her use of vibrant colour and tactile processes, for Rose making is a way of thinking, exploring, and transforming.
Please RSVP to let us know if you’ll be attending any of the sessions. This is essential if the session is online so we can send you the online link, and for IRL sessions it helps us plan for refreshments.
More events will be announced soon.
All events are shared via our newsletter and old events are documented on our blog and website.
Previous sessions have included What do young artists need to thrive?, Environmental Responsibility in the Arts, Insights into ACE Project Grants, Freelancers - Strategies for Survival, Social Media Top Tips and more.
Peterborough Culture Forum
The Peterborough Culture Forum is a free-to-access network created by Jumped Up Theatre and funded by Peterborough Cultural Alliance and Arts Council England in 2024-2026 to support the networking, skill development and agency of local creatives, arts organisations and community activists who support the arts in Peterborough.
